Postdoctoral positions in the String Theory Group of Institute for Theoretical Physics of Amsterdam

Are you interested to work at the UvA Institute of Physics within the string group? ITFA is looking for several ambitious Postdoctoral researchers starting in Fall 2026. The faculty members in the string theory group are Jácome Armas, Daniel Baumann, Jan de Boer, Miranda Cheng, Lorenz Eberhardt, Ben Freivogel, Diego Hofman, Mikhail Isachenkov, Andrea Puhm, Jan Pieter van der Schaar, Erik Verlinde, Marcel Vonk. The successful candidates will carry out their research within the Institute of Theoretical Physics (ITFA) at the University of Amsterdam. For more information about the research at the UvA, please consult the website https://iop.uva.nl/itfa/itfa.html.

Join our reseach team!
The string group at the University of Amsterdam invites applications for postdoctoral fellows starting in the fall 2026. We anticipate to fill several open positions. Read for more information below.

About the postdoctoral positions

• The groups of Ben Freivogel and Erik Verlinde invite applications for a postdoctoral fellow in the QuRIOS collaboration. The QuRIOS collaboration brings together theorists from diverse backgrounds to develop theoretically well-founded proposals of quantum gravity and explore their possible observational signatures. The collaboration brings together diverse faculty at four Hub institutions: Yanbei Chen (Caltech) Ben Freivogel (Amsterdam) Steve Giddings (UCSB) Cynthia Keeler (ASU) Maulik Parikh (ASU) Erik Verlinde (Amsterdam) Kathryn Zurek (Caltech). Our research interests span quantum gravity, particle theory, string theory, gravitational waves, and astrophysics. The collaboration will feature extended visits between the collaboration hubs, and yearly workshops of all collaboration members to discuss open research questions and progress. To learn more about the collaboration visit http://qurios.caltech.edu/. Contact: Ben Freivogel: B.W.Freivogel@uva.nl
• The Simons Collaboration on Celestial Holography invites applications for a postdoctoral position in the group of Andrea Puhm at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Amsterdam. The position is a full-time two-year appointment starting in Fall 2026, and may be extended to a third year upon successful performance, subject to funding and mutual agreement. This position is funded by the Simons Collaboration on Celestial Holography, made up of 13 PIs at 10 institutions around the world. The post carries the title "Simons Fellow in Celestial Holography," and carries with it the benefit of substantial opportunities for travel and scientific interaction. This includes funded travel to Collaboration meetings, workshops and schools as well as the potential for intra-collaboration research visits. The candidate is expected to have a PhD in theoretical physics and a solid background in quantum field theory, general relativity and mathematical physics, and be interested in carrying out research in celestial holography and related topics. Questions regarding this position should be directed to: Andrea Puhm: a.puhm@uva.nl
• The group of Lorenz Eberhardt invites applications for a postdoctoral fellow with excellent research track record in String Theory and Mathematical Physics. The position is a full-time three-year appointment starting in Fall 2026. The position is funded by the ERC Starting Grant ``New Handles for String Scattering Amplitudes’’ whose aim is to develop new tools in the study of string theory. The candidate is expected to have a PhD in theoretical physics or a suitable area of mathematics and a solid background in quantum field theory, mathematical physics and string theory, and be interested in carrying out research in string theory. Contact: Lorenz Eberhardt, l.eberhardt@uva.nl
• The Emergence at all Scales (EAAS) consortium invites applications for a postdoctoral position on holography in de Sitter spacetime at the University of Amsterdam. The EAAS consortium is the national flag-carrier of the NWA route 2 game changer Dutch Institute for Emergent Phenomena (https://www.d-iep.org). EAAS combines 8 Dutch and 1 Ukrainian university as well as Statistics Netherlands (CBS) in an interdisciplinary and collaborative endeavour aimed at understanding emergent phenomena across scales, combining multiple fields including physics, mathematics, astronomy, history & philosophy of science, and social science. EAAS is hiring a total of 20 PhD/postdoc scientists to join the team, and our project/group leaders share the ambition of gender parity in hires across EAAS. The position is a full-time two-year appointment starting in Fall 2026, and may be extended to a third year upon successful performance, subject to funding and mutual agreement. The candidate is expected to have a PhD in theoretical physics and a solid background in quantum field theory, general relativity and mathematical physics, and be interested in carrying out research in holography beyond AdS, including flat and dS, and related topics. Questions regarding these positions should be directed to Ben Freivogel (freivogel at uva.nl) or Andrea Puhm (a.puhm at uva.nl).
• The groups of Jay Armas and Jan de Boer invite applications for a two-year postdoctoral position at the University of Amsterdam on the topic of hydrodynamics and holography of spin in view toward applications to heavy-ion collisions and strongly coupled systems. The position is integrated in the consortium Emergence at All Scales (EAAS), which is the national flag-carrier of the NWA route 2 game changer Dutch Institute for Emergent Phenomena, and also involves collaboration with Wilke van der Schee at the University of Utrecht as well as with postdoc Ruben Lier at the University of Amsterdam. More details regarding this position are available here: https://www.d-iep.org/spinhydroposition. Contact: Jácome Armas: j.armas@uva.nl
• The group of Miranda Cheng has one opening for a postdoc position, and welcomes applications from candidates in the area of mathematical and theoretical physics. Candidates with interests and expertise in analytic number theory are also welcome to apply. The position is a full-time two-year appointment starting in Fall 2026, and may be extended to a third year upon successful performance, subject to funding and mutual agreement. Contact: c.n.cheng@uva.nl

