Join our Team
We are always looking for new group members
Our lab is hiring motivated graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, and welcomes undergraduates who want to try research. We work at the interface between computational materials science and the design of new functional materials for energy storage and conversion, and look for industrious, inquisitive people who can bring interdisciplinary momentum to the field. We are committed to diversity in materials science, and applicants from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. This page is updated as research funding becomes available.
Undergraduate Students
Purdue undergraduates curious about computational materials research are welcome, with no prior research experience needed; an interest in materials, chemistry, or physics helps, as does some programming (for example in Python).
- How to get in touch: e-mail Prof. Canepa with a CV, a recent transcript, and a few lines on what interests you, ideally a semester before you would like to start.
- Programs: for Mechanical Engineering students, the best route is the Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Research Program. It and Purdue’s other programs, such as the Engineering First Time Researcher (FTR) Fellowship, are applied for through OURConnect, Purdue’s undergraduate research system. Not every opening is posted there, so please also write to Prof. Canepa directly.
Graduate Students
Current Purdue graduate students and prospective applicants are welcome to contact Prof. Canepa; prospective students should do so before applying for admission (see below). No prior knowledge of computational chemistry or materials science is required, but we do expect an interest in computational science, physics, and chemistry. PhD projects that combine theory and experiment are also very welcome.
Graduate Study at Purdue
PhD students in the group are admitted through the School of Mechanical Engineering, with Purdue’s Graduate School (more than 160 graduate programs). Mechanical engineering is the broadest of the engineering disciplines, and the School’s more than 90 full-time faculty work on topics from advanced materials and computational engineering to micro- and nanotechnology.
- Funding: every PhD and thesis-based master’s student in Mechanical Engineering is guaranteed a tuition waiver and a stipend for the fall and spring semesters while making satisfactory progress, as a research assistantship, a teaching assistantship, or a fellowship (funding options).
- Degrees: students with a strong bachelor’s record (a GPA of at least 3.6) can enter the Direct PhD without a master’s first; a thesis master’s is also offered. Courses can be taken in other schools too, such as Materials Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Aeronautics and Astronautics.
- Applying: applications for fall admission and for Purdue fellowships are due on December 1 (September 15 for spring), with a statement of purpose, a personal history statement, transcripts, a resume, and three letters of recommendation. The GRE is optional, and application fee waivers are available; see the application requirements.
US PhD Students
US applicants are strongly encouraged to apply for a national fellowship, which pays for the PhD and gives the freedom to shape one’s own project. The NSF, Department of Defense, and Department of Energy fellowships below are applied for in the fall before, or at the start of, the PhD, so please contact Prof. Canepa early, ideally by September: he is happy to help with the research plan and application. NASA’s program funds space-technology research, including time at a NASA center, and the Department of Energy offers other internships and fellowships as well. The rules change every year, so always check each program’s own page.
Department of Defense NDSEG Fellowship
- Who can apply: US citizens, dual citizens, and nationals (permanent residents are not eligible) who have earned, or will earn, a bachelor’s degree by the year they apply, are applying to or within the first two years of a US graduate program, and have at least three years of it left. The research must fit a topic in the Department of Defense’s Broad Agency Announcements.
- What it provides: up to three years of full tuition and required fees, a stipend, health insurance, and a budget for conference travel.
- When: the application window opens in early August and closes at the end of October.
- More: the program’s website.
Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (CSGF)
- Who can apply: US citizens and permanent residents who are senior undergraduates or first-year graduate students, and who will be full-time doctoral students; it suits students whose research relies on computing, as in our group.
- What it provides: up to four years of full tuition and fees and a stipend, a yearly professional development allowance, and a 12-week research stay at a Department of Energy national laboratory.
- When: the application opens each year in the fall; see the program’s website for the deadline.
- More: the program’s website.
NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities (NSTGRO)
- Who can apply: US citizens and permanent residents pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree at a US university, whose research can contribute to NASA’s space technologies (energy storage for space missions among them).
- What it provides: a grant to the university, with the faculty advisor as principal investigator, a NASA scientist or engineer as research collaborator, and a stay at a NASA center as a visiting technologist.
- When: NASA publishes a call each year on NSPIRES, with the current amounts, eligibility profiles, and deadline.
- More: the program’s website.
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
- Who can apply: US citizens, nationals, and permanent residents who are senior undergraduates, hold a bachelor’s degree with no graduate study, or are in their first year of their first graduate degree (with less than one academic year completed).
- What it provides: three years of support, used within a five-year period, each with a stipend for the student and an allowance paid to the university in place of tuition and fees.
- When: applications are due in October, on dates that depend on the field (Materials Research, Engineering, Chemistry, and Physics among them).
- More: the program’s website.
International PhD Students
International applicants apply in the same way and have the same guaranteed funding (see above); they must also show proficiency in English.
English Proficiency Tests
Applicants whose native language is not English must submit official scores, no more than two years old, from one of these tests, with the School of Mechanical Engineering’s minimum scores:
- TOEFL iBT: 4.0 overall (80 for tests taken before January 21, 2026), with at least 4.0 in Reading and Writing and 3.5 in Listening and Speaking;
- TOEFL Essentials: 8 overall and in every section;
- IELTS: 6.5 overall, with at least 6.5 in Reading, 6.0 in Listening and Speaking, and 5.5 in Writing;
- Duolingo English Test: 115 overall and in every subscore (Comprehension, Conversation, Literacy, and Production).
Waiving the English Proficiency Test
The test is waived for applicants who earned a bachelor’s or graduate degree, within the 36 months before being recommended for admission, from a school teaching in English in a country where English is the native language (for example Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom, or the Commonwealth Caribbean), and for current Purdue students who have already met Purdue’s requirement. The full list of countries and conditions is on the Graduate School’s application page; as requirements change, please check the School’s application requirements before applying.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Postdoctoral researchers work with experimental collaborators to predict new electrode and electrolyte materials for batteries. Ideal candidates have:
- excellent knowledge of electronic structure methods, including density-functional theory;
- a deep understanding of solid-state physics and chemistry, and of physical chemistry;
- good knowledge of thermodynamics, phase diagrams, and statistical mechanics;
- scientific programming skills (desirable);
- basic knowledge of UNIX/Linux and its command line (Bash, csh, etc.).
Candidates must hold a PhD in materials science, chemistry, chemical engineering, physics, or a related field by the start date. Our group is truly multicultural, there are no citizenship restrictions, and salary is negotiable with experience. To apply, send your CV to Prof. Canepa.