King's College London

About us

The Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences (NMES) comprises the Departments of Chemistry, Informatics, Mathematics, Physics.

The Department of Mathematics has a distinguished scientific tradition in pure and applied mathematics and statistics. Since its foundation in 1830, it has established a reputation as a world-leading centre for the research and study of mathematics.  

About the role

The Department of Mathematics at King’s College London invites applications for 1 postdoctoral research associate position for a duration of 24 months starting in October 2025. 

The successful candidate will work on several projects related to many-body systems, with particular interest in the regime when they are inhomogeneous and out-of-equilibrium, and they are well described via hydrodynamics theories. They will be supported by EPSRC under grant UNIHYPE: Universal hydrodynamic principles and emergent physics, EP/Z534304/1 (assessed under the ERC Advanced Grant scheme). 

The ideal candidate will hold a PhD in theoretical/condensed matter physics, with knowledge of non-equilibrium many-body physics and some methods of integrability, and with some numerical skills. 

The post is offered at a competitive salary (Grade 6, Spine Point 33 on the KCL salary scale), and includes provisions for travel money, computing equipment, and academic and leadership training. 

This is a full-time post (35 Hours per week), and you will be offered on a fixed term contract, ending in September 2027.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1.      PhD qualified in relevant subject area (or pending results) (theoretical physics, statistical/condensed matter physics or related areas)

2.      Knowledge and analytical skills in the subjects of entanglement and/or non-equilibrium behaviours in many-body physics

3.      Some knowledge of methods of integrability such as Bethe ansatz, form factors, conformal field theory or inverse scattering techniques.

4.      Solid track record of publications

5.      Robust presentation skills

6.      Competence in spoken and written English

7.      Ability to work in a team

Desirable criteria

1.      Some knowledge of numerical methods in many-body physics, such as Monte Carlo methods, Density Matrix Renormalisation Group or Truncated Conformal Space Approach

2.      Some knowledge of field theory

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘ How we Recruit’ pages.

We are able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.