PhD Research Fellow in Theoretical Physics / Cosmology

About the position 

A position as PhD Research Fellow in Theoretical Physics / Cosmology is available at the Department of Physics. 

Starting date no later than December 1, 2025.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo. 

The fellowship period is 3 years. A fourth year may be considered with a workload of 25 % that normally consists of teaching. This is dependent upon the qualification of the applicant 
and the current needs of the department.

Job description / project description

The nature of dark matter is unknown, and there is an immense global experimental effort to search for new particles that could explain the cosmologically observed dark matter abundance. However, it might well turn out that dark matter particles interact too weakly with ordinary matter to be directly detectable in any such type of laboratory experiments. The successful applicant will join the research project "Turning the tables on dark matter nightmare scenarios", financed by the Research Council of Norway. This project in fundamental physics is located at the intersection of particle physics and cosmology, revolving around the question of how such extremely evasive dark matter particles might still be identifiable through cosmological considerations and observations.

The research to be carried out in the announced PhD fellowship will specifically focus on the leverage of cosmological Lyman-alpha observations in this context. This will include theoretical work towards an improved understanding of how the microscopic interactions of dark matter particles can impact the shape of matter density perturbations in the early universe. The candidate will also explicitly compare such predictions with Lyman-alpha data, thus deriving novel bounds on (or positive evidence for) secluded dark matter models. The latter aspect may involve extensive numerical simulations.

The PhD fellowship will be based in the Theory Section at the Department of Physics, which has a very strong tradition in dark matter phenomenology, including the development of state-of-the-art tools such as DarkSUSY and GAMBIT. The candidate will actively interact with the international network of collaborators associated with the project, and will in this context also have the opportunity to work on aspects of 'nightmare' dark matter scenarios not directly related to Lyman-alpha observations. As part of the PhD fellowship, a 3-month secondment to a top-level international institution is foreseen (RWTH Aachen or KIT Karlsruhe, Germany).

Qualification requirements

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

• Master’s degree in physics or equivalent with a strong background in theoretical cosmology
• Foreign completed degree (M.Sc.-level) corresponding to a minimum of four years in the Norwegian educational system
• Strong background in quantum field theory and/or particle physics
• Significant experience with programming
   

Candidates without a Master’s degree have until 15 September 2025 to complete the final exam.

Desired requirements:

• Working experience with aspects related to cosmological perturbation theory, either theoretical or through cosmological data analysis
• Background in particle dark matter physics
• High-performance computing experience
• Interest in statistical analysis and Markov Chain Monte Carlo
• Ability to work independently and in collaborations
   

Grade requirements:
The norm is as follows:

• The average grade point for courses included in the Bachelor’s degree must be C or better in the Norwegian educational system
• The average grade point for courses included in the Master’s degree must be B or better in the Norwegian educational system
• The Master’s thesis must have the grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system
   

Language requirements:

• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English
• English requirements for applicants from outside of EU/EEA/EFTA countries and exemptions from the requirements:
  https://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/regulations/regulations.html#toc8

For candidates who would like to apply for a fourth year including teaching, good knowledge of Norwegian or another Scandinavian language is strongly preferred.

The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree. The fellowship requires admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The application to the PhD programme must be submitted to the department no later than two months after taking up the position. For more information see: http://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/

Personal skills

• Good communication skills
• Ability to work independently

We offer

• Vibrant international academic environment
• Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities
• Good welfare schemes.
• Career development programmes
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes.
• Salary in position as PhD Research Fellow, position code 1017, in salary range NOK from 536 200 - 575 400, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund.

Read more about the benefits of working in the public sector at Employer Portal.

Inclusive worklife and diversity at UiO

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to an interview.

We hope that you will apply for the position. 

More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here.

Application

Your application should include:

• Cover letter – statement of motivation and research interests
• CV (summarizing education, work experience and academic work, including any scientific publications and theses, and other qualifying activity)
• Copies of educational certificates and transcript of records (copies of recommendation letters will not be taken into account)
• MSc thesis (if completed; otherwise the introductory chapter describing scope and content)
• Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)
• 1-2 letters of recommendation sent directly to professor torsten.bringmann@fys.uio.no
• Applicants who are interested in teaching need to add to this application a description of their motivation for and (if any) experience with teaching.

Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge, click "Apply for the position".

When applying for the position, we ask you to retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your transcripts or grades. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

Apart from uploading these documents to the electronic application system, please also send them combined in a single pdf file directly to torsten.bringmann@fys.uio.no.

General information

The best qualified candidates will invited for interviews. 

All candidates and projects will have to undergo a check versus national export, sanctions and security regulations. Candidates may be excluded based on these checks. Primary checkpoints are the Export Control regulation, the Sanctions regulation, and the national security regulation.

Applicant lists can be published in accordance with Norwegian Freedom of Information Act § 25. When you apply for a position with us, your name will appear on the public applicant list. It is possible to request to be excluded from this list. You must justify why you want an exemption from publication and we will then decide whether we can grant your request. If we can't, you will hear from us.

Please refer to Regulations for the Act on universities and colleges chapter 3 (Norwegian),  Guidelines concerning appointment to post doctoral and research posts at UiO (Norwegian) and Regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the University of Oslo.

The University of Oslo has a transfer agreement with all employees that is intended to secure the rights to all research results etc.