Applications are welcomed for postdoctoral positions funded by the theory group and for fellowships funded externally but held at the theory group. Find out more below.

The research interests of the group include cosmology, quantum field theory, string theory, quantum gravity, supersymmetry and quantum foundations. Find out more about our work via our research and people webpages.

The Physics Department is committed to being a welcoming and supportive environment for everyone and has put in place a number of measures to promote a collaborative and stimulating culture. Individuals who identify as female and those who consider themselves as underrepresented are particularly encouraged to apply.

We are committed to equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender reassignment, sex or sexual orientation. Further information about how the College strives to create and support an equitable workplace can be found here.

Postdoctoral and fellowship opportunities

Postdoctoral positions

Internal Postdoctoral Positions for Autumn 2024

Applications are welcomed for postdoctoral positions and Fellowships in the theory group. The research interests of the group include cosmology, quantum field theory, string theory, quantum gravity, supersymmetry and quantum foundations.

We have an opening for a two-year Research Associate working in String Theory and Quantum Field Theory starting in October 2024. Please go to Academic Jobs Online to apply. The deadline for applications is 21 January 2024.  

Applicants for external fellowships to be held in the Theory group at Imperial should see the separate fellowships tab on this page.

 

Fellowships

Applications are welcomed for fellowships sponsored by research councils and other bodies. Details of many available schemes are shown on the departmental Research Fellowships page. Please read those pages and the information below carefully.

IMPORTANT: You must make sure that your complete application is at Imperial before our internal deadlines, which are shown below where known. Note that these are often substantially earlier than deadlines of the external funding body and they are absolute deadlines. The Physics Department has quotas for many of the fellowships below (such as those from the UK research councils) in which case the department decides which applicants from all the research groups will be put forward. Last year, less than a half of applicants to the theory group for fellowships with a department quota were supported by the physics department. Those who are accepted are then invited to prepare a full application, with help from the theory group. This takes quite some time, which is why the internal deadlines are so early.

If you are thinking of applying, first contact a member of the permanent academic staff closest to your area of research to discuss the suitability of applying for a Fellowship. If it is confirmed that your case is suitable for further consideration for the Departmental quota, then by the relevant closing date given below, send an email to theory-fellowships@imperial.ac.uk . This should have the following PDF attachments:

The subject line should contain your surname, the fellowship you are applying for, and your main research area or areas (e.g. string theory, field theory, cosmology, quantum gravity, other). Include the name of the Theory Group contact, the names and email addresses of three referees, and arrange three letters of recommendation to be sent by email to theory-fellowships@imperial.ac.uk by the internal deadline date given below. These reference e-mails should have the applicant's name in the subject of the message. The research proposal should summarise the research that will be the basis of the fellowship application. It does not need to follow the application guidelines of the relevant fellowship scheme. You may find it useful to discuss your application with your Theory Group contact.

We will contact you after the departmental selection process to inform you of the outcome. Further information on fellowships follows. 

UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships

UK Research and Innovation are supporting several new 4+3-year fellowship aimed at early career researchers and innovators with outstanding potential. There is a possibility that these positions convert into permanent research appointments at the end of the fellowship. If you are interested in applying please contact Prof Daniel Waldram.

Imperial College Research Fellowships

Four-year fellowships for early-career researchers. Applicants need to identify a College sponsor who will act as their mentor and help them develop their research. Please get in touch with your sponsor well before the internal department deadline.

STFC Fellowships

STFC (Science and Technology Facilities Council) have five year Ernest Rutherford Fellowships which cover particle physics and cosmology. These are aimed at experienced, high profile postdocs.

EPSRC Fellowships

EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) also offer postdoctoral fellowships that can be taken at Imperial. There is a three-year Postdoctoral scheme and a five-year Early Career scheme. We have had success with the applications in Mathematical Sciences scheme, which covers areas such as string theory, quantum gravity and field theory.  However, EPSRC has recently announced that they are only supporting applications in the specific areas ("Statistics and Applied Probability", "Mathematical aspects of operational research", "Intradisciplinary Research" and "New Connections from Mathematical Sciences"). It is possible that in certain special cases this includes work done by our Group. Applications are also possible in "Theoretical Physics" with the Physical Sciences scheme which covers areas such as condensed matter theory, superconductivity and quantum fluids. There is no deadline for these, so please contact a member of permanent academic staff about the possibility of applying.

Royal Society

The Royal Society runs a number of fellowship schemes, including five-year University Research Fellowships, two-year Newton International Fellowships, flexible Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships designed for those with family commitments.

European Union

The EU has several programmes which provide postdoctoral fellowships. Note that the UK is a full member of these schemes and will be for some time making the Theory group at Imperial a fully eligible host. A lot of internal work is needed for these applications so again please contact us well before any deadline.

Note that Imperial does not support Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Individual Fellowships. 

Other Fellowships

Reasons to work with us

As a Group, we are committed to supporting postdoctoral researchers and fellows in advancing their careers through mentoring, training and help in applying for grants and research positions. In addition, at a Departmental and College-wide level there is support though

  • Health and Wellbeing: Information about how the College promotes mental and physical health and wellbeing

Our working philosophy

We aim to make the Group and Department a welcoming and supportive environment for everyone. As well as helping you realise your potential and advance your career, we recognise and value the need to maintain a healthy work/life balance.