University assistant predoctoral/PhD Candidate

Universität Wien; Osterreich; On-site; PEN 111,000 - 133,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Inspiring atmosphere

Public transport access

Development opportunities

Internal training & coaching

Fair salary

Job summary

University of Vienna invites applications for a university assistant (praedoc) in the Experimental Quantum Physics and Gravity Group to explore macroscopic quantum coherence and gravity at small scales. You will join a large, collaborative team within Vienna's quantum science ecosystem and pursue a structured doctoral plan.

You will work on cutting-edge experiments, present research progress, and contribute to teaching and outreach while advancing your dissertation toward completion.

Qualifications

• Completed Master’s degree or Diploma in physics with a Master’s thesis in experimental quantum optics/AMO physics.
• Experience in academic writing is highly desirable.
• Solid background in experimental quantum optics, opto-mechanics, and levitation.
• Experience with homodyne/heterodyne detection and programming.

Responsibilities

• Participate in research, teaching and administration within the group.
• Present your research plan to the faculty and finalize a dissertation agreement within 12–18 months.
• Work on your dissertation and progress toward completion with independence and teamwork.
• Contribute to teaching (lab courses, exercises) under the collective bargaining agreement.
• Handle administrative tasks for research, teaching and group organization.
• Stay informed about state-of-the-art developments in your field.
• Contribute to outreach by publications, conferences and public activities.

Skills

Experimental quantum optics

Quantum control

Academic writing

English proficiency

Programming

Education

Master's degree in physics

Tools

Homodyne detection

Heterodyne detection

Job description

Organisation/Company Universität Wien Research Field Physics » Other Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Application Deadline 2 Nov 2026 - 00:00 (UTC) Country Austria Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Part-time Hours Per Week 30 Offer Starting Date 15 Nov 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

At the University of Vienna almost 11,000 personalities work together towards answering the big questions of the future. Around 7,700 of them do research and teaching, around 3,000 work in administration and organisation. We are looking for a/an

University assistant predoctoral/PhD Candidate

51 Faculty of Physics
Startdate: 15.11.2026 | Working hours: 30 | Collective bargaining agreement: §48 VwGr. B1 Grundstufe (praedoc)
Limited until: 14.11.2030
Reference no.: 6310

“How does a quantum object gravitate?”, “How far can we push massive objects into the quantum regime?”, “How well can we measure gravity of microscopic systems?”. Such questions and their implications for the foundations of physics are the driving force behind our research. You will be part of our team and develop new ideas, technologies and experiments to provide new insights on macroscopic quantum physics, on gravity at small scales and, in the long run, on the phenomenology of the gravity-quantum interface in table‑top experiments.

As a university assistant (praedoc) on this 4‑year position, you will be part of the Experimental Quantum Physics and Gravity Group, led by Prof. Markus Aspelmeyer, and you will be exploring fundamentals and applications of macroscopic quantum coherence in levitated solid‑state platforms.
Our team is part of the Quantum Science group of the Faculty of Physics.
We are a member of the Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology (VCQ), one of the largest quantum hubs in Europe, and of the Austrian Cluster of Excellence (quantA), advancing basic research in quantum sciences, aiming to expand the frontiers of knowledge and thus being the engine for future innovations. You will also benefit from being a fellow of the Vienna Doctoral School in Physics (VDSP), being part of a thriving community with more than 100 quantum scientists on site and about 300 quantum researchers in Vienna.
The main research activities of the Aspelmeyer group include quantum optical control of levitated solid‑state objects, the exploration of their quantum properties for fundamental questions and novel quantum technology platforms, as well as precision measurements of ultra‑weak gravitational forces. On the quantum side, we explore the extreme regime of motional quantum states of solids and their interactions to understand how to maximize mass, delocalization, and coherence time in quantum experiments. On the gravity side, we explore the extreme regime of gravitational phenomena of miniature source masses to understand how to isolate gravity from all other interactions on a microscopic scale. Our main motivation is to explore the interface between quantum physics and gravity with new experimental platforms.

You will actively participate in research, teaching & administration. This means:

• You are involved in a specific and well‑funded research project, here focused on exploring fundamentals and applications of quantum control in levitated solid‑state platforms.
• You will present your research plan to the faculty and complete a dissertation agreement within 12‑18 months. This will be reviewed and adapted on an annual basis.
• You will work on your dissertation and towards its completion in time. We expect a large degree of independence paired with a high level of social awareness as the goal will only be achieved in a team.
• You will contribute to teaching (lab courses, exercise classes) within the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement.
• You will fill some administrative tasks, contributing to the success and self‑organization of the group for research, teaching and administration.
• You will continuously stay informed about the state of the art in your field.
• You will contribute to outreach by publications, conference presentations and public activities.

This is part of your personality:

• You have completed your Master's degree or Diploma in physics and written your Master's thesis in the field of experimental quantum optics, AMO physics, quantum optomechanics, advanced optics or quantum control.
• You have experience in academic writing (highly desirable).
• You have a solid background in experimental quantum optics, opto‑mechanics and optical or diamagnetic levitation.
• You have experience with the usual tools for advanced experiments: homodyne and heterodyne detection, programming.
• You have an excellent command of written and spoken English.

Additional Information

What we offer:

• Inspiring working atmosphere: You are a part of an international academic team in a healthy and fair working environment.
• Good public transport connections: Your workplace in the center of beautiful Vienna is easily accessible by public transport.
• Potential for development: Success in life depends on what you make of it, but if you are ambitious and successful, there are plenty of opportunities to connect you to all relevant top research groups in the world.
• Internal further training & coaching: The Vienna Doctoral School as well as the Department of Human Resources offer plenty of opportunities to grow your skills in over 600 courses to choose from – free of charge.
• Fair salary: The basic salary of EUR 2,832.08 (30h p.w., 14x p.a.) increases if we can credit professional experience. The employment duration is 4 years. Initially limited to 1.5 years, the employment relationship is automatically extended to 4 years if the employer does not terminate it within the first 12 months by submitting a non‑extension declaration.
• Equal opportunities for everyone: We look forward to diverse personalities in the team!