Key Skills

Job Description

Join an ambitious interdisciplinary research project exploring some of the most profound questions in modern science. As part of the Origins of Irreversibility team at the Radboud Center for Natural Philosophy, you will work alongside physicists, mathematicians, historians and philosophers to investigate the origins of entropy, randomness, chaos and irreversible behaviour in nature. We are looking for three postdoctoral researchers to join the interdisciplinary Origins of Irreversibility project: one in mathematical physics, one in theoretical physics and one in the history of physics. Together, you will investigate one of the deepest problems in fundamental science: how irreversible macroscopic behaviour can arise from microscopic laws that are typically reversible. The project connects statistical mechanics, quantum theory and gravitational physics with historical and conceptual research on entropy, randomness and chaos. What makes these positions distinctive is the opportunity to pursue specialised research while being part of a genuinely interdisciplinary team. We particularly welcome researchers who are interested in crossing disciplinary boundaries: physicists and mathematicians who enjoy conceptual and foundational questions, as well as historians of physics who are interested in engaging seriously with the content of the science they study. You will be an active member of RCNP. You will collaborate with the other postdoctoral researchers, PhD candidates and senior investigators, participate in seminars and reading groups, contribute to workshops and conferences, and help build connections between mathematical physics, theoretical physics, history and philosophy of physics. There is considerable freedom to shape the precise research direction according to your expertise and interests, provided that it contributes to the overarching questions of the project. The Mathematical physics position will contribute to the mathematical foundations of entropy, randomness and irreversibility, with possible directions including large deviation theory, algorithmic randomness, ergodic theory, quantum entropy, operator algebras and their applications to statistical physics and/or black hole thermodynamics. The Theoretical physics position will focus on gravitational and holographic systems out of equilibrium, with possible topics including dynamical and cosmological horizons, gravitational entropy, Noether charge methods, holographic coarse-graining, chaos, black hole heat engines and quantum field theory in curved space-time. These two parts of the project are designed to interact closely: mathematical tools concerning entropy, randomness and operator algebras feed into the gravitational research, while problems arising in gravity and holography motivate new mathematical questions. The History of physics position will investigate the history of chaos, randomness and irreversibility, from nineteenth-century statistical physics to the rise of chaos theory as an interdisciplinary movement in the late twentieth century. Possible themes include the relationship between Maxwell's and Boltzmann's ideas of molecular chaos and later mathematical notions of chaos; the circulation of concepts such as randomness, entropy and unpredictability between physics, mathematics, meteorology and other disciplines; the prominence of chaos theory in the 1970s and 1980s; and its longer-term methodological and conceptual impact. The historical research is intended not simply as a parallel study, but as a source of conceptual insight for the contemporary physics and mathematics in the project. Profile You hold, or will have obtained before the starting date, a PhD in a field relevant to one of the three positions, such as mathematical physics, mathematics, theoretical physics, history of science or history of physics. You have a strong research record appropriate to your career stage and the position for which you are applying. You are able to conduct independent research and are enthusiastic about developing new research directions in collaboration with others. You have a demonstrable interest in fundamental questions concerning entropy, irreversibility, randomness, chaos, emergence or closely related topics. You are interested in interdisciplinary collaboration and willing to engage seriously with fields outside your own primary discipline. You are communicative, curious, critical, loyal to colleagues and proactive. You possess excellent written and oral English communication skills. You are willing to participate actively in the intellectual life of the Radboud Center for Natural Philosophy, including its seminars, reading groups, workshops and visitor programme. We offer We will give you a temporary employment contract of 2 year(s). Your salary within salary scale 10 depends on your previous education and number of years of (relevant) work experience. The amounts in the scale are based on a 38-hour working week. You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. Additional Employment Conditions Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes. We are The Radboud Center for Natural Philosophy (RCNP) is a research centre at Radboud University where mathematicians, physicists, historians and philosophers work together on foundational questions in the natural sciences. Its research focuses especially on determinism, randomness and emergence in modern physics. The centre brings together researchers from mathematical and theoretical physics and from the history and philosophy of science, and organises seminars, reading groups, workshops, conferences and an international visitor programme. The three postdoctoral researchers will join the Origins of Irreversibility project funded by the John Templeton Foundation, which brings together Klaas Landsman, Manus Visser, Marij van Strien, Kian Salimkhani and other researchers at RCNP, alongside new postdoctoral researchers and PhD candidates. Within the project, mathematical physics provides tools for understanding entropy and randomness, theoretical physics studies their role in gravitational and holographic systems, and historical and philosophical research critically examines the concepts on which these investigations rely. Close interaction between these areas is a central part of the project. The physics and mathematics postdoctoral researchers will also be employed by the Institute for Mathematics, Astrophysics and Particle Physics (IMAPP), in particular the mathematics department, and will benefit from the existing expertise in mathematical physics, high-energy theory, classical and quantum gravity, and black hole physics. RCNP and IMAPP offer an international and collaborative research environment with regular seminars and informal scientific interaction. Further, the historical postdoctoral researcher will be part of the Center for the History of Philosophy and Science (CHPS) within the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies (FFTR). CHPS brings historians of philosophy and historians of science together and has particular expertise in the historical development of the natural sciences, the relations between philosophy and science, and the epistemological, methodological and ontological foundations of the sciences. Practical information and applying You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Manus Visser. We look forward to receiving your application. It is possible to apply for more than one position. In the online application form, you can specify the position(s) for which you wish to be considered. Please fill in the application form and attach the following: Your motivation letter, in which you describe your academic background, motivation for applying, and potential research interests. Your CV, including a list of publications. The names and contact details of three references. The position(s) you would like to apply for. The first interviews will take place on Tuesday 27 October. You will preferably start your employment on 1 January 2027, or later upon further agreement, but no later than 1 September 2027. We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates. Do you already work at Radboud University and have questions about making an internal move? Learn more about internal applications.

Core Responsibilities

Conduct interdisciplinary research on the origins of irreversibility, entropy, and chaos across mathematical, theoretical, and historical physics. Collaborate with a diverse team of researchers to bridge the gap between microscopic laws and macroscopic behavior.

Requirements

Applicants must hold a PhD in a relevant field such as mathematical physics, theoretical physics, or history of science. A strong research record and a demonstrable interest in fundamental questions regarding entropy and randomness are required.

Benefits

• Holiday allowance
• End-of-year bonus
• Extra days off
• Annual leave
• Flexible working hours
• Work from home options
• Sports subscription reimbursement
• Pension plan
• Training and development schemes