Background

Our Arnold and Landau Junior Fellowships are modelled on the Oxford and Cambridge Junior Fellowships and the Harvard Society of Fellows. Unlike postdocs, they leave researchers free to follow their curiosity and choose their own research. Among the most prestigious opportunities for young scientists, they can be a stepping stone to more senior posts. They are part of our broader Arnold and Landau scheme to recruit theorists affected by the war in Ukraine. The largest programme of its kind, it has been written about in Nature, The Times and Troitsky Variant.

Job

The posts begin at the latest on 1 October 2024, but successful candidates are welcome to join us and start work as soon as possible. The Fellowships last for four years. The annual salary is at least £51,000, depending on experience, with additional support for travel and computing. Candidates are expected to work in our rooms in the Royal Institution—we do not work from home. The posts are open to researchers in all areas of theoretical physics and mathematics, including the foundations of AI and life, statistical physics and emergent phenomena.

Candidate

Candidates should be outstanding theorists with a background in physics or mathematics. They should have lived in Russia, Ukraine or Belarus, but need not reside there when applying. They will have completed their PhD in the last several years, or be in the final year of it. They should have the drive required to pursue independent research, though collaboration within the Institute is encouraged. Candidate values include ambition, communication, curiosity, enthusiasm, mastery, originality, perfectionism, persistence, simplicity and spontaneity.