Tag: postdoctoral position

Applications are open for a research fellow position in the research group led by Bruno Bertini at the University of Birmingham. The duration is two years with the possibility of extension. The group’s research is operating in the area of quantum statistical physics with specific focus on non-equilibrium quantum many-body dynamics. Specific topics of interest include dynamics in quantum circuits and quantum cellular automata, many-body quantum chaos, quantum integrability, (generalised) hydrodynamics, quantum information scrambling, entanglement measures, tensor-network theory. The ideal candidate has either analytical or computational skills (exact diagonalisation or tensor network techniques) and research experience in either many-body quantum physics, statistical mechanics, statistical field theory, quantum-information theory, or quantum computing. Closing date Feb 22nd 2026.

The School of Physics and Astronomy is a world-leading physics department, excelling in both research and teaching. It hosts over 130 academic and research staff, around 50 technical and support staff, and over 130 graduate students. Our physics research was recently ranked top in the UK for 4-star-category research by the national Research Excellence Framework 2021 exercise. The 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Professor Mike Kosterlitz and Professor David Thouless jointly for their work into the discoveries of the properties of matter, work which started when they were at Birmingham together. The 2017 Prize was awarded for the detection of gravitational waves, in which Birmingham staff played a key role.

The School is an Institute of Physics Juno Champion since 2014 and holder of an Athena SWAN Silver Award. Both initiatives recognise the School’s commitment to promote equality and diversity, and to encourage better practice for all members of the community, whilst also working towards developing an equitable working culture in which all staff can achieve their full potential. We welcome applications from all qualified applicants, but applications from traditionally under-represented groups in Physics and Astronomy including, but not limited to, women and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Groups, are particularly encouraged.

Please attach a CV and contact details for two referees to your application. 

Role Summary

• Work within specified research grants and projects and contribute to writing bids 
• Operate within area of specialism
• Analyse and interpret research findings and results 
• Contribute to generating funding 
• Contribute to licensing or spin out deals with demonstrated commercial success (such as revenues, asset or company sales, IP generated) and/or public understanding of the discipline or similar

Main Duties

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with assistance of a mentor if required
• Contribute to writing bids for research funding
• Analyse and interpret data
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
• Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc
• Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods 
• Undertake management/administration arising from research
• Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration
• Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader
• Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation, literature reviews, and research interviews *
• Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters *
• Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research *
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines*
• Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.

* These indicative responsibilities may also be included in a research role at grade 6.

Person Specification

• Ph.D. (or equivalent) in physics or mathematics or being near to completion 
• Ability to creatively apply relevant research approaches, models, techniques and methods
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex information with clarity 
• Fluency in relevant models, techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones
• Ability to build relationships and collaborate with others, both internally and externally
• Strong record of research in theoretical condensed matter physics, quantum information, quantum computing, or a closely related field
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly

Informal enquiries to Bruno Bertini, email: b.bertini(at)bham.ac.uk 

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The GW group at NICPB, Tallinn invites applications for a postdoctoral position in GW phenomenology and data analysis. The position is initially for two years, with the possibility of renewal for a third year. We offer a competitive salary, travel support, and a supportive research environment within an active GW group in Tallinn. Review of applications will begin on March 1, 2026, and will continue until the position is filled. Applicants must have been awarded a PhD by the start date of the position. Previous experience in GW research is preferred. The start date is flexible and can be negotiated. Application deadline April 1st, 2026.

To apply, please contact Hardi Veermäe (hardi.veermae(at)cern.ch) and Ville Vaskonen (ville.vaskonen(at)kbfi.ee) with a CV and a brief research statement. Applicants should also provide two letters of reference that should be sent to hardi.veermae@cern.ch and ville.vaskonen@kbfi.ee (please instruct your letter writers to include your family name in their e-mail). Incomplete applications will not be considered.

