Recruitment

Six Postdoctoral Research Associate Positions in the Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics

We are looking to fill five Postdoctoral Research Associateships, funded by the to the STFC Consolidated Grant ST/X000494/1 ‘Particle Theory at the Higgs Centre’. The positions will begin on 1st October 2023, and be for up to three years. The salary will be in the range £35,333 to £42,155, depending on experience.

Specifically, the six positions are:

LHC Phenomenology (5669): to work on the determination the determination of PDFs using data from LHC, with Richard Ball, Luigi Del Debbio, and other members of the NNPDF collaboration.

Gauge Theory Amplitudes (5674): to work on gauge-theory scattering amplitudes motivated by collider physics and the broader context of quantum field theory, with Einan Gardi, Franz Herzog, Mao Zeng and the wider group.

Gravity Amplitudes (5683): to work scattering amplitudes in gravitational physics, working with Tim Adamo, Anton Ilderton, Donal O’Connell, Mao Zeng and the wider group.

Precision Lattice QCD (5684, 5675): to work on numerical calculations and formal developments in the context of lattice field theory applied to theoretical particle physics with Antonin Portelli, Max Hansen, Vera Gülpers and others.

Holography (5773): to work on holography, quantum chaos and non-lorentzian geometry, with Joan Simon, Jelle Hartong, Saso Grozdanov and other members of the Edinburgh Mathematical Physics Group.

The primary aim of the Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics is to achieve breakthroughs in our basic understanding of the universe. The Higgs Centre brings together the various strands of research in theoretical physics across the whole of the School of Physics and Astronomy and the School of Mathematics. Current research covers a wide range of theoretical physics: quantum field theory, string theory, conformal field theory, lattice gauge theory, collider physics, scattering amplitudes, flavour and CP violation, hadron structure and decays, physics beyond the standard model, symmetry breaking and vacuum structure, black holes, cosmology and inflation, dark matter and dark energy, galaxy formation, statistical physics, complexity, computational materials physics and biophysics. The Centre has substantial funds for seminars and workshops, and international visitor and associate programmes. Postgraduate training is an essential ingredient of the Centre, with MSc programmes in Mathematical and Theoretical Physics, and a range of PhD studentships. The Centre is located in the JCMB, with its recently-refurbished seminar room and discussion area.

Application instructions

Applications should be submitted before 05 December 2022 (5pm UK time). Please upload a CV and a brief research statement (less than 3 pages) and provide the names and contact details of at least three referees. The referees will be approached for letters after the long-listing process. Please feel free to contact our HR team at admin-hr@ph.ed.ac.uk regarding any technical issues.

Contact: Richard Ball (rdb@ph.ed.ac.uk); Einan Gardi (Einan.Gardi@ed.ac.uk); Anton Ilderton (anton.ilderton@ed.ac.uk); Antonin Portelli (antonin.portelli@ed.ac.uk); Vera Guelpers (vera.guelpers@ed.ac.uk); Joan Simon (J.Simon@ed.ac.uk)

Letters of Reference should be sent to: physics-references@ed.ac.uk

More Information

• About the post

Salary range: £35,333 to £42,155 (UE07) per annum

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics, to work on multi-loop scattering amplitudes focusing on applications to perturbative QCD at colliders and gravitational wave physics, funded by Dr. Mao Zeng's Royal Society University Research Fellowship. This is a two-year position, extensible to three years subject to availability of funding.

The Opportunity:

The Research Associate will contribute to the Royal Society University Research Fellowship URF\R1\201090 “Scattering Amplitudes and Applications to Precision QCD and Gravitational Waves”. Research activities include developing efficient methods for computing scattering amplitudes and applications to state-of-the-art precision predictions for collider physics and gravitational wave physics.

Please upload a CV, a covering letter and a short research statement with your application. Informal enquiries should be sent to Dr M. Zeng, mao.zeng@ed.ac.uk . Please also contact three referees to be ready to send letters to admin-hr@ph.ed.ac.uk upon request.

• About the post

Applications are invited for up to three international Higgs Prize PhD Fellowships across theoretical physics, starting September 2023. We are particularly interested in recruiting students with a strong mathematical background who are passionate to study and explore the fundamental laws of Nature.

The Prize will cover fees and a four-year stipend, matching the level of the UK Research Council Maintenance Allowance rates (£17,668 per annum), as well as research funds of £1.5k per annum to cover books, computing and conference costs.

Applications are open to all students with no conditions on nationality. Furthermore, we value diversity, and strongly encourage female candidates and underrepresented groups to apply.

Before applying, interested candidates should get in touch with a supervisor from the Higgs Centre (a theoretical physicist who is an academic member of staff in the School of Physics and Astronomy) to support their application.

Applicants are advised to include in their application a statement of interest regarding the Higgs Prize PhD Fellowship under the ‘Research Proposal’ category (there is no need to write a detailed research proposal, just a brief description of the general topic agreed upon with the supervisor). The selection panel will take into account supporting statements from the prospective supervisors.

Students who have already applied and wish to submit a statement of interest for this fellowship are welcome to send their statements by email to the Graduate School Administrator Nicola Ferguson at gradschool.physics@ed.ac.uk

Note, if you are not able to meet the deadline, please get in touch with us.

• About the post

Contact

Higgs Centre PhD Coordinator

Anton ILDERTON

anton.ilderton@ed.ac.uk

Contact

Higgs Centre Director

Einan GARDI

einan.gardi@ed.ac.uk

Contact

Deputy Academic Administrator (Graduate School)

Liz PATERSON

gradschool@ph.ed.ac.uk