Assistant Professor Research in Statistical Physics

Coventry University Group; Coventry; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent pension contribution

30 days annual leave + bank holidays

Holiday purchase scheme

Life assurance 4x salary

BUPA Cash Plan

Tuition fee discount for staff dependa

CU Reward scheme

Cycle to work

Job summary

Coventry University Group invites applications for an Assistant Professor in Statistical Physics within the Centre for Fluid and Complex Systems. The post focuses on commissioning and delivering impactful research and developing the centre’s strategy.

The successful candidate will lead research activities, disseminate outputs at conferences and in media, seek external funding, and supervise staff and students while balancing 60% research with 40% teaching duties.

Qualifications

• PhD in physics, mathematics, or a closely related subject.
• International excellence evidenced by publications, awards, and funding could be considered commensurate with career stage.

Responsibilities

• Commission and deliver impactful research in Statistical Physics.
• Lead dissemination of research outputs across media and conferences.
• Seek and secure external research funding.
• Supervise research fellows, doctoral and master’s students, and support staff.
• Spend ~60% of time on research and ~40% on teaching.

Education

PhD in physics, mathematics, or a closely related relevant subject

Job description

Salary:

Competitive starting salary range from £46,049 up to £51,753 (dependent on experience) with the potential to progress. A discretionary range for candidates with exceptional experience can be discussed/considered.

Our Mission

Coventry University Group is a global education group with a mission of Creating Better Futures. We are driven by our passionate belief in the transformational power of education and research to enable and empower our students, colleagues and partners and to improve the world around them. Our people are key to our success and each role contributes to the Group’s ongoing progress in communities around the world.

The Role

We are recruiting for an Assistant Professor in Statistical Physics in the Centre for Fluid and Complex Systems here at Coventry University.

As an Assistant Professor you will be responsible for commissioning and delivering impactful research, while working with the group and the centre at large to grow research activity and develop independent research. You will take the lead in promoting and disseminating research outputs in a range of field specific media, attend and present research at relevant conferences. You will seek and secure external research funding. 60% of your time will be spent on research within the centre’s field and 40% will be spent on teaching within appropriate subjects.

The post is expected to align with the Statistical Physics research group. The focus of the group’s research is many-body quantum dynamics, open quantum systems, stochastic processes, and strong correlations.

The centre operates at the core of a large network of international collaborators with the specificity of blending theoretical with in-house experimental approaches. The centre maps to Research Excellence Framework (REF) Unit of Assessment 10 (mathematics) and 95% of its output was deemed internationally excellent or world-leading during the 2021 REF exercise. The centre’s research is supported by UK and European funding bodies (UKRI, ERC and others), as well as industry.

The role will allow you to contribute to the research centre’s strategy, producing research with a demonstrable contribution to knowledge, society and the economy, and growing the centre’s national and international network of collaborators. You will seek external funding through grants or contracts to support your research, whilst supervising research fellows / assistants, doctoral students, master’s students, technical and other support staff. You will also participate in community work for the Centre and in public engagement activities

The School of Computing, Mathematics and Data Science offers undergraduate degrees in mathematics, mathematics and statistics, physics and mathematics, physics, and data science; our postgraduate courses include data science & computational intelligence and data science. You will be able to contribute to teaching modules on these courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level. You will work closely with the course teams to help provide the high-quality learning environment our students expect.

Qualifications Required

A PhD in physics, mathematics, or a closely related relevant subject.

Our Successful Candidate

The ideal candidate will demonstrate international excellence, as evidenced by their track-record in publications, research awards and attracting research funding (commensurate with their career stage). The candidate's research background and expected research activity should fall within the remit of the Statistical Physics group: many-body quantum dynamics, open quantum systems, stochastic processes, and strong correlations.

Within the centre, the successful applicant will be expected to lead research within the remit of REF UoA 10 (mathematics), to deliver internationally excellent or world-leading outputs, industrial or societal impact, and to attract sufficient funding to help growth the centre's research portfolio.

The Benefits

As a staff member of Coventry University, you will have an access to a wide range of industry leading rewards and benefits which includes:

• Excellent Employers Pension Contribution
• 30 days Annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• New Holiday Purchase Scheme up to 5 additional days
• Life Assurance 4 x Salary
• BUPA Cash Plan
• 50% off Tuition Fees for staff dependants
• CU Reward Scheme – Discounts across a range of High Street/ Online Retailers
• Cycle To work scheme

Our Culture

As a global Education Group, equality, diversity, and inclusion are embedded within the fabric of our organisation and are a key focus of our core values. We harness the power and potential of the diverse cultures, backgrounds, abilities, and experiences of our students, colleagues, and partners to create opportunities for all.

Application Closing Date:

01/11/2026