Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology Invitation for Global Talent

About Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology (SUAT)

Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology (hereinafter referred to as “SUAT”) is a newly established institution in Shenzhen, a city full of charm, power, vitality and innovation.  With the support of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Guangdong Province as well as their abundant resources in science, education, and industry, SUAT will build a first-class and new-type research university with “high starting point, high standard and high quality”.

According to the new trend of science and technology development and the development requirements of new quality productivity, SUAT has established a discipline system for emerging industries and future industries. It has established seven colleges, namely Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, Faculty of Synthetic Biology, Faculty of Computer Science and Control Engineering, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Materials Science and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Pharmacy and Faculty of Microelectronics, as well as several research institutes including Institute of Cell and Gene Technology, Institute of Emerging Agricultural Technology and Institute of Artificial Intelligence Research.

About Institute

Institute of Cell and Gene Technology

The Institute of Cell and Gene Technology, Led by prof. Le Kang, an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,  devotes to the following key research directions: Conducting innovative basic research and tackling key technological bottlenecks in the fields of cells and genes by applying novel tools and methods of artificial intelligence, big data analysis technology, and automation, and by utilizing the advantages of interdisciplinary collaboration; Promoting the translational application of cell and gene technologies in various industries such as clinical practice, agriculture, food, and industry, and thus driving the development of industries related to cell and gene technology, through cooperation with companies and hospitals.

The Institute warmly welcomes research and technical talents in the fields of cell biology, gene editing, stem cells, immunology, chemical biology, insects and biopesticides, computational biology, and various omics, among others.

Institute of Emerging Agricultural Technology

Directed by Professor Zhenbiao Yang, SUAT’s Institute of Emerging Agricultural Technology (SIEAT) aims to achieve excellency and prominence in innovative research in the forefront and emerging areas of agricultural sciences and technology, e.g., agricultural and plant synthetic biology, disruptive breeding technology, innovation of novel crop species (such as microalgae, duckweed) and biological improvement of inarable saline lands. By fostering the merging of basic research with technology development and transfer, SIEAT’s research will focus on but are not limited to the following directions: 1.Innovative basic research on agriculture-relevant plant, algal and microbial chassis systems; 2. Innovation of new crop varieties with high photosynthetic efficiency and high protein contents; 3. Innovative basic research on plant tolerance to abiotic stresses and crop cultivation on saline lands; 4. Basic and applied research on emerging new crops with high protein and oil contents such as  microalgae and duckweed; 5. basic and applied research on functional plants with enhanced or novel nutritious and health-improving values (such as strawberry) and microalgae; 6. Exploring the next generation models for agricultural production with standardized, modular, digital and intelligent agricultural facilities.  Scientists in but not limited to the areas of basic and applied biology in plants, algae, microbials, synthetic biology, multi-omics and computational biology, AI in agriculture, and disruptive crop breeding technology are encouraged to apply for one of the following positions.

Institute of Artificial Intelligence

Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AI and Behavior, Computer Vision and Recognition Center and Large Model Research Center are all belonged to the Institute of Artificial Intelligence.

1) Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AI and Behavior

The Center is dedicated to exploring new models for interdisciplinary research combining literature, theory, and engineering, focusing on the intersection of AI and human behavior. The main research directions include AI FOR human groups and collective behavior, aiming to promote intelligent development of robots through research on human behavior. Specifically, there are two aspects:

1. Focusing on Scientific Research Behavior: How to improve the integration of scientific research information retrieval, constructing AI SCIENTISTS to assist in research; studying the allocation rules of scientific research resources in a multidisciplinary context; developing new methods for evaluating the contribution of AI-assisted research to technological GDP.
2. Focusing on Human Social Behavior: Applying AI and the latest research achievements in neuroscience to reinterpret classical works by Confucius, Yangming Wang, and others from the perspective of human behavior; studying collective behavior through AI + system theory, especially the relationship between resource allocation efficiency in collective behavior; utilizing AI + historical data + system theory to explore the cyclical patterns of different eras and methods to assess the level of civilization in human societies.

2) Computer Vision and Recognition Center

The center integrates multiple data modalities to improve the intelligence level. The main research directions include computer vision, multi-modal large language model, AIGC, image and video processing, etc. These techniques can be applied to AI photography, autonomous driving, scientific imaging, video comprehension, AR/VR, and housecare consultant. 

3) Large Model Research Center

The Center focuses on the research and application of large model technologies, aiming to advance cutting-edge scientific development in the field of artificial intelligence. Our goal is to build upon the foundations of deep learning and natural language processing, employing interdisciplinary research methods to explore the potential applications of large models across various domains, as well as how they interact with human behavior and intelligent systems. The main research areas of the Center include:

1. Large Model Technologies: We conduct research and development on large language models and multimodal large models to enhance artificial intelligence capabilities in language understanding, image recognition, and natural language processing. We are committed to building large models that can understand and generate complex content, as well as multimodal models capable of handling diverse data types.
2. Multi-Agent Systems: We explore the collaborative working mechanisms of multi-agent systems, studying how interactions and cooperation among agents can solve complex problems. We focus on the decision-making processes of agents, learning strategies, and effective coordination in dynamic environments.
3. AI for Science: We utilize AI technologies to drive innovation in scientific research, including but not limited to scientific information retrieval and integration, assistance in scientific work, intelligent allocation of research resources, and evaluation methods for scientific personnel and research outcomes.
4. Embodied Intelligence: We investigate the application of large model technologies to robots and autonomous systems, enabling them to better understand and interact with the physical world. We focus on the perception, cognition, and action capabilities of robots, as well as how to enhance their intelligence by imitating human behavior.

