Postdoctoral Research Assistant

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Department of Mathematics
Location:  Egham
Salary:  £39,233 per annum - including London Allowance
This is the expected starting salary for this post however appointment at a higher point may be made for candidates who demonstrate exceptional skills and experience relevant to the role.
Post Type:  Full Time
Closing Date:  23.59 hours GMT on Monday 05 February 2024
Reference:  0124-004

Full-Time, Fixed-Term (to 31/08/2025)

Applications are invited for the post of Postdoctoral Research Assistant in the Department of Mathematics.

Christopher Fuchs, Jacques Pienaar, and Rüdiger Schack are seeking a postdoctoral researcher for a recently awarded John Templeton Foundation grant to set up a three-year international consortium to explore, "What is Metrology if Quantum Measurements Participate in Making Reality?" QBism is part of the subject of research, but not exclusively so, as the grant is based upon a healthy debate between a number of parties.

While being based at Royal Holloway, the position will require a significant amount of travel to build synergy between the consortium nodes — Fuchs and Pienaar in Boston, Michel Bitbol at CNRS in Paris, the UFRJ experimental group in Rio de Janeiro, Adam Frank at the University of Rochester, Marcelo Gleiser at Dartmouth College, Richard Healey in Spain, Klaus Moelmer at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, Eran Tal at McGill University in Montreal, Christopher Timpson at the University of Oxford, Harald Wiltsche at Linkoping University in Sweden, and Jun Ye at JILA in Boulder, Colorado. The position will come with a fairly large travel budget.

We are looking for either a philosopher with an interest in physics, or a physicist with an interest in philosophy. Either way, a researcher preferably sympathetic to developing connections between quantum interpretation and phenomenology (Husserl, Merleau-Ponty) and/or pragmatism (James, Dewey, Price, Brandom) and/or a Bayesian who can prove new quantum de Finetti theorems.  (These preferences, however, are not an absolute requirement.)

In return we offer a highly competitive rewards and benefits package including:

• Generous annual leave entitlement 
• Training and Development opportunities
• Pension Scheme with generous employer contribution 
• Various schemes including Cycle to Work, Season Ticket Loans and help with the cost of Eyesight testing. 
• Free parking 

The post is full time until 31 August 2025 and based in Egham, Surrey where the University is situated in a beautiful, leafy campus near to Windsor Great Park and within commuting distance from London. 

For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Professor Rüdiger Schack via [email protected]

For queries on the application process the Human Resources Department can be contacted by email at: [email protected]  

Please quote the reference: 0124-004

Closing Date:  23:59, 5 February 2024

Interview Date: To be confirmed 

The university has adopted hybrid working for some roles therefore some remote working may be possible for this role.

Royal Holloway is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and encourages applications from all people regardless of age, disability, gender, marital status, parental status, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or trans status or history. More information on our structures and initiatives around EDI, including information on staff diversity networks, can be found on our Equality and Diversity Intranet page .