PhD Candidate in Quantum Gravity

Gravity was the first fundamental force that humanity recognized, yet it remains the least understood. As a PhD candidate, you will focus on gaining a better understanding of quantum gravity and quantum spacetime, their interaction with matter and their macroscopic consequences. This way, you contribute to our understanding of the origin and evolution of the universe and its underlying structures.

A PhD position in Quantum Gravity is available at the Institute for Mathematics, Astrophysics and Particle Physics (IMAPP) of Radboud University (Nijmegen, Netherlands). You will work under the supervision of Prof. Renate Loll at the High-Energy Physics Department and be part of an active research group in quantum and classical/strong gravity, comprising senior members J. Ambjørn (part-time), B. Bonga, T. Budd, B. Dittrich (part-time/visitor), B. Krishnan, R. Loll and F. Saueressig, and a sizeable group of PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers. The aim of the PhD research project will be to gain a better, quantitative understanding of full, four-dimensional quantum gravity and quantum spacetime in a near-Planckian regime, their interaction with matter and their macroscopic consequences. A combination of numerical and analytical tools has proven essential to making progress at ultra-short length scales, using lattice methods (Causal Dynamical Triangulations; CDT) and concepts from non-classical and random geometry, as well as functional renormalisation. Expertise on these topics is represented strongly in the research group at Radboud University, and has contributed to the discovery of exciting non-perturbative phenomena, including dynamical dimensional reduction at the Planck scale and the emergence of a four-dimensional de Sitter geometry from a microscopic quantum superposition. The PhD position is for four years, which is the expected time for obtaining a doctoral degree in the Netherlands, and is paid according to nationally set standard rates. PhD candidates are required to take a number of courses, usually in the form of attending winter schools organised by the Dutch Research School for Theoretical Physics. They also act as teaching assistants for about ten percent of their working time, typically as tutors for exercise classes in theoretical courses for Bachelor's or Master's students.