Assistant Professor - Al & Computational Photonics - PhD Program in Physics

Assistant Professor - Al & Computational Photonics - PhD Program in PhysicsFACULTY VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT Performs teaching, research and guidance duties in area(s) of expertise. Shares responsibility for committee and department assignments including administrative, supervisory, and other functions. CAMPUS SPECIFIC INFORMATION The Graduate Center (GC) of the City University of New York (CUNY) is seeking a tenure-track Assistant Professor to join the Ph. D. Program in Physics in Fall 2027. This position is part of the CUNY Martin S. Spergel Initiative in the Computational Sciences supported by the Simons Foundation. The successful candidate will join the CUNY Photonics Initiative, a multi-campus research effort building on research excellence in optics and photonics, and leverage the computational resources of Empire AI in their research. The Graduate Center, a Carnegie R1 Institution, is the focal point for advanced teaching and research at the nation's largest urban public university system. With over 35 doctoral and master's programs of the highest caliber, the CUNY GC fosters pioneering research and scholarship in the arts and sciences and prepares students for careers in universities and the private, nonprofit, and government sectors. The GC's commitment to research and scholarship for the public good is exemplified by its more than 30 centers, institutes, and initiatives, including its Advanced Science Research Center (CUNY ASRC), a 200,000 square‑foot facility in upper Manhattan, designed to promote collaboration among scientists in five areas of global research and innovation: nanoscience (including a nanofabrication facility), photonics, structural biology, neuroscience, and environmental sciences. We seek an outstanding scientist with a record of significant research promise and accomplishments in theoretical and computational photonics, with expertise in areas such as (but not limited to) modeling light‑matter interactions, metamaterials and/or complex photonic systems, light-based computing, first‑principles/DFT calculations of the optical and electronic properties of materials, and/or condensed matter theory for photonics. This faculty position is poised to enhance CUNY's research portfolio and leadership in photonics by integrating advanced theoretical and computational research activities within its experimentally focused research in photonics. Building on the success of the GC’s Photonics Subprogram, and leveraging partnerships with the CUNY ASRC, and the world‑class computational resources of Empire Al consortium, this effort will accelerate breakthroughs in quantum photonics, nanophotonics, metamaterials, and other fields broadly related to photonics and electromagnetics. The successful candidate will engage in research, teaching and mentorship of students and group members; develop new educational and research initiatives at CUNY; and initiate new AI‑relevant collaborative projects and activities across CUNY and other research institutions. The successful candidate will also be expected to develop an externally funded research program and pursue competitive federal and other extra- and intra-mural funding opportunities. This position will begin in Fall 2027. The incumbent will report to the Executive Officer of the Ph. D. Program in Physics at GC CUNY and will require the incumbent to work in person.