Research Officer in Gauge and the Edge of the Universe (Philosophy of Physics 1)

London School of Economics and Political Science - Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science

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Salary from £43,277 pa to £51,714 pa inclusive with potential to progress to £55,497 pa inclusive of London allowance

Funding is available to support this position for a total of 3 years

A Research Officer in Gauge and the Edge of the Universe is being recruited for the ERC-funded Philosophical Foundations of the Edge of the Universe (EDGE) project led by Prof Bryan W Roberts (PI), hosted at the vibrant LSE Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science: https://edgeoftheuniverse.org. This position is for a post-doctoral researcher with expertise in philosophy of physics, and with particular research interests in the philosophy of gauge, especially as it relates to boundary conditions and the edge of the universe, to take place during the fixed term of the grant project for a total of three years.

The successful candidate will conduct innovative research as part of the EDGE team, including working closely and collaboratively with Prof Roberts and other members of the EDGE project and scientific collaborators at other institutions. Whilst this Research Officer will make contributions across the breadth of the project, their work will primarily be focussed on its ‘gauge and boundary conditions’ strand, helping to connect them to the project’s broader study of the philosophical foundations of the edge of the universe.

The successful applicant will have:

• Successful completion or near-completion of PhD in the Philosophy or Foundations of Physics by the required start date.
• Strong research interests in the philosophy of physics, philosophy gauge physics, and boundary conditions.
• Ability to develop a coherent, significant programme of research in the context of the research project.
• Ability to take responsibility for and work independently on specific project tasks, consulting and reporting to the PI appropriately, as well as working productively in a team environment.

Ideally, the successful applicant will begin in September 2026, and no later than October 2026.

We offer an occupational pension scheme, generous annual leave, hybrid working, and excellent training and development opportunities, as well as a research and travel budget in support of project activities.

For further information about the post, please see the how to apply document, job description and the person specification.

To apply for this post, please click on the ‘Apply’ button above. Applications should include a CV, Cover Letter, two writing samples, and a Research Statement describing the trajectory from your past research to some research you hope to do on the project over the course of three years. If you have any technical queries with applying on the online system, please use the “contact us” links at the bottom of the LSE Jobs page. Should you have any queries about the role, please email Bryan Roberts: b.w.roberts@lse.ac.uk.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 15 March 2026 (23.59 UK time). Regrettably, we are unable to accept any late applications.