Postdoc in High-Performance Computing.

KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Job description

Are you a highly motivated researcher with a passion for HPC and a drive to solve complex scientific challenges? Do you thrive in an R&D environment where your ideas and the software you write directly impact cutting-edge research?

We are seeking postdocs as an HPC software scientist at the scientific software unit at KTH Center for Scientific Computing (KCSC). The position is funded by SSF within the SEESSI initiative, which aims to ready Sweden’s flagship codes in molecular dynamics, computational fluid dynamics, and quantum chemistry for next-generation hardware.

You will join a project team of HPC software scientists at KCSC collaborating closely with and driving real-world impact across three of Sweden’s flagship HPC codes: GROMACS (one of the world’s most widely used molecular dynamics packages), Neko (a highly scalable CFD framework nominated for the ACM Gordon Bell prize in 2023), and VeloxChem (a versatile open-source quantum chemistry software).

As a postdoctoral researcher, your primary focus will be to pioneer innovative, technology-aware algorithmic techniques targeting these codes. Our aim goes beyond raw performance tuning; we use a multi-disciplinary approach to redesign key algorithms for modern HPC architectures while establishing energy efficiency as a critical design metric.

Key research objectives include:

• Mixed-precision algorithms: Designing and implementing mixed-precision formulations for key domain-specific kernels to leverage low-precision hardware without compromising simulation fidelity.
• Data-centric optimization: Designing and implementing communication schemes and data access strategies targeting post-exascale systems, e.g., using GPU-centric communication techniques.
• Collaboration & impact: We actively encourage you to publish your research in high-profile international venues, providing the opportunity to contribute directly to upstream flagship codebases and reach a global user base.

Preferred qualifications

• A doctoral degree or an equivalent foreign degree, obtained within the last three years prior to the application deadline
• Familiarity with performance modeling, analysis and optimization for heterogeneous architectures.
• Experience with developing code for: molecular dynamics, computational fluid dynamics, or quantum chemistry.
• Experience working with large-scale scientific software projects and collaboration.
• Awareness of diversity and equal opportunity issues, with a focus on gender equality

Great emphasis will be placed on personal skills.

Join us at KTH

KTH shapes the future through education, research and innovation. As a leading international technical university, we play an active role in advancing the transition towards a sustainable society. At KTH, you have the opportunity to grow and develop in a creative and dynamic environment, with good working conditions and attractive benefits. Equality, diversity and equal opportunities are essential to quality and form an integral part of KTH’s core values as a university and public authority.

Learn more about our benefits and what it’s like to work and grow at KTH.

Trade union representatives

Contact information to trade union representatives.

To apply for the position

Log into KTH’s recruitment system to apply for this position. You are responsible for ensuring that your application is complete according to the instructions in the ad.

The application must include:

• CV including relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Copy of diplomas and grades from your previous university studies. Translations into English or Swedish if the original documents have not been issued in any of these languages.
• Brief account of why you want to conduct research, your academic interests and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. Maximally two pages long.

Your complete application must be received at KTH no later than the last day of application, midnight CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

About the employment

The position offered is for, at the most, two years.