Postdoctoral Research Associate

Grade UE07: £41,064 - £48,822 per annum, pro rata if part-time

CSE /School of Mathematics

Full-time: 35 hours per week

Fixed-term: 24 months fixed term contract 

The Opportunity: 

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position in mathematical physics, within the School of Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh. The post is available from 1st September 2027, for 24 months on a fixed-term, full-time contract. This position is supported by the Simons Collaboration on Celestial Holography grant held by Tim Adamo.   

The Mathematical Physics group at the University of Edinburgh currently consists of: Tim Adamo, Sayantani Bhattacharyya, José Figueroa-O’Farrill, Jelle Hartong, James Lucietti, Bernd Schroers and Joan Simon, as well as six postdoctoral researchers and multiple PhD students. In addition to working in collaboration with the grant-holder (Adamo), the successful candidate will be encouraged to develop and pursue their own approaches to research. This position also comes with substantial travel and research budgets. 

People have always been at the heart of our work. We are a place where everyone is welcome and offer a range of policies and benefits designed to support you in building the right meaningful flexibility that works for you. 

Discover more about working at the University of Edinburgh on our Jobs website. 

This post is full-time (35 hours per week); however, we are open to considering part-time or flexible working patterns.  We are also open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working. 

View the full Job Description  (opens in a new browser tab)  

How to apply 

Applicants should have a PhD in mathematical or theoretical physics and a track record of research excellence. 

Please ensure you include the following documents in your application: 

- CV 

- Research statement (no more than 3 pages) 

In addition, arrange for at least 3 letters of reference to be sent to [email protected]. 

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 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 Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.

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.

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. 

Please note if the role is offered on a part-time basis, it may result in sponsorship being dependent on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant or the role no longer meeting the Home Office’s criteria for sponsorship.

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 1 December 2026.

Unless stated otherwise, the closing time for applications is 11:59 pm (UK time). If you are applying from outside the UK, the closing time shown on our adverts will automatically adjust to your browser’s local time zone.

Interviews date for shortlisted candidates will be confirmed.

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)