The Center’s research is not limited to theoretical exploration but also emphasizes the development of practical applications. The Center aims to be a pioneer in large model research within the domestic artificial intelligence field, promoting innovation and application of large model technologies. Our objective is to transform the potential of large models into tangible solutions to address complex real-world problems and to continuously push the boundaries of artificial intelligence technology forward.

Positions available

Professorship positions:  Chair professor, distinguished professor, professor, and associate professor;

Staff scientist and postdoctoral positions: Research scientists, research associates and assistants, and postdoctoral fellows.

Qualifications

(I) Chair professor/Distinguished professor. Candidates should be an international outstanding scholar in his field, whose academic achievements have been widely recognized and respected by international scientific communities and can lead the advancement of his or her own research field to achieve or surpassing the international authority. Candidates must have extensive experience in training young researchers.

(2) Professor. Candidates should have sustained and productive academic outputs and substantial academic influence in the relevant his or her field, have the potential to become a leader in the field, and have international visibility. In general candidates should be an independent PI working in well-known universities/institutions at home and abroad.

(3) Associate professor. Candidates should have obtained excellent academic achievements, showing strong scientific impact in his/her field, and their achievements are known to academic communities; they should be young scientists under 40 years old with outstanding potentials to become a leader in his/her field.

(3) Postdoctoral fellow. Candidates should have a doctoral degree within 3 years and generally be 35 years old (exceptional candidates older than 35 will also be considered), and have strong credentials and excellent scientific research ability.

(4) Research scientist. Candidates should hold a doctoral degree, have > 2 years of postgraduate research experience, an excellent independent research ability and teamwork mentality.

(5) Research assistants. Candidates should have a master degree with strong credentials, demonstrated ability to perform research with supervision and excellent teamwork mentality.

Salary, benefits and research support

Salary and allowance

• Provide competitive compensation and benefits. For outstanding candidates, the offer package can be negotiated case by case.
• Those who meet the requirements can enjoy the relevant individual income tax breaks and Shenzhen city talent allowance.
• According to the situation of talents, providing competitive research start-up funds.

Research and Team support

Providing team building support for professor positions

• Supporting research team members recruitment, with financial assistance: no limit on numbers of postdoctoral fellow recruitment (including Shenzhen City subsidy RMB 180,000), providing financial assistance to two postdoctoral fellows.
• Recognition as a graduate supervisor, supporting the recruitment of master’s students.
• Providing state-of-the-art research and office spaces, outstanding research infrastructure and platforms, including national key laboratory, national technology / industrial innovation center, Shenzhen Biofoundry for synthetic biology, state-of-the art greenhouses and plant growth rooms, fields for crop research, P3 laboratory and other platforms, as well as a suite of core facilities for molecular, cellular and biochemical studies.

Fringe Benefits

• Guarantee the housing demand of talents, provide 80-150 ㎡ subsidized rental housing at 1/3 of the market rental price; enjoy the preferential policy of 40% off the market price for purchasing a home.
• SUAT has high-quaintly affiliated schools covering the whole system of kindergarten, primary school, junior high school and senior high school, providing high-quality education resources.
• Provide high-standard medical insurance for talents, provide health care and medical examination for high-end talents, and provide commercial medical insurance for talents without social security benefits in China.
• Assist in family settlement in Shenzhen, assisting spousal and minor children’s residence permits.

How to apply

(1) To apply for the professorship positions, please provide the following information

• Full resume
• Cover letter
• Research statement
• Web of Science or Google Scholar academic archives
• At least three original recommendation letters from the doctoral supervisor (if applicable), collaborators and colleagues in the field. Please list letter writers indicating name, affiliation, professional title, email and phone contacts

(2) Please provide the following information when applying for other positions

• Full resume
• Cover letter
• Postdoctoral fellow or research scientist applicants are required to provide three original letters of recommendation (including supervisors and experts in the field. Please indicate the name, affiliation, professional title, email and phone contacts). Letters of recommendation are not required for other positions.

Interested applicants can send their application materials to [email protected] at any time. Please indicate “Name + Institute + Position to apply” in the title of the email. After reviewing the application materials, SUAT will inform the applicant regarding the follow-up matters such as interviews. The application materials be kept completely confidential but will not be returned.

Institute Contact:

Institute of Cell and Gene Technology 

Teacher Liu

Email: [email protected]

Institute of Emerging Agricultural Technology

Teacher Yang

Email: [email protected]

Institute of Artificial Intelligence

Teacher Zhang

Email: [email protected]