Other positions might become available depending on the availability of funding.

What you'll be doing
You will work in a team that seeks to push our understanding of quantum gravity in (nearly) asymptotically flat spacetimes and develop a holographic correspondence known as celestial holography. Your tasks and responsibilities include:

• conducting original research in quantum gravity, resulting in academic publications in peer-reviewed international journals and presentations at international conferences and workshops;
• take part in local activities such as the weekly string theory seminar and journal club;
• You are encouraged to help organize local seminar and journal clubs;
• You will have the opportunity to co-supervise Bachelor and Master theses and tutoring students.

The position carries with it the benefit of substantial opportunities for travel and scientific interaction. This includes funded travel to Collaboration meetings, workshops and schools as well as the potential for intra-collaboration research visits.

What we're looking for
We are searching for a candidate with the following experience and profile:

• PhD in theoretical physics;
• Solid background in quantum field theory, general relativity and mathematical physics;
• Be interested in carrying out research in celestial holography and related topics;
• Professional command of English.

What we're offering you
We offer a temporary employment contract for 38 hours per week for a period of 24 months- starting in the fall of 2026, and may be extended to a third year upon successful performance, subject to funding and mutual agreement. The preferred starting date is September or October 2026. The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 3,546 to € 5,538 (scale 10). This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance.

Where you'll be working
The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

The Institute of Physics (IoP) of the Faculty of Science combines the Institute for Theoretical Physics (ITFA), the Institute for High Energy Physics (IHEF) and the Van der Waals-Zeeman Institute (WZI), and is one of the large research institutes of the Faculty of Science at the University of Amsterdam. The mission of IoP is to carry out excellent research in the field of theoretical physics and experimental, to provide inspiring teaching within the physics and other curricula and to transfer our knowledge of and enthusiasm for physics to society. The IoP has over 70 faculty and 180 researchers in total. The combination with the NWO Institutes at Amsterdam Science Park constitutes the largest physics hub in the Netherlands and is an international centre of excellence.

This postdoc position is embedded in the group of Andrea Puhm and is part of the Institute for Theoretical Physics (ITFA). Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.

If you feel the profile fits you and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application via this Link. Applications are accepted exclusively through Academic Jobsonline at the following link: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/31050. Applying to this job listing will lead to the consideration for all of these positions. If you explicitly do not want to be considered for one of the positions, you can indicate this in your research proposal.

AJO accepts applications until and including 31 December 2025. Applications submitted by email or through other portals will NOT be considered.

Applications should include the following information:

• A detailed CV (including the months, not just years, when referring to your education and work experience);
• A research proposal;
• 3 recommendation letters, to be submitted to AJO.

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A knowledge security check can be part of the selection procedure (for details: national knowledge security guidelines). Only complete applications received within the response period via the link below will be considered.