Assistant/Associate Professor in PhysicsUniversity

The Department of Physics at Durham University seeks to appoint a talented individual to the position of Assistant or Associate Professor, in the Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC). We welcome applications from those with research interests in the field of computational cosmology or astrophysics. Applications are particularly encouraged from candidates with a future interest in collaboratively building new generations of world leading simulations. As such, we are particularly interested in candidates who wish to develop or deploy new numerical methods, subgrid models, or applications of simulations to multimessenger astronomy. However, applications will be considered in any area that complements the ICC’s current research interests. Applicants must demonstrate research excellence in the field of computational cosmology or astrophysics with the ability to teach our students to an exce ptional standard and to fully engage in the services, citizenship and values of the University.

The post offers an exciting opportunity to make a major contribution to the development of internationally excellent research and teaching while allowing you unrivalled opportunities to progress and embed your career in an exciting and progressive institution. For more information, please visit our Department pages at www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/physics and the webpage of the ICC at www.icc.dur.ac.uk.

The Physics Department at Durham is one of the largest in the UK and a vibrant centre for world leading research and education. A World Top 100 department in the 2025 QS subject rankings, our research spans advanced instrumentation, astronomy and astrophysics, condensed matter physics, cosmology, particle physics and quantum physics. It has real world impact, informing developments in energy storage, improved cancer imaging, quantum computing, nuclear fusion, pandemic modelling and faster digital technologies. We pride ourselves on closely aligning our teaching with the University’s research-intensive ethos. Research led learning is embedded at every stage of our undergraduate programmes (from first year laboratory reports to our flagship final year MPhys individual research projects) ensuring our students develop the skills and insight needed for future roles in STEM.

The ICC is one of the leading international centres for research in computational cosmology and astrophysics. We deliver world-leading science using high-performance computation, using it as a foundation to inspire future generations of scientists at all levels. The ICC’s academic staff work across a range of research areas including cosmological surveys; comparison of simulations to extragalactic observations; relativistic simulations; planetary science simulations; galactic dynamics; weak and strong gravitational lensing; and next generation radio interferometric survey science. We operate the ‘COSMA' supercomputers on behalf of the STFC funding council, providing a Tier-1 service to the UK community. We collaborate closely with colleagues in the Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy, some of whom are jointly appointed with the ICC, with the Centre for Advanced Instrumentation, and with the Institute fo r Particle Physics Phenomenology.