The laboratory hosts a diverse and international team of researchers and its expertise covers GW phenomenology, cosmology, BSM phenomenology, theory of gravity, computational physics and data analysis. More Information on the GW group at NICPB: kbfi.ee/high-energy-and-computational-physics/gravitational-waves/

The position will be based in Estonia, which offers a family-friendly, low-bureaucracy environment (see https://workinestonia.com )

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The Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE) invites expressions of interest from outstanding researchers to join its Gravitational Waves Group, working on the Virgo, LIGO, and Einstein Telescope collaborations, in the framework of the 2026 ATRAE Program (https://www.aei.gob.es/en/atrae) of the Spanish Funding Agency.

Research Environment

IFAE performs research in particle physics, astroparticle physics and cosmology, and develops technologies for the benefit of the whole society. IFAE’s mission is to address fundamental physics questions by acting as a major partner and a leader in the scientific collaborations at the forefront of our field, while preparing for future technological breakthroughs. IFAE has been distinguished three times with the Severo Ochoa Excellence award from the Spanish Funding Agency.

The IFAE Gravitational Waves Group plays an active role in Virgo and LIGO experiments in several areas including detector characterization, physics data analysis, and R&D for next-generation observatories, with a particular emphasis on the Einstein Telescope.

Successful candidates will benefit from:

• A vibrant, collaborative research environment.
• Strong institutional support for independent research lines.
• Access to international collaborations and infrastructure.
• Mentorship and strategic support for ATRAE applications.

Profile Sought

We welcome expressions of interest from researchers with a strong track record and leadership potential in areas including (but not limited to):

• Gravitational-wave detector operations and data analysis.
• Detector characterization and noise mitigation.
• Instrumentation and R&D for next-generation detectors.

Candidates should be eligible to apply to the ATRAE Program and be interested in establishing or consolidating an independent research line at IFAE.

ATRAE Program

The ATRAE Program, funded by the Spanish Funding Agency, defines about 1M€ individual grants and aims to attract and retain research talent by supporting the long-term incorporation of established researchers into Spanish research institutions.

The next call is expected by April 2026.

For reference the 2025 ATRAE call can be consulted at https://www.aei.gob.es/en/node/5072.

How to Express Interest

Interested candidates are encouraged to contact us informally to discuss mutual interests and institutional support for an ATRAE application.

Please include:

• A brief CV.
• A short summary of research interests and future plans.
• Indication of alignment with the IFAE gravitational-wave program.

Contact

For expressions of interest and informal inquiries, please contact:

Mario Martinez – IFAE GW Group Team Leader and IFAE Deputy Director
mmp(at)ifae.es

Eugenio Coccia – IFAE Director
eugenio.coccia(at)ifae.es

As part of its commitment to excellence and international outreach, the IdEx Université Côte d'Azur is launching the 2026 Young Researcher Excellence Fellowships campaign to encourage the recruitment of young researchers at post-doctoral level for a 24-month period in its laboratories. The call for proposals is designed to fund 12 contracts. All disciplines and themes are covered. Application deadline March 6, 2026.

Applicants must first contact a Université Côte d’Azur laboratory or research group.

Together, the candidate and supervisor will draw up an original research program, which will be submitted via our dedicated Nuxéo platform. Successful applicants are explicitly and contractually required to apply for a permanent position (such as permanent researcher – Chargé de Recherche) at Université Côte d’Azur or one of its partner institutions, or to submit an ERC grant application.

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Opening of 3 new postdoc positions (contratti di ricerca) at the Università di Trento (Italy) for experimental research aimed at consolidating the free-falling test mass system for LISA, with analysis, design, and, most importantly, laboratory measurement.  

The appointments are for 2 years, extendable for an additional period of up to 3 years. the deadline for application is 18 February 2026. Applicants must have have a PhD — ideally experimental physics — now or receive the title in the next 6 months.

This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to LISA hardware in the final years before delivery for flight, and thus to have an impact on the observatory performance at the low frequencies relevant to super massive black hole science. in addition to laboratory measurements, especially small force tests, you will support our collaboration with ESA, industry, and international institute partners in building LISA, as part of the PI team for the “gravitational reference system” (GRS), the Italian (ASI) hardware contribution to the mission.

A more detailed description, and link to the online application process, can be found here.

