Lecturer/Reader in Mathematical Aspects of Plasmas
The University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh,
Scotland,
United Kingdom
Education
Research and Science
Skilled Worker
Job posted on November 14, 2025
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Job Description:
Job Description
Grade UE08 (£50,253-£61,759) or UE09 (£63,606-£78,469)
College of Science & Engineering, School of Mathematics, Centre for Plasma Theory
Open ended contract, 35 hours per week
Number of positions: 1
Applications are invited for an academic staff position at the Centre for Plasma Theory (CPT), in the University of Edinburgh School of Mathematics. This position forms part of a strategic initiative to expand CPT.
Candidates are also encouraged to apply for the Lecturer/Reader that is being advertised through The School of Physics and Astronomy.
The Opportunity
The Centre for Plasma Theory, established in 2025, is a collaborative research institution that brings together researchers from the Schools of Mathematics, and Physics & Astronomy, with interests in theoretical aspects of plasma physics including both kinetic and fluid theory and simulation. We aim to be a vibrant, successful and interactive research centre that generates and exploits new ideas and discoveries in the field of theoretical plasmas. We aim to be a national centre for plasma theory with applications in both fusion and astrophysical plasmas, embedded in a wider UK network.
With this new appointment, we aim to bring an outstanding theoretician to the Centre. We seek a highly creative researcher pursuing an original, ambitious research programme in mathematical aspects of plasmas and an inspiring teacher.
CPT and the School of Mathematics are committed to promoting diversity in plasma theory and we specially encourage application from women and applicants from other under-represented groups.
The appointment will be at either Lecturer (UE08) or Reader (UE09) level, depending on experience.
Your Skills And Attributes For Success
Click to view a copy of the full job descriptions:
Lecturer
Reader
As a valued member of our team you can expect:
An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work. CPT nurtures excellence and encourages a broad perspective and the free exchange of ideas. You will enjoy a collaborative atmosphere and a thriving research environment.
You will benefit from a competitive reward package and a wide range of staff benefits, which includes a generous holiday entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, flexible working and much more. Click to access our staff benefits page (opens new browser tab) for further information and use our reward calculator to find out the total value of pay and benefits provided.
The University of Edinburgh holds an Athena Swan Silver status in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.
If invited for interview you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab).
The University is able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. If successful, an international applicant requiring sponsorship to work in the UK will need to satisfy the UK Home Office’s English Language requirements and apply for and secure a Skilled Worker Visa.
The closing date for applications is 12 December 2025.
Interviews are expected to be in mid February 2026
About Us
As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.
About The Team
The School of Mathematics
The University of Edinburgh's School of Mathematics is one of the world’s leading mathematical sciences departments, home to world-class researchers and to an innovative educational environment for both undergraduates and postgraduates. We are proud to have a highly international faculty and students from around the world. As a School we value both the breadth and depth of our research and teaching.
We have around 110 permanent faculty and around 45 research fellows and research associates, who cover a broad range of research topics in pure and applied mathematics, operational research and statistics. The School has an enviable record of attracting prestigious fellowships and currently hosts, for instance, 6 ERC grant holders and 7 Royal Society University Research and Dorothy Hodgkin Fellows. In the 2023 Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects we are ranked 18 th among the world’s best Mathematics departments. Together with the Departments of Mathematics and Actuarial Mathematics & Statistics at Heriot-Watt University, we form the Maxwell Institute; our joint submission to REF2021was ranked 3rd in the UK for Mathematical Sciences by research power, based on the quality and breadth of our combined research.
The School delivers a world-leading educational experience for its students and is constantly exploring new evidence-based ideas in mathematical education in order to provide a stimulating learning environment. There are excellent possibilities for imaginative curriculum development, including online activities, and course design and delivery. The School teaches pure and applied Mathematics, operational research and statistics. We have approximately 1000 undergraduate students, around 210 MSc students, and our Graduate School has close to 160 PhD students.
Edinburgh is home to the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences, one of the UK’s two major conference centres in the mathematical sciences and operated jointly by the University with Heriot-Watt University. Over the past 30 years the centre has established a superb reputation for hosting workshops at the highest scientific level on all mathematical topics, attracting many of the best mathematicians in the world to the UK.
The School is located in the James Clerk Maxwell Building which is situated on the King's Buildings campus, approximately 3 kilometres south of the city centre.
