PhD Position: History and Philosophy of Modern Physics

Are you a creative, independent thinker with an interest in the history and philosophy of physics? Apply now for a PhD position at Radboud University, where you will conduct research at the intersection of modern physics and philosophy within both the Center for the History of Philosophy and Science (CHPS) and the new Radboud Center for Natural Philosophy (RCNP).

You will conduct research in the history and philosophy of modern physics with a focus on philosophical discussions around physics in the nineteenth or twentieth century. Your research can, for example, concern the philosophical implications drawn from physical theories such as classical mechanics, statistical mechanics or quantum physics, or the roles of physics in the history of philosophy. Possible topics include conceptions of causality, chance, emergence, or chaos theory.

The project will be supervised by Dr Marij van Strien and Prof. Klaas Landsman will be your PhD supervisor. As a member of both CHPS and RCNP, you will work in an interdisciplinary team and collaborate with philosophers, historians of philosophy, philosophers of science, and theoretical and mathematical physicists. You should be willing to contribute to the general research programme of both CHPS, which studies philosophy and science as historically intertwined fields, and RCNP, which seeks to improve ties between mathematics, physics, and the history and philosophy of science.

Your daily activities will mainly consist of conducting research in the history of modern physics and philosophy. You will be expected to write a PhD thesis, eventually publish papers, and present your work at international conferences and workshops. Further, you will participate in seminars, reading groups and other activities of CHPS and RCNP. Collaboration with other PhD candidates and faculty members will be encouraged. You will be part of a strong and coherent network of researchers.

You will devote 75% of your time to research for and writing your PhD thesis. The remaining 25% will be spent on training and academic service to the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies, including teaching (about 10%).

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).
• You will receive a starting salary of €2,901 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,707 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• We offer Dual Career Coaching. The Dual Career Coaching assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20.

Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

The Radboud Center for Natural Philosophy (RCNP) is dedicated to research at the intersection of mathematical physics, theoretical physics, the philosophy of science, and the history of science. Its current research focus is on the themes of determinism, randomness and emergence in modern physics.

The Center for the History of Philosophy and Science (CHPS) investigates the evolution of natural philosophy from Antiquity to the 21st century. In the global academic landscape, CHPS is unique in approaching the history of philosophy and the history of science as historically intertwined phenomena. For this reason, it has attracted staff, PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers from various countries, functioning as an international hub for scholars interested in the combination of the history of philosophy and the history of science.

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to dr. Marij van Strien. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application.

The first interviews will take place on Wednesday 2 July. You will preferably start your employment on 1 September 2025.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates.