Postdoctoral Research Associate

UE07: £41,064 - £48,822 per annum

CSE / School of Mathematics 

Full time: 35 hours/week 

Fixed-term: 36 months

The Opportunity: 

Solutions of long and flexible polymer molecules do not flow like water. Even when flowing slowly, these fluids exhibit hydrodynamic instabilities and a new type of turbulence, so-called elastic turbulence (ET). When flowing faster, polymer solutions exhibit a new state – elasto-inertial turbulence (EIT) – seen in subcritical wall-bounded (pipe) flows. Considerable progress has been made in probing ET and EIT flows in state-of-the-art viscoelastic models, but questions remain as to how these models actually connect to experimental observations. At the heart of this is the continuing suspicion about the fidelity of theoretical models to describe experiments. An opportunity thus exists to develop new methods for the investigation of viscoelastic fluid flows that rely on integrating experimental, theoretical, and machine-learning methods that can lead to quantitative agreement between experimental observations and models. 

This postdoc forms parts of an integrated research program in which experiments and simulations will be designed to access extensive time and space information in order to perform experiment/simulation comparison. We will use statistical methods to identify similarities and discrepancies between experiments and simulations, as well as machine learning tools. The project itself falls into three separate “aims”, and the post holder will work on all three: Aim 1 will focus on 2D flows and simulations to obtain the best possible agreement (statistics, flow structures, etc) between experiments and simulations. ML methods will be developed and applied to identify and optimize simulation parameters. An important part of this aim is to estimate the polymer stresses in the experimental flows using data-driven methods. Aim 2 will explore the uniqueness of the elastic turbulence flow state in flows with streamline curvature and in parallel shear flows, in both 2D and 3D flows. Aim 3 will relax the low inertia condition and explore the relationship between ET and EIT in 2D flows. 

There will be extensive opportunities for travel to visit our experimental collaborators at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as collaborators in DAMTP, University of Cambridge and the University of Vermont.  

This post is full-time (35 hours per week). 

View the full job description (opens in a new browser tab)  

How to apply 

Please include the following documents in your application: 

• CV 
• Research statement, including details as to how this project helps your career trajectory 
• The names of two academic references  
• References will be sought from shortlisted candidates  

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:  

• A competitive salary.  
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.  
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community. 
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, including generous annual leave entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, a wide range of staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the value of your pay and benefits.  

Championing equality, diversity, and inclusion 
 

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter, and we are also a Stonewall Proud Employer, actively promoting LGBTQ+ equality.  

We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and particularly encourage applications from women and other under-represented groups in applied mathematics. 

Prior to any employment commencing with the University, you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab) 

The University may be able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role.  This will depend on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant. 
 

Key dates to note 

The closing date for applications is 17 September 2026. 
 

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm UK time. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.  
 

Interviews will be held in early October.

The School of Mathematics

The University of Edinburgh's School of Mathematics is one of the world’s leading mathematical sciences departments, home to world-class researchers and to an innovative educational environment for both undergraduates and postgraduates. We are proud to have a highly international faculty and students from around the world. As a School we value both the breadth and depth of our research and teaching.

We have around 110 permanent faculty and around 45 research fellows and research associates, who cover a broad range of research topics in pure and applied mathematics, operational research and statistics. The School has an enviable record of attracting prestigious fellowships and currently hosts, for instance, 6 ERC grant holders and 7 Royal Society University Research and Dorothy Hodgkin Fellows. In the 2023 Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects we are ranked 18th among the world’s best Mathematics departments.  Together with the Departments of Mathematics and Actuarial Mathematics & Statistics at Heriot-Watt University, we form the Maxwell Institute; our joint submission to REF2021was ranked 3rd in the UK for Mathematical Sciences by research power, based on the quality and breadth of our combined research.

The School delivers a world-leading educational experience for its students and is constantly exploring new evidence-based ideas in mathematical education in order to provide a stimulating learning environment. There are excellent possibilities for imaginative curriculum development, including online activities, and course design and delivery. The School teaches pure and applied Mathematics, operational research and statistics. We have approximately 1000 undergraduate students, around 210 MSc students, and our Graduate School has close to 160 PhD students.

Edinburgh is home to the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences, one of the UK’s two major conference centres in the mathematical sciences and operated jointly by the University with Heriot-Watt University. Over the past 30 years the centre has established a superb reputation for hosting workshops at the highest scientific level on all mathematical topics, attracting many of the best mathematicians in the world to the UK.

The School is located in the James Clerk Maxwell Building which is situated on the King's Buildings campus, approximately 3 kilometres south of the city centre. 

Further information about the School, our research and our teaching is available on the School of Mathematics Website (https://www.maths.ed.ac.uk) (Opens in new browser tab)