Those with CTC affiliations include Professors, Lecturers, Post-Doctoral and Doctoral Researchers, as well as a variety of academic-related and supporting roles, e.g. parallel programmers and technical staff for the COSMOS supercomputer.
Here you will find any information about current job vacancies at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology. We may also, from time to time, post details of relevant positions within other groups or centres at DAMTP.
- STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowship
- EPSRC Postdoctoral Fellowship (formerly Stephen Hawking Fellowship)
- Other opportunities
STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowship
DAMTP will offer to support up to four applications for the 2023 STFC Rutherford Fellowship scheme. Potential applicants should first contact a member of DAMTP's Academic Staff to discuss the possibility of submitting a pre-application to the Department's selection committee which will review requests.
Once applicants have engaged with a member of the Academic Staff, a pre-application may be made by submitting:
- a CV, including a list of publications
- a draft research proposal
- the name of the DAMTP Staff member who has agreed to support the application
Materials should be sent to Mr James Parke at gr-secretary@damtp.cam.ac.uk
Applicants should arrange for a reference to be sent to the same address.
The deadline for sending in pre-applications is Thursday 3rd August. The selection committee will then review the pre-applications and candidates will be contacted the following week.
As per STFC guidelines, candidates will not be put under any pressure to accept an offer to be hosted before the 10th August. This is to ensure candidates who submit pre-applications to multiple host organisations are given time to make an informed decision regarding which one to proceed with.
The STFC closing date for submission of applications is 4pm on 21st September. All materials will need to be submitted to the STFC at least four weeks in advance of that date to give time for checking, approval and ultimate submission by Cambridge University Research Services Division.
Note that applications will go via the new Funding Service (rather than Je-S), so the successful applicants must make sure they have registered an account in advance of the submission deadline. Information about the Funding Service can be found here:
Application deadline: 3rd August
EPSRC Postdoctoral Fellowship (formerly the Stephen Hawking Fellowship)
We are accepting applications for the EPSRC postdoctoral fellowship. Details can be found here:
https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/epsrc-responsive-mode-postdoctoral-fellowship/
Our internal deadline is Thursday 3rd August. Applicants should by that date send the following to Mr James Parke at gr-secretary@damtp.cam.ac.uk:
- a CV, including a list of publications
- a draft research proposal
- the name of the DAMTP staff member who has agreed to support the application
They should also arrange for a reference to be sent to the same address. Following the internal deadline, a selection will be made of those candidates to be put forward.
CTC/GR Group postdocs
The CTC/GR group occasionally advertises Stephen Hawking Advanced Fellowships for outstanding candidates in Cosmology and Gravitation with a tenure of 4-5 years. We also hold a large STFC consolidated grant which funds a number of postdoctoral positions in cosmology and relativity. These posts, if available, will be listed on this page (and elsewhere, usually in the autumn).
Kavli Institute for Cosmology, Cambridge
The Kavli brings together researchers from the Institute of Astronomy, the Cavendish Laboratory (Department of Physics) and DAMTP, offering the benefit of close interaction as well as access to giant telescopes and space satellites. Researchers from any country can apply for Kavli Institute Fellowships and can be based in the CTC in DAMTP.
Some of the possible opportunities regularly available each year include:
Kavli Institute Senior Fellow in Cosmology (5 years)
Newton-Kavli Junior Fellow (3 years)
The following positions are offered on a more occasional basis every few years:
Kavli Institute Fellow in Gravitational Waves (5 years)
Gavin Boyle Fellowship in Cosmology and Exoplanetary Science (3 years)
Other Cambridge opportunities
Herchel Smith Postdoctoral Fellowships provide support for 2-3 years for researchers in the biological and physical sciences. They are open to applicants from anywhere except those who obtained their PhD from Cambridge or Harvard. Candidates must have less than three years of postdoctoral research experience.
External funding opportunities
- The STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowship is offered every year. The deadline for applications is in September, but interested applicants who wish their Fellowship to be hosted in DAMTP must have discussed their application with a member of the DAMTP academic staff, who will act as their "sponsor" should their application be successful. The deadline for DAMTP to receive applications is usually in August. Currently being advertised (see above).
- ESPRC Postdoctoral Fellowships provide up to four years of funding for UK and international researchers in all areas of theoretical physics, and in those areas of mathematics and computer science which underpin and contribute to the development of theoretical physics. Currently being advertised (see above).
- The Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship offers up to five years of funding for senior career researchers of any nationality. There are three rounds per year.
- The Royal Society University Research Fellowship is for applicants at an early stage of their research career, with three to eight years of experience since their PhD.
- The Royal Society JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship provides funding for young researchers to conduct cooperative research in Japan for 12-24 months.
- The Royal Society Newton Advanced Fellowship provide opportunities for international researchers to collaborate with a partner in the UK for up to two years.
- The Marie Curie Individual Fellowship offers one to two years of funding for researchers working in EU or associated countries. Applicants need at least four years’ full-time research experience by the time of the call deadline.
- RAS Research and Norman Lockyer Fellowships are awarded for a period of up to three years.
- Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships fund a research programme in any discipline for 3 to 24 months.
PhD opportunities
Entry requirements:
For those interested in taking a PhD in the CTC/GR group, this would normally be possible when the candidate has taken the University's Part III Mathematics course or an equivalent four-year degree, achieving a Distinction or first-class honours degree (though in practice most candidates come through Part III). Graduates from outside Cambridge frequently take Part III as a qualifying fourth-year course. Exceptional external applicants with masters degrees may be considered in cosmology or if there are other opportunities advertised on this website.
DAMTP deadline:
The deadline for applications is the end of January each year, unless you require funding from the Cambridge Trusts, in which case earlier deadlines apply. However, later applications will be considered where possible. For more detailed information please go to http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/study/phdstudentships.html and http://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/postgrad/phd/
Funding:
There are other awards available from Cambridge sources outside DAMTP. The Graduate Admissions website contains an up-to-date guide. See also the Student Registry for funding-related information.
Centre for Doctoral Training in Data Intensive Science
There is an alternative route for PhD funding through the Cambridge CDT in Data Intensive Science. This provides a four-year PhD working on a data-intensive project and can be based in DAMTP.