Applications are open for a postdoctoral position to work on multi-messenger science, with focus on the exploitation of data from the Vera Rubin Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) and 3rd generation GW observatories (Einstein Telescope/Cosmic Explorer). Combining galaxies, quasars and other sources detected with the LSST, with mergers of compact objects (black holes and neutron stars) detected by present and future facilities, represents a new frontier for connecting cosmology and fundamental physics. The synergies between maps of electromagnetic sources and gravitational wave sources offer new opportunities for probes of the universe at low and high redshifts, structure formation and the merger history traced by stellar-mass objects as well as galaxies, among other areas. Deadline on Feb 20, 2026.

The candidates should have a solid background in at least one of the two areas of this call (gravitational waves and/or cosmology).

The FAPESP postdoctoral fellowships pay an annual tax-free salary of 150,000 Brazilian reais as well as moving costs and 12,000 reais per year for research expenses. Postdocs will also receive additional funds for travel to conferences, to invite visitors, and to organize schools and workshops.

Candidates are recommended to apply before February 20th, 2026 by sending to
riccardo.sturani(at)unesp.br their Curriculum vitae with publication list and research project. In addition, they should arrange 3 researchers to send recommendation letters at the above email address. Any questions can be sent to the same email-address.

The successful candidate is expected to start the postdoc by October 2026, but otherwise the starting date is flexible.
Contact: Riccardo Sturani (riccardo.sturani(at)unesp.br)

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The Department of Physics in the Faculty of Science is looking for a full-time (100%) postdoctoral scholarship holder in the field of Physics or a related field.

The Particle Physics research group carries out research in particle physics (CMS experiment at CERN LHC) and gravitational waves. Members of the group are involved with Virgo instrumentation, LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA data analysis, and Instrumentation Science with the Einstein Telescope. The University of Antwerp is a founding partner of the ETPathfinder project, and members of the group take part in the instrumentation developments related to this facility in Maastricht. The University of Antwerp is also one of the initial founding research units of the Einstein Telescope Collaboration.

Are you interested in technology and techniques which allow us to observe black holes colliding a million light years out in the cosmos? We are looking for a postdoc to work on the cross section of research, education and collaboration with industry and join the ETpathfinder Smart Skills Lab project. Application deadline is 26 February 2026.

ETpathfinder is a field laboratory for research, development and validation of new technologies for the Einstein Telescope. Based on a full interferometer configuration ETpathfinder aims to perform length measurements at the level of a thousandths of a proton diameter, which requires going beyond the state of art in a variety of fields including optics, sensors, lasers, materials, cryogenic cooling, vibration damping, vacuum and controls.

The ETpathfinder Smart Skills lab is a new initiative with the aim of providing training to companies and industry partners in ETpathfinder related technologies and skills. These skills trainings will be offered in particular to small and medium enterprises (SME) in Flanders and the south of the Netherlands (Limburg and Noord Brabant). The ETpathfinder Smart Skills lab is an initiative of 17 academic and educational partners from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

Position

• You would join a cohort of 11 ETpathfinder Technology Experts who will initially work for 12 months with the ETpathfinder team to get trained in the ETpathfinder facility at Maastricht. Afterwards you will develop training modules and deliver them (online & practical) to SMEs.
• You will work in close collaboration with the ETpathfinder team (consisting of more than 20 research institutes and universities from 7 countries) and the ETpathfinder Smart Skills Lab team.
• The location of this full-time job is in the Department of Physics, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium. You will be expected to spend a significant fraction of your time at the ETpathfinder facility in Maastricht (Maastricht University, Duboisdomein 30, Maastricht, the Netherlands).
• Your research focus will be on seismic isolation & control, which is also the primary commitment of the University of Antwerp towards the ETpathfinder project. This involves contributions to the construction, installation, and commissioning of position sensors, actuators, mirror tower suspensions, and local control loops. During the second phase of the project you will use your obtained experience in this field to develop training modules (tutorials, etc.) and transfer your knowledge to local industry (SMEs).

