Postdoctoral Research Associate
Company
Location
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Posted At
9/10/2025
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Description
Job Description
Grade UE07 £41,064 - £48,822 per annum
CSE / School of Mathematics
Full time: 35 hours per week
Fixed term: 14 months
We are looking for a postdoctoral research associate (PDRA) to conduct research on algebraic structures in supersymmetric quantum field theory, under the mentorship of Dr. Alexander Shapiro and Prof. Tudor Dimofte.
The Opportunity
This position will start on 1 st Nov 2025, for a duration of 14 months. It is jointly funded by Dr. Alexander Shapiro’s Royal Society University Research Fellowship Quantum character varieties and positive representation theory and Prof. Tudor Dimofte’s EPRSC Open Fellowship 3d N=4 TQFT’s. The PDRA’s primary responsibility will be to conduct research, ideally interfacing with both of the above themes, e.g. by developing the representation theory of quantized varieties and vertex algebras that arise in 3d supersymmetric gauge theories and their cousins. The PDRA will also interact with a vibrant research community comprising other postdocs, graduate students, and senior staff from the Hodge Institute and Edinburgh Mathematical Physics Group . There are optional opportunities to co-supervise postgraduate research and to organise advanced undergraduate or postgraduate courses.
The position comes with a travel budget to host visitors and/or attend conferences and workshops, as well as an allowance for technology expenses.
Your Skills And Attributes For Success
Click to view a copy of the full job description
As a valued member of our team you can expect:
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 (opens new browser tab).
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.
Key dates to note
The closing date for applications is 24 September 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.
Interviews will be held in late September, 2025.
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 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 18 th 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)
Grade UE07 £41,064 - £48,822 per annum
CSE / School of Mathematics
Full time: 35 hours per week
Fixed term: 14 months
We are looking for a postdoctoral research associate (PDRA) to conduct research on algebraic structures in supersymmetric quantum field theory, under the mentorship of Dr. Alexander Shapiro and Prof. Tudor Dimofte.
The Opportunity
This position will start on 1 st Nov 2025, for a duration of 14 months. It is jointly funded by Dr. Alexander Shapiro’s Royal Society University Research Fellowship Quantum character varieties and positive representation theory and Prof. Tudor Dimofte’s EPRSC Open Fellowship 3d N=4 TQFT’s. The PDRA’s primary responsibility will be to conduct research, ideally interfacing with both of the above themes, e.g. by developing the representation theory of quantized varieties and vertex algebras that arise in 3d supersymmetric gauge theories and their cousins. The PDRA will also interact with a vibrant research community comprising other postdocs, graduate students, and senior staff from the Hodge Institute and Edinburgh Mathematical Physics Group . There are optional opportunities to co-supervise postgraduate research and to organise advanced undergraduate or postgraduate courses.
The position comes with a travel budget to host visitors and/or attend conferences and workshops, as well as an allowance for technology expenses.
Your Skills And Attributes For Success
- Ph.D. in pure mathematics or theoretical physics (to be awarded by 1 July, 2025).
- A demonstrated interest in developing the mathematical structure of quantum field/string theory, and applying quantum field/string theory to develop pure mathematics.
- Background in supersymmetric gauge theory, in particular in the mathematical analysis of states spaces, extended operators, symmetries, and higher symmetries.
- Background in representation theory, quantum algebras, and vertex algebras.
- Desire and/or experience in fostering cohesiveness of a research group (e.g. leading informal reading seminars, organising team-building activities) and promoting a positive and inclusive research culture.
Click to view a copy of the full job description
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, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits
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 (opens new browser tab).
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.
Key dates to note
The closing date for applications is 24 September 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.
Interviews will be held in late September, 2025.
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 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 18 th 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)
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