Postdoctoral Research Associate in Physics

The Role

The successful candidate will contribute significantly to the interdisciplinary Leverhulme Trust Research Grant RPG-2024-071, “Modelling the Black Death and Social Connectivity in Medieval England” (www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/history/news/research-project-grant-modelling-the-black-death-and-social-connectivity-in-medieval-england).

They will have an excellent research record in modelling of complex physical or societal systems and the analysis of corresponding data. Within the project, they will be responsible for:

• Various aspects of the modelling, primarily the adaptation and extension of the existing epidemiological JUNE model (github.com/IDAS-Durham/JUNE) to the historical reality of 14^th century England,
• The formatting of historical geographic and demographic data for ingestion into the model,
• The analysis of model results with historical fatality data, and their visualisation suitable for peer-reviewed publications and wider engagement activities.

Working alongside Professor Frank Krauss in Physics, the successful candidate will work with colleagues in History, which include the project Principal Investigator, Dr Alex Brown, and a fellow PDRA, Dr Grace Owen, as well as colleagues in Archaeology, including Co-Investigators, Professors Christopher Gerrard and Rebecca Gowland, and a fellow PDRA, Dr Tudor Skinner.

Therefore, the successful candidate will have: a well-developed collaborative mindset and strong communication and interpersonal skills when interacting with a wide range of different research cultures and traditions and be able to work effectively with people at all levels of seniority and of different nationalities. Candidates must contribute to fostering a collegial environment, as well as demonstrating their commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. It is essential that the successful candidates have a PhD in Mathematics, P hysics, or a closely related field, and will have demonstrated strength in independent research appropriate to their experience.

Informal enquiries are welcome and should please be directed to Prof Frank Krauss,

Successful applicants will ideally be in post by September 2025.

Next Steps

Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in-person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the Department. The assessment for the post will normally include a presentation to staff and students in the Department followed by an interview and we anticipate that the assessments and interviews will take place over two days in or around the end of March 2025.

In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Job Applicants/Potential Job Applicants - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.

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