Further information about the School, our research and our teaching is available on the School of Mathematics Website ( https://www.maths.ed.ac.uk ) (Opens in new browser tab)
APPLY NOW
Grade UE08 (£50,253-£61,759) or UE09 (£63,606-£78,469)
College of Science & Engineering, School of Mathematics, Centre for Plasma Theory
Open ended contract, 35 hours per week
Number of positions: 1
Applications are invited for an academic staff position at the Centre for Plasma Theory (CPT), in the University of Edinburgh School of Mathematics. This position forms part of a strategic initiative to expand CPT.
Candidates are also encouraged to apply for the Lecturer/Reader that is being advertised through The School of Physics and Astronomy.
The Opportunity
The Centre for Plasma Theory, established in 2025, is a collaborative research institution that brings together researchers from the Schools of Mathematics, and Physics & Astronomy, with interests in theoretical aspects of plasma physics including both kinetic and fluid theory and simulation. We aim to be a vibrant, successful and interactive research centre that generates and exploits new ideas and discoveries in the field of theoretical plasmas. We aim to be a national centre for plasma theory with applications in both fusion and astrophysical plasmas, embedded in a wider UK network.
With this new appointment, we aim to bring an outstanding theoretician to the Centre. We seek a highly creative researcher pursuing an original, ambitious research programme in mathematical aspects of plasmas and an inspiring teacher.
CPT and the School of Mathematics are committed to promoting diversity in plasma theory and we specially encourage application from women and applicants from other under-represented groups.
The appointment will be at either Lecturer (UE08) or Reader (UE09) level, depending on experience.
Your Skills And Attributes For Success
- PhD and significant further research experience in theoretical plasmas.
- Capacity to develop academic leadership
- Significant, and growing, international recognition
- Good understanding of the wider discipline
- Ability to develop research proposals and win support for them
- Ability and commitment to work with research students and postdoctoral researchers
- Commitment to excellent teaching of undergraduate and post-graduate courses
- Excellent communication, presentation and organisational skills
Click to view a copy of the full job descriptions:
Lecturer
Reader
As a valued member of our team you can expect:
An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work. CPT nurtures excellence and encourages a broad perspective and the free exchange of ideas. You will enjoy a collaborative atmosphere and a thriving research environment.
You will benefit from a competitive reward package and a wide range of staff benefits, which includes a generous holiday entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, flexible working and much more. Click to access our staff benefits page (opens new browser tab) for further information and use our reward calculator to find out the total value of pay and benefits provided.
The University of Edinburgh holds an Athena Swan Silver status in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.
If invited for interview you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab).
The University is able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. If successful, an international applicant requiring sponsorship to work in the UK will need to satisfy the UK Home Office’s English Language requirements and apply for and secure a Skilled Worker Visa.
The closing date for applications is 12 December 2025.
Interviews are expected to be in mid February 2026
About Us
As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.
About The Team
The School of Mathematics
The University of Edinburgh's School of Mathematics is one of the world’s leading mathematical sciences departments, home to world-class researchers and to an innovative educational environment for both undergraduates and postgraduates. We are proud to have a highly international faculty and students from around the world. As a School we value both the breadth and depth of our research and teaching.
We have around 110 permanent faculty and around 45 research fellows and research associates, who cover a broad range of research topics in pure and applied mathematics, operational research and statistics. The School has an enviable record of attracting prestigious fellowships and currently hosts, for instance, 6 ERC grant holders and 7 Royal Society University Research and Dorothy Hodgkin Fellows. In the 2023 Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects we are ranked 18 th among the world’s best Mathematics departments. Together with the Departments of Mathematics and Actuarial Mathematics & Statistics at Heriot-Watt University, we form the Maxwell Institute; our joint submission to REF2021was ranked 3rd in the UK for Mathematical Sciences by research power, based on the quality and breadth of our combined research.
The School delivers a world-leading educational experience for its students and is constantly exploring new evidence-based ideas in mathematical education in order to provide a stimulating learning environment. There are excellent possibilities for imaginative curriculum development, including online activities, and course design and delivery. The School teaches pure and applied Mathematics, operational research and statistics. We have approximately 1000 undergraduate students, around 210 MSc students, and our Graduate School has close to 160 PhD students.
Edinburgh is home to the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences, one of the UK’s two major conference centres in the mathematical sciences and operated jointly by the University with Heriot-Watt University. Over the past 30 years the centre has established a superb reputation for hosting workshops at the highest scientific level on all mathematical topics, attracting many of the best mathematicians in the world to the UK.
The School is located in the James Clerk Maxwell Building which is situated on the King's Buildings campus, approximately 3 kilometres south of the city centre.
Further information about the School, our research and our teaching is available on the School of Mathematics Website ( https://www.maths.ed.ac.uk ) (Opens in new browser tab)