Postdoctoral Research Associate in the History of Mathematics
The University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh,
United Kingdom
Research and Science
Skilled Worker
Job posted on May 7, 2025
APPLY NOW
Job Description:
Job Description
Grade UE07: £40,497 - £48,149 per annum, pro rata if part time
CSE, School of Mathematics
Full Time: 35 hours per week
Fixed term for 24 months, which could be extended for up to one more year
The Opportunity
Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position in the history of mathematics, within the School of Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh. The post is available from 1st September 2025, for 24 months, with a possible extension of at most one year. The starting date can be negotiated. It is a fixed-term, full-time contract. The position is attached to the project “Rethinking the history and the historiography of mathematical symbolism,” which is supported by the British Academy’s Global Professorship held by Karine Chemla (Programme 2023, Award reference: GP23\100312). The project is described here , and the applicant is expected to contribute to at least one of the themes on which the project will focus in the next three years.
The History of mathematics group at the School of Mathematics of The University of Edinburgh currently consists of Karine Chemla. The project is developed in relation with other partners at The University of Edinburgh (Michael Barany, Richard Oosterhoff), and, at the international level, with researchers such as Agathe Keller, Taro Tokutake (SPHERE, CNRS—University Paris Cité), Toni Malet (Institut d'Història de la Ciència, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) and Zhou Xiaohan (Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, Beijing), and we will develop further cooperations. In addition to working in collaboration with the grant-holder (Chemla), successful candidates will be encouraged to develop and pursue their own research, as described in the project for which they will have been offered the position. These positions also come with travel and research budgets.
Scholars of all nationalities are welcome to apply.
The post is full-time (35 hours per week); however, we are open to considering part-time or flexible working patterns. We are also open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working.
Your Skills And Attributes For Success
Click to view a copy of the full job description (opens new browser tab)
Application Information
Please submit
As a valued member of our team you can expect:
Championing Equality, Diversity And Inclusion
The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award 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.
Prior to any employment commencing with the University 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.
Please note if the role is offered on a part-time basis, it may result in sponsorship being dependant on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant or the role no longer meeting the Home Office’s criteria for sponsorship.
Key Dates To Note
The closing date for applications is 18 June 2025.
Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.
Interviews will be held from 10 July 2025 onwards.
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 UE07: £40,497 - £48,149 per annum, pro rata if part time
CSE, School of Mathematics
Full Time: 35 hours per week
Fixed term for 24 months, which could be extended for up to one more year
The Opportunity
Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position in the history of mathematics, within the School of Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh. The post is available from 1st September 2025, for 24 months, with a possible extension of at most one year. The starting date can be negotiated. It is a fixed-term, full-time contract. The position is attached to the project “Rethinking the history and the historiography of mathematical symbolism,” which is supported by the British Academy’s Global Professorship held by Karine Chemla (Programme 2023, Award reference: GP23\100312). The project is described here , and the applicant is expected to contribute to at least one of the themes on which the project will focus in the next three years.
The History of mathematics group at the School of Mathematics of The University of Edinburgh currently consists of Karine Chemla. The project is developed in relation with other partners at The University of Edinburgh (Michael Barany, Richard Oosterhoff), and, at the international level, with researchers such as Agathe Keller, Taro Tokutake (SPHERE, CNRS—University Paris Cité), Toni Malet (Institut d'Història de la Ciència, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) and Zhou Xiaohan (Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, Beijing), and we will develop further cooperations. In addition to working in collaboration with the grant-holder (Chemla), successful candidates will be encouraged to develop and pursue their own research, as described in the project for which they will have been offered the position. These positions also come with travel and research budgets.
Scholars of all nationalities are welcome to apply.
The post is full-time (35 hours per week); however, we are open to considering part-time or flexible working patterns. We are also open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working.
Your Skills And Attributes For Success
- An excellent research project
- A PhD or equivalent in history, history of science, mathematics, or any discipline relevant for their project, obtained prior to the start date of the position.
- A track record of research excellence, particularly in the subfields of the history of science related to the project.
Click to view a copy of the full job description (opens new browser tab)
Application Information
Please submit
- A cover letter stating your motivation for this position;
- An outline (2 pages maximum) of the research project you intend to develop, which will show clearly its relevance for “Rethinking the history of mathematical symbolism”;
- A full CV, including a list of publications where appropriate;
- one or more recent samples of academic writings (PhD thesis or other relevant writings, published or not);
- A copy of the most recent diploma;
- A transcript of the PhD thesis defence
- In addition to this, please arrange for at least two letters of reference to be sent to references@maths.ed.ac.uk
As a valued member of our team you can expect:
- A competitive salary
- An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
- To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community
- Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits
Championing Equality, Diversity And Inclusion
The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award 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.
Prior to any employment commencing with the University 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.
Please note if the role is offered on a part-time basis, it may result in sponsorship being dependant on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant or the role no longer meeting the Home Office’s criteria for sponsorship.
Key Dates To Note
The closing date for applications is 18 June 2025.
Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.
Interviews will be held from 10 July 2025 onwards.
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)