Profile

• You hold a PhD in Physics or a related field from a non-Belgian institution (or you will have obtained it by the time you start work).
• You are proficient in English language and have good communication skills (essential)
• You can work independently (essential)
• You are flexible in collaboration with others (essential)
• Experience in research relevant for gravitational wave instrumentation (desirable)
• Experience in education and outreach (desirable)
• Your research qualities are in line with the faculty and university research policies.
• Your teaching competences are in line with the University of Antwerp’s educational vision.
• You act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation.

What we offer

• We offer a full-time appointment as a postdoctoral scholarship holder for a period of 2-years (1+1 renewable);
• The planned start date is 1 April 2026 or as soon as possible after that date.
• Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts for postdoctoral scholarship holders on the pay scales for Contract Research Staff (Dutch: Bijzonder Academisch Personeel, BAP).
• You will receive ecocheques, Internet-connectivity allowance and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting.
• You will do most of your work at the university campus Groenenborger, and at the ETpathfinder facility in Maastricht, Duboisdomein 30 (NL) in a dynamic and stimulating working environment.
• Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here.

Want to apply?

• You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform up to and including 26 February 2026 (by midnight Brussels time). Click on the ‘Apply’ button and complete the online application form. Be sure to include the following attachments:
• a motivation letter (with description of past research)
• your academic CV
• three letters of reference
• The selection committee reviews all applications as soon as possible after the application deadline. As soon as a decision is made, we will notify you. If you are still eligible after the pre-selection, you will be informed about the possible next step(s) in the selection procedure.
• If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions or send an email to jobs(at)uantwerpen.be. If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact dr. Hans Van Haevermaet (hans.vanhaevermaet(at)uantwerpen.be).

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The newly established group of Prof. Andrew Chael at the Niels Bohr International Academy (NBIA) in Copenhagen invites expressions of interest for a 3-year postdoctoral fellowship in near-horizon black hole science. Interested individuals are encouraged to submit all material before February 11, 2026, but the search will continue beyond this date. The position is expected to begin in the fall of 2026. 

We seek highly motivated, outstanding independent researchers who will work in Prof. Chael’s interdisciplinary group to advance our understanding of black holes, their environments, and their extragalactic jets.The successful candidate will work with Prof. Chael’s group to advance theoretical models and simulations of black holes and connect them to resolved horizon-scale data from the Event Horizon Telescope, the forthcoming Black Hole Explorer space VLBI mission, and multiwavelength observatories.

We are particularly interested in applicants with experience in either (i) high-performance magnetohydrodynamic simulations or (ii) the analysis and imaging of Very Long Baseline Interferometry data, but outstanding candidates with strong records of research in all areas of astrophysics will be considered.

The successful candidate will also have substantial independence to design and PI their own projects. Group members will have access to NBIA’s substantial computational resources, including an in-house CPU/GPU cluster. Postdoctoral fellows at the Niels Bohr Institute receive a competitive salary (including pension) and funds for travel and computing. Generous parental leave, state-subsidised childcare, vacation, and full medical care are provided to employees in Denmark. A favorable tax scheme is generally granted to international researchers.

The Niels Bohr International Academy is an initiative committed to fostering the traditions of internationalism, interdisciplinarity and excellence in physics, which characterize the Niels Bohr Institute. It functions as a primary center for fundamental research including theoretical and computational astrophysics, particle astrophysics, gravitational physics, high energy particle physics, quantum physics, and biophysics.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes expressions of interest from all qualified individuals, regardless of personal background.

If needed, specific inquiries can be addressed to nbia(at)nbi.ku.dk.

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The International Centre for Theoretical Physics – Asia Pacific (ICTP-AP), at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), will open multiple postdoctoral positions in 2026. The positions will provide successful candidates the opportunity to concurrently pursue their own research directions in gravitational-wave and/or dark-matter physics and phenomenology, while also collaborating with members of the ICTP-AP/UCAS LIGO group. Application deadline: March 31st 2026.

