Project Overview

The “Mens, Manus and Machina—How AI Empowers People, Institutions and Cities in Singapore (M3S)” project is driven by the goal of investigating the nature of work, redefining our relationship with technology, and exploring how institutions can adapt to foster livability, sustainability, innovation, and social welfare.  The Postdoctoral Associate is in the T5 project for the five-year M3S program in SMART. The SMART team seeks to advance the frontier of AI research, apply it to society and cities, and demonstrate the concrete social and economic impacts of the AI algorithms with broad public acceptance in Singapore and Asia.

Specifically, the SMART-T5 project aims to develop innovative machine learning algorithms and big data methodologies to study the societal and economic mechanisms underlying urban growth patterns and sustainability. We will employ techniques such as generative AI, computer science, econometrics, behavioral science, and applied economics to analyze migrations of firms and workers, urban growth dynamics, land use changes, environmental sustainability, and predictive outcomes.

Additionally, we will investigate how various networks—including supply chain reallocation, labor mobility, spatial-social networks, energy and natural resource networks, and business networks—influence urban growth patterns. We will also explore the interconnections among cities and countries using cutting-edge technologies such as network theory, deep learning, causal inference, and causal machine learning. These insights will help us better understand and enhance sustainable urban growth and economic progress in Singapore and other Asian countries, and how these cities and nations are connected regionally.

This initiative leverages integrated datasets on business establishments, employment, human mobility, environmental quality, social networks, transportation infrastructure, trade, and broader macroeconomic indicators, connecting micro-level behavioral and economic mechanisms to macro-level city and regional development.

The SMART-T5 team is led by distinguished scholars, i.e., Professor Alex “Sandy” Pentland, Professor Jinhua Zhao, and Professor Siqi Zheng from MIT, Professor Simon Chesterman from National University of Singapore, and Professor Shenhao Wang from University of Florida. You can contact Professor Siqi Zheng (sqzheng@mit.edu) and Prof. Wen-Chi Liao (wcliao@mit.edu) for further information.

Job Description

• Collaborate with the project team and other researchers to design, implement, and evaluate research projects.

• Publish research results in top-tier conferences and journals, and disseminate research findings through presentations and other means.

• Participate in the mentorship and training of graduate and undergraduate students at MIT and in Singapore.

• Assist in grant writing, project management, and other administrative duties related to research activities.

• Perform other duties as needed.

Job Requirements

• Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Science, Operations Research, Computational Social Science, Economics, Statistics, Urban Planning, Public Policy, Real Estate, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field by the start of the appointment.

• Experience in AI, machine learning, statistical and econometric modeling, network analysis, and/or optimization is preferred.

• Strong publication record in top-tier conferences and journals.

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Interested applicants are invited to send in their full CV/resume, cover letter and list of three references (to include reference names and contact information). We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.