Postdoctoral Research Associate

Postdoctoral Research Associate: (Company Name - Subscribers only)

Job Description:

Grade UE07: £40,247 – £47,874 per annum pro-rata if part-time

College of Science and Engineering/School of Physics and Astronomy/Particle Physics Theory

Full-time: 35 hours per week

Fixed-term: for 2 years, from October 1, 2025 until September 30, 2027

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated candidate for a Post-Doctoral Research Associate (PDRA) in Theoretical Physics, to work on scattering amplitudes for gravitational physics at the Higgs Centre.

The Opportunity:

The School of Physics and Astronomy seeks to appoint a strong candidate to a full-time, fixed-term research position to contribute to the STFC Consolidated Grant ST/X000494/1 ‘Particle Theory at the Higgs Centre. Research activities will be oriented towards scattering amplitudes in gravitational physics, working with Tim Adamo, Anton Ilderton, Donal O’Connell, Mao Zeng and the wider group.

The particle theory group at the (Company Name - Subscribers only) has a very strong ongoing research effort in particle phenomenology, amplitudes, lattice field theory and cosmology, supported by 18 faculty members, 16 PDRAs and around 30 graduate students. The successful applicant will also be a member of The Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics, which 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. The group is committed to giving you the support needed to nurture your talent.

The level of appointment for the PDRA post will be determined by the selection panel depending on the experience of the successful candidate.

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

Your skills and attributes for success:

• PhD (or near completion) in Physics, Theoretical Physics or Mathematical Physics.
• Excellent understanding of scattering amplitude calculations and/or general relativity.
• Experience in delivering research results in an academic context; e.g. a record of peer-reviewed journal and conference presentations.
• Capability to work independently, exercising a high degree of initiative and demonstrating a proactive and flexible approach to work.

Click to view a copy of the full

Application instructions

Please upload a CV and a brief research statement (strictly less than 3 pages including references) and provide two recommendation letters at

Please feel free to contact our HR team at regarding any technical issues, and address any enquiries regarding the position to Donal O’Connell ) or Anton Ilderton ( )

The School of Physics and Astronomy at the (Company Name - Subscribers only) is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among its workforce and eliminating discrimination. The School strives to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace for all, and we are looking to actively diversify our staff. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and encourage applications from people of colour, women, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people and other minority and under-represented groups. We aim to ensure that our culture and systems support flexible and family-friendly working, as evidenced by our Juno Champion and Athena SWAN Silver awards.

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

• A competitive salary of £40,247 to £47,874 per annum.
• An exciting, challenging, and rewarding place to work.
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our

(opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits.

Championing equality, diversity, and inclusion

The (Company Name - Subscribers only) 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 (opens new browser tab).

The University is able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. If successful, an international applicant requiring sponsorship to work in the UK will need to satisfy the UK Home Office’s English Language requirements and apply for and secure a Skilled Worker Visa. Please note if the role is offered on a part-time basis, it may result in sponsorship being dependant 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 8th January 2025.

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

We anticipate that interviews will be held in early January. Further details will be communicated in good time to shortlisted candidates.

About Us: As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.

About the Team:

The School of Physics and Astronomy is in the College of Science and Engineering and comprises the Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics (IPNP), the Institute for Condensed Matter and Complex Systems (ICMCS) and the Institute for Astronomy (IfA). We have around 100 academic staff, over 120 research staff and around 65 professional services staff.

The School of Physics and Astronomy was ranked 4th in the UK and 1st in Scotland in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 listing for the quality, scale and breadth of its research by Times Higher Education. Consistently ranked within the top 20 physics departments worldwide, these results confirm the exceptional performance of our staff, our excellent facilities, and our world-leading research.

The School runs undergraduate programmes at BSc and MPhys level in Physics, Mathematical Physics, Theoretical Physics, Computational Physics, Astrophysics and (jointly with the School of Chemistry) Chemical Physics. The undergraduate programme has flexible entry and exit points, creating courses of variable duration and level. The School accepts around 230 new undergraduates into its programmes each year and has current student populations of over 800 undergraduates, 50 taught postgraduates and 220 research postgraduates.

We aim to ensure that our culture and systems support flexible and family-friendly working and recognise and value diversity across all our staff and students. The School has an active programme offering support and professional development for all staff; providing mentoring, training, and networking opportunities.

The School of Physics and Astronomy holds Athena SWAN Silver and IoP Juno Champion awards, in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality.