Join us

We are hiring

If you like building optical experiments, staring at transient signals until they make sense, and arguing about fitting models, you will fit in.

POSITION 01

Ph.D. students

Three to four students per year through the SUSTech graduate admissions scheme, in mechanical engineering, materials science or physics.

Background in optics, physical chemistry, semiconductor physics or electrical engineering is welcome.

POSITION 02

Postdoctoral researchers

One or two positions for candidates with hands-on experience in ultrafast spectroscopy, transient absorption or time-resolved microscopy.

Competitive salary following SUSTech and Shenzhen postdoctoral policies; support for talent programme applications.

POSITION 03

Master's & undergraduates

Master's students and SUSTech undergraduates looking for a research project or a final-year thesis are welcome at any time.

No prior laser experience needed — curiosity and patience are.

What we look for

Honest expectations

  • Comfort with quantitative reasoning — you should enjoy a differential equation more than a press release.
  • Willingness to work in a dark room for hours and to keep a lab notebook that a stranger could reproduce from.
  • Programming skills (Python, MATLAB or LabVIEW) or a real intention to acquire them.
  • English good enough to write a paper; Chinese is helpful for daily life in Shenzhen but not required for the research.
  • Respect for safety rules. The laser will not forgive carelessness, and neither will we.
What you get

Training and support

  • Your own project from the first year, with a clear question and a plausible route to an answer.
  • Hands-on ownership of a femtosecond laser system — the skill most valued by both academia and industry.
  • Funding for conferences and international collaboration visits.
  • Authorship practice that follows real contribution, discussed openly at the start of every project.
  • A group culture of reproducible data, shared code and honest error bars.
How to apply

Four steps

  1. Write to us. Send an email to chenxh@sustech.edu.cn with the subject line starting “Application”.
  2. Attach the basics. A one-page CV, transcripts, and a short paragraph on why this group specifically — not a generic statement.
  3. Have a conversation. We will set up a 30-minute online meeting to talk about your background and the projects available.
  4. Visit if you can. Come to the lab, see the setup, and talk to the current students without us in the room.

Still deciding?

Not sure whether your background fits? Write anyway and describe what you have built, measured or broken. We care much more about evidence of curiosity than about the exact courses on your transcript.

For SUSTech graduate admissions timelines and English-taught programme details, see the university pages.

Email the group