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The University of Edinburgh
Postdoctoral Research Associate
City of Edinburgh On-site 2-5 yrs exp£41k – £49k / year
Collider PhysicsLHC PhenomenologyStandard Model Parameter ExtractionMachine LearningN3LO Corrections
Requirements
Applicants must hold, or be close to completing, a PhD in Physics, Theoretical Physics, or Mathematical Physics and have experience in collider physics. They should know standard statistical data-analysis techniques, have a record of communicating research results in academic settings, and be able to work independently with initiative and flexibility.
Job Description
Job Description
Grade UE07: £41,064- £48,822 per annum
College of Science and Engineering/ School of Physics and Astronomy
Full Time: 35 hours per week
Fixed Term: 2 years October 1, 2027 - September 30, 2029
The Opportunity
We are looking for a P ostdoctoral R esearch A ssociate in the Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics to work on LHC physics.
This position will contribute to the STFC Consolidated Grant UKRI4228 ‘Particle Theory at the Higgs Centre’. Research activities will be oriented towards LHC phenomenology, and in particular the extraction of Standard Model parameters, the development of Machine Learning tools, and the calculation of approximate N3LO corrections to top and jet cross-sections. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work with the NNPDF collaboration. The position is initially for two years with possible extension to three depending on funding constraints.
Your Skills And Attributes For Success
How To Apply
Applications should be submitted before 27 November 2026. 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 address any enquiries regarding the position to Richard Ball ( r.d.ball@ed.ac.uk ), Luigi Del Debbio ( luigi.del.debbio@ed.ac.uk ) or Franz Herzog ( fherzog@exseed.ed.ac.uk ).
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 27 November 2026.
Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm UK time. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.
Interview dates to be confirmed.
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 Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics is composed of three research groups.
The Particle Physics Experiments group seeks understanding of the fundamental particles of nature and the interactions governing their behaviour. In particular, we aim to explain the dominance of matter over anti-matter through the study of CP violation with the LHCb experiment: to understand the mechanisms of electroweak symmetry breaking that lead to the creation of mass, and to search for new particles at ATLAS and future colliders; to discover and characterise particle dark matter with the LUX-ZEPLIN and DarkSide-20k experiments; and to explore neutrino oscillations, and neutrinos of astrophysical origin with experiments distributed grid computing (GridPP), to store and analyse the vast quantities of data that are produced in these endeavours.
The Particle Physics Theory Group is interested in fundamental physics at all energy scales, from the hadronic binding energy scale, to the scale of present and future particle colliders, up to the energy scales of the very early universe at its first fractional second of existence. We have interest and theoretical involvement in most current and upcoming particle physics experiments, high energy colliders, and in observations made by the WMAP and Planck satellites. We pursue the very latest developments in both perturbative and nonperturbative field theory, renormalization theory, and the application of quantum field theory to other branches of physics such as turbulence theory and condensed matter systems.
The Nuclear Physics Group has a broad and diverse range of research interests aimed at understanding the properties and structure of nuclei, the origin of the chemical elements in the universe, and the way in which nuclear reactions power some of the most spectacular stellar explosions, such as novae, supernovaea and X-ray bursts. Our research is performed at world-leading oversea laboratories (TRIUMF, RIKEN, GSI, LNGS, CERN and others), using a variety of experimental techniques and state-of-the-art instrumentation developed by the group.
Grade UE07: £41,064- £48,822 per annum
College of Science and Engineering/ School of Physics and Astronomy
Full Time: 35 hours per week
Fixed Term: 2 years October 1, 2027 - September 30, 2029
The Opportunity
We are looking for a P ostdoctoral R esearch A ssociate in the Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics to work on LHC physics.
This position will contribute to the STFC Consolidated Grant UKRI4228 ‘Particle Theory at the Higgs Centre’. Research activities will be oriented towards LHC phenomenology, and in particular the extraction of Standard Model parameters, the development of Machine Learning tools, and the calculation of approximate N3LO corrections to top and jet cross-sections. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work with the NNPDF collaboration. The position is initially for two years with possible extension to three depending on funding constraints.
Your Skills And Attributes For Success
- PhD (or near completion) in Physics, Theoretical Physics or Mathematical Physics.
- Experience of working in Collider Physics.
- Knowledge of standard statistical data analysis techniques.
- 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
How To Apply
Applications should be submitted before 27 November 2026. 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 address any enquiries regarding the position to Richard Ball ( r.d.ball@ed.ac.uk ), Luigi Del Debbio ( luigi.del.debbio@ed.ac.uk ) or Franz Herzog ( fherzog@exseed.ed.ac.uk ).
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, including generous annual leave entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, a wide range of staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the 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 27 November 2026.
Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm UK time. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.
Interview dates to be confirmed.
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 Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics is composed of three research groups.
The Particle Physics Experiments group seeks understanding of the fundamental particles of nature and the interactions governing their behaviour. In particular, we aim to explain the dominance of matter over anti-matter through the study of CP violation with the LHCb experiment: to understand the mechanisms of electroweak symmetry breaking that lead to the creation of mass, and to search for new particles at ATLAS and future colliders; to discover and characterise particle dark matter with the LUX-ZEPLIN and DarkSide-20k experiments; and to explore neutrino oscillations, and neutrinos of astrophysical origin with experiments distributed grid computing (GridPP), to store and analyse the vast quantities of data that are produced in these endeavours.
The Particle Physics Theory Group is interested in fundamental physics at all energy scales, from the hadronic binding energy scale, to the scale of present and future particle colliders, up to the energy scales of the very early universe at its first fractional second of existence. We have interest and theoretical involvement in most current and upcoming particle physics experiments, high energy colliders, and in observations made by the WMAP and Planck satellites. We pursue the very latest developments in both perturbative and nonperturbative field theory, renormalization theory, and the application of quantum field theory to other branches of physics such as turbulence theory and condensed matter systems.
The Nuclear Physics Group has a broad and diverse range of research interests aimed at understanding the properties and structure of nuclei, the origin of the chemical elements in the universe, and the way in which nuclear reactions power some of the most spectacular stellar explosions, such as novae, supernovaea and X-ray bursts. Our research is performed at world-leading oversea laboratories (TRIUMF, RIKEN, GSI, LNGS, CERN and others), using a variety of experimental techniques and state-of-the-art instrumentation developed by the group.
Education
Postgraduate Degree
Skills
Collider PhysicsLHC PhenomenologyStandard Model Parameter ExtractionMachine LearningN3LO CorrectionsTop and Jet Cross-SectionsStatistical Data AnalysisIndependent ResearchResearch CommunicationInitiativeFlexibility