We are looking for founding adventurers at all levels (e.g., final year project undergraduates, Master’s students, PhD candidates, research staff). Success not guaranteed; scientific excitement inevitable. Sounds like you? Contact us here.

Candidates that seek admission for the August 2026 start date should submit an application here before 1 Dec 2025, and ideally as soon as possible. If Google Forms is inaccessible or restricted, you may consider emailing directly.

Openings

Ph.D. student (Precision ultrasound detection for deep, high-resolution imaging)

A fully funded Ph.D. position is available for the design and development of an ultra-compact ultrasound detection platform.

Why is this important? Ultrasound faces a fundamental depth–resolution trade-off: deeper regions can only be imaged at low resolution. By guiding ultra-compact detectors to target sites, one can achieve high-resolution imaging at depth for early lesion detection with minimal invasiveness.

What does this involve? Design and prototyping of a miniaturized ultrasound detection platform, development of signal acquisition and beamforming/reconstruction pipelines, validation on phantoms and ex-vivo tissues with collaborators.

Required background: Classical wave theory, Fourier analysis, fluency in computer language of choice (Python, MATLAB, C++ preferred).

Good to have: Micro/nanofabrication, CAD, numerical simulation (e.g., COMSOL/Ansys/Tidy3D), electron microscopy, optical alignment and laser experience, electronics.

Apply here

Ph.D. student (Photoacoustic metamaterials for compact, broadband ultrasound sources)

A fully funded Ph.D. position is available for the design and development of a photoacoustic metamaterial platform for ultrasound generation in diagnostic radiology.

Why is this important? Conventional ultrasound devices typically rely on bulky piezoelectric crystals driven by high voltages. A new class of compact ultrasound sources relies on artificial structured materials known as metamaterials and metasurfaces. These comprise tiny structures engineered to have bespoke mechanical, optical, or acoustic properties that may not be achievable in bulk materials, and are ideal for manipulating photoacoustic and acoustic emissions within a tiny form factor. A compact broadband ultrasound source is transformative for both in vivo diagnostics and high speed ex vivo tissue analysis.

What does this involve? Design and fabrication of photoacoustic metamaterial elements, building of pulsed laser excitation and characterization setups; quantification of bandwidth, directivity, and efficiency, integration of sources with detection pipelines.

Required background: Classical wave theory, fluency in computer language of choice (Python, MATLAB, C++ preferred).

Good to have: Micro/nanofabrication, numerical simulation (e.g., COMSOL/Ansys/Tidy3D), optical alignment and laser experience, electronics.

Apply here

Ph.D. student (Nonlinear ultrasound and AI-guided imaging for virtual biopsies)

One fully funded Ph.D. position is available for the design and development of a nonlinear ultrasound platform with AI-enabled human-in-the-loop acquisition.

Why is this important? Conventional B-mode ultrasound imaging relies on structural information to produce contrast. It is not sensitive to other tissue properties which can contain critical diagnostic information, such as the presence of some cancerous lesions. Nonlinear ultrasound imaging which is sensitive to the high-order nonlinear coefficients of tissue is a promising capability with the potential to fill this gap. Combining nonlinear acquisition with AI-assisted guidance can move us toward virtual biopsies in resource-limited settings.

What does this involve? Development of nonlinear excitation/receive schemes and corresponding reconstruction pipelines; building of human-in-the-loop AI for acquisition guidance and artifact suppression, validation on phantoms and ex-vivo tissues with collaborators.

Required background: Classical wave theory, linear algebra, fluency in computer language of choice (Python, MATLAB, C++ preferred), at least one ML stack (PyTorch/JAX preferred).

Good to have: Numerical simulation, computer vision (segmentation/registration).

Apply here

All projects

• All Ph.D. positions are fully funded with both tuition and stipend coverage. Students are supported for applications to competitive scholarships and fellowships.
• Group members have opportunities to collaborate at the A*STAR Bioinformatics Institute (BII) and national research institutes.
• Start dates: The Ph.D. and M.Eng. intake is in August and January each year. Other positions can start at mutually agreed times.
• Lab culture: The Lim Lab values curiosity, experimentation, and a healthy work-life balance. Group members have regular one-to-one meetings for guidance and mentorship, support for conference travel, and a compassionate, collaborative environment.
• Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a video call and guided through the official NTU application and scholarship process.

Funding and scholarships

For graduate students

• Singapore International Graduate Award SINGA: for international students only, Ph.D. coverage.
• Nanyang President’s Graduate Scholarship: coverage up to 4 years for Ph.D.
• NTU Research Scholarship: coverage up to 4 years for Ph.D.
• Hermes-Epitek Innovation Scholarship: for full-time Masters (by research), for Singapore citizens only.
• Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship: for Masters (up to 2 years) or Ph.D. (up to 5 years), for Singapore citizens only. Apply through PSC portal.
• PSC Master’s Scholarships for Masters (up to 2 years), for Singapore citizens only.

For postdoctoral fellows

• Schmidt Science Fellowship: coverage for up to 2 years, must make significant disciplinary pivot from Ph.D. to postdoctoral work.
• Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship: within 5 years of Ph.D. award, coverage for 2 years.
• NTU AI-for-X Postdoctoral Fellowship: within 3 years of Ph.D. award, coverage for 4 years.
• Lee Kuan Yew Postdoctoral Fellowship: coverage for 3 years.
• The Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship: within 3 years of Ph.D. award, coverage for 2 years.
• EMBO Postdoctoral fellowships: coverage for 2 years, must have received/be receiving Ph.D. outside Singapore.