The Korteweg-de Vries Institute for Mathematics (KdVI) of the University of Amsterdam invites you to apply for a PhD position in Mathematical Physics under supervision of Mikhail Isachenkov.

Conformal field theories are ubiquitous in modern theoretical physics. Since its inception in the 1970s, the conformal bootstrap program has become an indispensable tool for analyzing and solving conformal theories in two spacetime dimensions (d=2), where beautiful and profound connections with representation theory and algebra were discovered. 
Last years have seen a revival and a remarkable numerical progress of the program also in the higher (d>2) number of dimensions, however the analytical understanding of its successes and limitations in such a general setting is still gaining momentum. It was appreciated recently that the basic constituents of the program, called conformal blocks and crossing kernels, bear strong connections to the theory of spherical  functions and harmonic analysis on the conformal group.  The present PhD project aims to leverage the representation theory of double affine Hecke algebras and the theory of automorphic forms in order to get insights into dynamics of conformal field theories.

What are you going to do?

You will:

• perform research on Mathematical Physics;
• be part of the joint research programme Mathematical Physics of the Korteweg – de Vries Institute for Mathematics and the Institute of Physics and interact with its senior and junior members;
• contribute to educational programs at the University of Amsterdam.

What do we require?

• A Master’s degree in mathematics or physics with a good knowledge of representation  theory, as well as background in high-energy physics. Any background in algebraic geometry and number theory will be an additional bonus;
• excellent writing and communication skills in English;
• commitment and a cooperative attitude.

Experience in teaching is a plus.

Candidates having a double Master degree (mathematics and theoretical physics) will be given priority.

Our offer

A temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of 4 years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years). This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. The starting date is flexible, but not later than 1 September 2021.

Based on a full-time employment contract (38 hours per week) the gross monthly salary will range from €2,395 in the first year to €3,061 in the last year. This is exclusive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

Are you curious about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits like our excellent opportunities for study and development? Take a look here.

University of Amsterdam

With over 5,000 employees, 30,000 students and a budget of more than 600 million euros, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is an intellectual hub within the Netherlands. Teaching and research at the UvA are conducted within seven faculties: Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Law, Science, Medicine and Dentistry. Housed on four city campuses in or near the heart of Amsterdam, where disciplines come together and interact, the faculties have close links with thousands of researchers and hundreds of institutions at home and abroad.  

The UvA’s students and employees are independent thinkers, competent rebels who dare to question dogmas and aren’t satisfied with easy answers and standard solutions. To work at the UvA is to work in an independent, creative, innovative and international climate characterised by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with the city of Amsterdam and society.

Faculty of Science – Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences and the Institute of Physics

The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 7,000, as well as 1,600 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 Korteweg-de Vries Institute for Mathematics (KdVI) is the mathematics research institute at the University of Amsterdam. We conduct world-class research in the fields of Algebra, Geometry and Mathematical Physics; Pure, Applied and Numerical Analysis; Discrete Mathematics and Quantum Information; and Stochastics. A smaller portion of our research is directed at teaching (focus area blended learning) or history of mathematics. We are involved with various national and international research collaborations. In addition, we also provide the lecturers and instructors for the mathematics teaching within the Science faculty and within the national programme Mastermath. The institute has about 30 faculty members and 40 postdoctoral researchers and PhD students.

The mission of the Institute of Physics (IoP) is to carry out excellent research in the field of experimental and theoretical physics, 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 50 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. Research at IoP is organized in three research divisions: the Van der Waals-Zeeman Institute for Experimental Physics (WZI), the Institute for Theoretical Physics Amsterdam (ITFA) and the Institute for High-Energy Physics (IHEF), the latter embedded within Nikhef, the National Institute for Subatomic Physics. Within IoP, the position will be based within ITFA, which focuses on research in the (partly overlapping) themes Soft Condensed Matter, Quantum Condensed Matter, String Theory, Theoretical Particle Physics, Astroparticle Physics, Cosmology, Mathematical Physics, and History of Physics.