Postdoctoral Positions in Nuclear Theory

1000scholars; Los Alamos (NM); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Los Alamos National Laboratory's Theoretical Division invites applications for two-year postdoctoral positions in Nuclear Theory to begin in Fall 2027.

Candidates must hold a Ph.D. in nuclear theory or a closely related field by the start of the appointment.

Research spans effective theories, heavy-ion physics, quark-gluon plasma, beyond-Standard Model phenomenology, neutrino physics, nuclear astrophysics, and quantum many‑body systems; inquiries to Duff Neill or Ingo Tews.

Job description

Position Description

The T-2 group (Nuclear and Particle Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology) in the Theoretical Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory invites applications for two-year postdoctoral positions in Nuclear Theory to begin in Fall 2027. Candidates are expected to have a Ph.D. in nuclear theory or a closely related field by the beginning of the postdoctoral appointment (but no earlier than December 2021 per LANL policy).

We conduct research on a broad set of topics, including effective theories of strong and weak interactions, heavy-ion physics and physics of the quark-gluon plasma, low-energy phenomenology within and beyond the Standard Model, neutrino physics and astrophysics, nuclear astrophysics, nuclear structure, perturbative QCD, and quantum few- and many-body systems, and quantum computing. Candidates in all these areas are strongly encouraged to apply. Scientists in the group working in these areas include Joe Carlson, Stefano Gandolfi, Emanuele Mereghetti, Duff Neill, Ingo Tews, and Ivan Vitev. We collaborate actively with our colleagues in high-energy theory and applied nuclear theory in T-2 and have close ties with our colleagues in astrophysics, cosmology, condensed matter/quantum information and experimental physics.

LANL offers Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowships (Curie, Feynman, Hoffman, Oppenheimer) and Director’s funded postdoc positions through a lab-wide competitive selection process. Exceptionally well qualified candidates, that wish to be considered for these Postdoctoral Fellowships, must have all application materials submitted by Monday, October 5, 2026.

For eligibility and salary information, please see https://www.lanl.gov/careers/career-options/postdoctoral-research/index.php.

For further information please contact Duff Neill ([e-mail]) or Ingo Tews ([e-mail]).