We are happy to hear from prospective undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral researchers. Please feel free to contact Prof. Boechler for current openings, and include a copy of your CV. However, please note that due to bandwidth limitations, many inquiries will not receive a response.

Postdoctoral research

We are open to hearing from exceptional candidates and are happy to work with you to apply for external funding. Lists of postdoctoral fellowship opportunities can be found through the UCSD Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the National Academies websites. A new fellowship of note is the NSF Engineering Postdoctoral Fellowship. Please also note the University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program and the Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship. For researchers coming from Europe, consider the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Global Postdoctoral Fellowships. 

Graduate research

We are particularly interested in applicants intending to pursue a Ph.D. degree. Prospective students should apply to the UCSD Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering or Program in Materials Science and Engineering Fall admission window, and specify Prof. Boechler’s name in their application. A copy of the applicant’s CV should also be emailed directly to Prof. Boechler. 

Students who have their own funding or who are actively applying for external fellowships are of particular interest. Prospective students who are applying for outside funding should make sure to note this information in their email when they contact Prof. Boechler with their CV. Several major fellowships of interest include: Google PhD Fellowship, NSF GRFP, DOD NDSEG, NASA STRF, DOD SMART, DOE NNSA SSGF, DOE NNSA LRGF, UC National Laboratory Fees In-Residence Graduate Fellowship, GEM fellowship, Hertz fellowship, Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, and DOE CSGF. Lists of other graduate fellowships can be found via the UCSD graduate division website. Additional fellowship opportunities for international students can also be found at the UCSD international students and programs office. For students from Mexico, consider the Conahcyt program. Please note that many of the fellowship application deadlines occur before the end of the UCSD graduate school admission window.

Note for terminal Masters degree students: We are open to terminal Masters degree students participating in research for course credit, however do not support the pursuit of Masters theses. We also do not provide TA positions or other funding for students pursuing terminal Masters degrees.

Undergraduate research

We encourage applications from undergraduate students in engineering, materials science, physics, or applied math. A minimum 5-10 hours of per week commitment for research is expected during the academic year, and/or full-time during the summer. Research can be for volunteer, course credit, or stipend depending on the student’s preference and funding availability. Prospective applicants should send Prof. Boechler a copy of their resume (including GPA). Students interested in participating in research for more than one quarter are preferred.

For full-time summer research positions, applicants should contact Prof. Boechler by February. The most successful applicants are highly motivated, have a high GPA, and are in their sophomore or junior year.

Prospective and current undergraduate researchers are encouraged to apply for UCSD undergraduate research scholarships and the TRELS program.

Additional off-campus undergraduate research fellowships: AFRL Scholars, ARL College Qualified Leader, and the ASA SURIEA programs. Other undergraduate fellowships: Lockheed Martin STEM scholarships.