Postdoctoral Research Associate (Fixed Term)

University of Cambridge - Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics

A position exists for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics funded by a fellowship held by Professor Julia Wolf.

Applicants should have a PhD (or should expect to soon be awarded) in a relevant field, a strong track record in relevant research, and may have previous postdoc experience. Candidates should be able to demonstrate either

-substantial expertise in additive combinatorics, coupled with an interest in combinatorial problems motivated by model theory;

or

-substantial expertise in model theory, specifically neostability theory, coupled with an interest in its manifestations in a finitary combinatorial setting.

Candidates must be comfortable working across intradisciplinary boundaries but are not expected to have deep prior knowledge of both combinatorics and model theory. Appropriate training will be provided.

Duties of the post include conceiving and conducting individual and collaborative research. The role holder

• will be expected to plan and manage their own research towards the overarching goals of the fellowship, to contribute to the dissemination of the results in subject-appropriate ways, and to assist in the preparation of applications to external bodies;
• must be able to communicate material of a technical nature to non-specialist audiences and to build and maintain internal and external professional contacts;
• may be asked to assist in the supervision of PhD students or undergraduate research projects, to contribute to the development of student research skills, or to deliver seminars relating to the research area;
• will have the opportunity to engage in College or departmental teaching to develop their skills base.

Individual mentoring and access to the University's career-development programme will be provided, alongside a travel budget for conferences and collaborative visits.

The post is available from 1 October 2026 (or by mutual agreement).

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2 years in the first instance.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click the 'Apply' button above.

Please indicate the contact details of two academic referees on the online application form and upload a full curriculum vitae (no page limit), a description of your recent research (not to exceed two pages), and your research plans (not to exceed one page). Please ensure that your referees are aware that they will be contacted by the Mathematics HR Office Administrator to request that they upload a reference for you to our Web Recruitment System by 22 March 2026, and please encourage them to do so as soon as possible.

The closing date for applications is 16 March 2026. Shortlisting for this position will take place once letters of reference have been received. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to attend two online interviews, preceded by a 30-minute research presentation, and will be notified of this in the final week of March.

Informal inquiries about this vacancy may be made by contacting Professor Julia Wolf (julia.wolf@dpmms.cam.ac.uk).

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact LF48886@maths.cam.ac.uk.

Please quote reference LF48886 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.