About the Institution ICTP-AP is the first UNESCO Category II centre in fundamental sciences established in China. It is a non-profit organisation dedicated to high-level research, education, and training in frontier areas of basic science and related interdisciplinary fields. The Centre is jointly supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), and the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP, Italy), and is hosted by UCAS. Official website: https://ictp-ap.org

Position Details

• Location: Beijing, China
• Duration: Two years, renewable up to three years
• Salary & Benefits:
• Annual pre-tax salary of RMB 250,000 (excluding the employer’s contribution to social insurance and housing fund)
• Housing allowance: RMB 6,000 per month
• Generous support for travel and research expenses
• Applicants are encouraged to apply for national/postdoctoral fellowship programs; successful awards will lead to corresponding salary increases

About the group The successful candidates will join the gravitational-wave group at ICTP-AP and conduct research in collaboration with Andrew L. Miller at ICTP-AP, as well as other faculty, postdocs and students.

The ICTP-AP gravitational-wave group focuses on using LIGO, Virgo and KAGRA as precision instruments to probe particle dark matter and exotic compact objects. It currently has two faculty members (Huaike Guo and Andrew L. Miller), five postdocs, and five PhD students. The group develops and applies robust data-analysis methods for continuous and long-duration gravitational-wave signals, and is involved in stochastic gravitational-wave background studies. Research spans gravitational-wave astronomy, particle physics, and statistical inference, and is carried out in close interaction with international collaborations.

We welcome new collaborations and research directions.

About Beijing Beijing is a vibrant international metropolis with a population of over 20 million, combining modern urban life with a rich cultural and historical heritage. The city is made up of many distinct neighborhoods and is surrounded by mountains, offering access to outdoor activities as well as nearby historical landmarks, including several well-preserved sections of the Great Wall.

As a major transportation hub, Beijing provides convenient high-speed rail and air connections to other regions of China, making it easy to explore the country. Supported by a large academic community and a diverse international population, the city offers a stimulating environment for both professional and personal life at a reasonable cost of living.

Qualifications

1. A PhD in Physics
2. Strong academic record
3. Research experience in gravitational-wave physics, particularly in any of the following areas: o Probes of dark matter with gravitational waves o Continuous gravitational waves o Gravitational-wave searches for primordial black holes o Data analysis for next-generation ground- and space-based gravitational-wave detectors
4. Demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, with high-quality publications as first or lead author in top journals of the field

Application Materials

1. Cover letter and curriculum vitae
2. List of publications
3. Brief research statement detailing the applicant’s experience and what they would like to do at ICTP-AP
4. Two letters of recommendation from experts in the field

Recruitment Process

1. Applications will be accepted starting from the date of announcement until the position is filled
2. Application review is expected to begin on January 23, 2026 The start date is negotiable, with early start encouraged.

Contact Information For any inquiries, please email Andrew L. Miller at: andrew.miller.ligo(at)ucas.ac.cn .

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This postdoctoral position will focus on testing dark energy and modified gravity models with cosmological observations. Two aspects of this are of interest for this position, candidates are welcome via either route:

i) Linking simulations of large-scale structure (LSS) in modified gravity theories to observables relevant to stage IV surveys. Relevant skills include: experience with running and handling outputs from numerical simulations of LSS. Experience constructing emulators. Experience with forecasting and/or data analysis of galaxy clustering and weak lensing observables. Experience with HOD modelling. Other experience in constraining gravity with LSS will be considered.

ii) Testing gravity through the association of gravitational waves (GWs) and galaxies, e.g. dark sirens, GW-galaxy cross-correlation. Relevant skills include: experience with dark sirens software pipelines (e.g. gwcosmo, IcaroGW, CHIMERA…). Experience with GW x LSS cross-correlation computations. Experience with forecasting for 3G GW detectors. Other experience in GW cosmology will be considered.

Application deadline: 02/01/2026

The successful candidate will join the research team of Prof. Tessa Baker, and contribute to the ERC-funded SHADE project. Queries on the post can be directed to tessa.baker@port.ac.uk.

The working pattern for this post is full-time. Whilst there is a need to be in Portsmouth a few days a week, hybrid working is available for this role.

The interviews are currently anticipated to be held on 19 January 2025.

This appointment is a fixed-term contract for 12 months.

Applications (application form, CV, publication list and research proposal for the fellowship) should be submitted by the closing date. Applicants should also arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent by email to icg-recruitment(at)port.ac.uk, to arrive by the same date.

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