Description: We are looking for motivated young students with physics or chemistry or mathematics background to start their PhD training in the research group of Prof. Valeri Barsegov at the Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA. Interested students will be working towards their PhD Degree on exciting computational chemistry, theoretical biophysics and computational biology projects, including dynamics of viruses, mechanics of blood clots, dynamics of eukaryotic cells, and RNA-based drug discovery. There is a new development towards quantum computing. We are offering 2 fully funded PhD positions in the Prof. Barsegov research lab. These PhD positions will be covered through research and teaching assistantships. The Doctoral Program at UMass Lowell will provide prospective students with a comprehensive curriculum towards successful completion of their PhD thesis. Boston is a vibrant city in the United States with numerous job opportunities both in academia as well as in biotech and pharmaceutical industry.

What you need: To apply you must have Bachelor in Physics, Chemistry or Mathematics, or have a Master degree (or equivalent) in any of those disciplines. Knowledge of computational languages is a plus but not required. TOEFL (or equivalent) certificate of proficiency in English is necessary to follow the curriculum. Candidates are selected irrespective of sex, race, nationality or any other factor aside from interest and merit.

Package: This package provides a graduate assistantship totaling approximately $17,500 as defined by the university for a full-time graduate student. You will also receive a tuition credit for up to nine course credit hours per semester, as well as a waiver of the student activity fee and campus technology fee. You will only be responsible for 20% of the health insurance fee (80% of the Health Insurance Fee is covered in the current contract). During the summer, Prof. Barsegov will pay you from research contracts. Generally, the level of monthly summer support is equal to or greater than the monthly RA stipends that you receive during the academic year. Thus, this position’s salary and tuition waiver has a combined value of $57,750 per annum. This additional RA compensation for the summer depends on your performance and available funding. As a member of the UMass Lowell community, the research that you conduct will result in journal papers that can be compiled into your doctoral dissertation toward the completion of your Ph.D. degree.

Your RA appointment is renewable each academic year contingent upon the following: available funding, your research productivity, satisfactory RA performance evaluation, registration as a full-time student each semester and successful performance of coursework (e.g., maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in your courses). A summary of the Ph.D. degree requirements is available online at: https://www.uml.edu/catalog/graduate/sciences/chemistry/ Please do not hesitate to contact Prof. Barsegov or me if you need further information To apply, please send your request by email to Valeri_Barsegov@uml.edu

Begin Date: January 2024 (first position) and September 2024 (second position)