Job Description
Grade UE07: £41,064 to £48,822 per annum
CSE / School of Physics and Astronomy
Full-Time: 35 hours per week
Fixed Term: 3 years (1stSeptember 2026 – 31st August 2029)
Applications are invited for a three-year Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics, to work on strong-field problems in gauge theory and gravity.
The Opportunity
The Research Associate will contribute to the Leverhulme Trust project “Exploiting self-duality in strong-field physics”. Research activities include studying the use of self-dual gauge fields in modelling strong-field phenomena, higher-loop calculations and resummation in self-dual backgrounds, calculation of amplitudes and observables, and investigating properties of amplitudes in time-dependent spacetimes.
Your Skills And Attributes For Success
- PhD (or within 3 months of completion) in Physics, Theoretical Physics or Mathematical Physics.
- Knowledge of quantum field theory and experience with scattering amplitudes.
- Knowledge of the current research frontier in at least one of the following areas: scattering amplitudes; strong field QED; non-perturbative effects; quantum field theory in background fields or curved space; double copy.
- Experience in delivering research results in an academic context; e.g. a record of peer-reviewed journal and conference presentations.
- Capability of working independently, exercising a high degree of initiative, and demonstrating a proactive and flexible approach to work.
Informal enquiries are welcome and should be sent to anton.ilderton@ed.ac.uk
Application Information
Please Ensure You Include In Your Application
- Your CV, cover letter and a link to your publication list
- A statement of research experience and interests (maximum 2 pages including references)
- Please arrange for 2 or 3 letters of reference to be sent to physics-references@ed.ac.uk by the deadline
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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
Championing equality, diversity and inclusion
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
Monday 5th January 2026.
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.
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.
