theoretical physics phd in europe

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PhD programme

A PhD degree in Theoretical Physics enables outstanding students to pursue fundamental research at the forefront of theoretical physics. The  research interests are diverse but possible topics include string theory, M-theory, quantum gravity, foundations of quantum theory, thermal field theory, cosmology and particle physics.

There are about 20 PhD students in theoretical physics at any one time, including both UK and non-UK citizens. Competition for places is intense, so successful candidates require outstanding academic records and/or must demonstrate excellence in other ways.

For some applicants, our MSc Course can provide a more appropriate route to PhD study, though it does not guarantee a PhD place.

General information about postgraduate study and student life at Imperial can be found in the online  postgraduate prospectus . International applicants may also want to look at the online guide for  international students .

More information

• Applications

Applications should be made online via the postgraduate applications system My Imperial .

The Theoretical Physics Group is part of the Universe Community. In the Proposed studies section of your application, under  Proposed stream/pathway choose Universe. In the Research Details section of your application, you are asked for your proposed research group. Please write Theory.

The form asks to provide a Proposed research topic and Proposed research supervisor.  Please note we do not expect you to know what you will be working on, you may suggest a general area and several possible supervisors you may be interested in.

The official application asks for a personal statement. This is an opportunity to talk about your research interests. We do not expect any kind of lengthy or detailed reasearch proposal, it is sufficient for you to describe what you find most interesting in physics and which area or areas you might like to do research in. This will help in terms of pairing you with a potential supervisor. Also, it is not necessary for you to contact a prospective supervisor directly, you can simply indicate potential names of supervisors you may interested in working with. Flexibility is encouraged. See also the information about staff members and their research interests on the Theory Group website.

The official Imperial application form allows applicants to specify only two different research fields or two different courses (e.g PhD and MSc). However, some applicants are interested in more than two research fields. If so, please indicate this in the supervisor field of the application form (and also in the personal statement). Administrators processing the form will then forward it appropriately. For example, many students applying to do a PhD in Theoretical Physics may also interested in Astrophysics, Climate, Particle Physics, Plasma, Space, Light or Matter.

We usually have a very large number of applicants for a small number of places (last year over 180 applicants for just 4 places). In the past successful applicants have generally had a  strong first class four-year degree from a UK institution in physics or applied mathematics (or an equivalent level from abroad). It is very unlikely that we will shortlist any applicants not close to this level of performance. It is also a significant advantage to have done an MSc course in theoretical physics or the Cambridge Part III but this is not a pre-requisite.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview before being accepted. This provides an opportunity to discuss possible supervisors and research projects. Due to the large number of applicants we do not interview all candidates.

Theoretical physics held an open day on Wednesday 27 November 2024 in Huxley Building, Room 311 from 2:30pm to 4:30pm. If you are planning to attend in person or online please register interest here .

This includes an overview talk about PhD applications and then have faculty and current students available to answer questions.

• Postgraduate open day

Our main funding for PhD students is from the UK research councils, STFC and EPSRC.

This coming year we expect to have 2 funded research council studentships, all of which will be awarded to the best eligible applicants. For Home  ( UK citizens , and  EU settled status) citizens these studentships pay both your fees and your living expenses. Overseas applicants (including other EU citizens) are eligible for research council funding however STFC rules restrict the number of studentships that can be offered to overseas students, and you are advised to look carefully at their funding situation before applying. We typically take several overseas students who have scholarships from their home country, or in some cases are self-funded.

Additional scholarships that both Home and Overseas students are eligible for are the Imperial Presidents scholarships . These are very limited in number and we can only put forward at most one student per round, these are therefore very competitive. Only students with an unusually strong academic profile are put forwards for them.

To apply for one of these scholarships, all you need to do initially is tick the box on the PhD application form to indicate interest but DO NOT attempt to secure provisional acceptence from a potential supervisor at that stage nor should you attempt to prepare a specific research proposal for these scholarships unless you have confirmation from the PhD admission lead that your application has been selected. (Note that these instructions may be contrary to those you receive from elsewhere in the college but you must follow the instructions given here).

Imperial scholarships have three deadlines throughout the year. The first one is very early in the year, usually in November, and has considerably fewer applicants than the later deadlines so there is some advantage in getting your application in early. A map of the Process for Imperial PhD Scholarships 2017-18 ‌‌ is available.

Note that for students currently doing an MSc course, if the College offers one of their scholarships it will be conditional on a distinction. The College are very strict about this - there is no negotiation if this condition is missed very narrowly.

Please indicate in the application whether you will be able to accept an offer from us if we are unable to provide funding. Read more about  fees and funding at Imperial .

The  postgraduate prospectus  also details certain funding that may be available depending on your country of origin. For example, US applicants are eligible to apply for Fulbright scholarships. Bear in mind that  different application deadlines and procedures may apply , as detailed in the prospectus.

Our application deadline is ***  1 February 2025 *** each year. Please ask your referees to submit their letters (via the college website) by this deadline, or shortly after. Note however that the first round of Presidents Scholarships is in November and to be considered for the first round you need to apply by 6th November (including references).

Applications after the 1 February 2025 deadline  may  be considered if we still have PhD positions to fill at that time.

For general enquires about postgraduate study in physics and the application procedure contact:

Ms Loli Sanchez The Physics Postgraduate Secretary Department of Physics, Imperial College London SW7 2AZ, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 7512 Fax: +44 (0)20 7594 7777 Email:  [email protected]

For enquiries directly related to study in the Theoretical Physics Group contact Professor Andrew J. Tolley  but please read this website carefully first since it addresses most common questions. Note also that due to the time required to process the very large number of applicants it may not be possible to answer all email queries in any detail.

Theoretical physics held an open day on Wednesday 27 November 2024 in  Huxley Building, Room 311 from 2:30pm to 4:30pm. If you are planning to attend in person or online please register interest here .

This includes an overview talk about MSc and PhD applications and then faculty and current students are available to answer questions.

Copies of PhD theses are available in Spiral, the College's open access repository.

• Physics theses in Spiral

• PhD student
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• PhD Programs
• IP Paris Doctoral School

PhD in Physics

Devoted to fundamental questions on the origin of matter, from elementary particles to the edge of the observable universe, theoretical and experimental physics of the two infinities is in strong interplay with plasma and laser physics, which allows in turn to explore the properties of matter in the most extreme conditions. Light and matter are also at the core of material sciences, nanosciences and nanotechnologies, which lead to the most important progresses in various field as electronics and communications, aerospace, energy and applications to biology and medicine.

The “physics” domain of IP Paris doctoral school reflects this variety by offering possibilities of PhD thesis work in theoretical or experimental fundamental physics, as well as in more applied fields based on the properties of light and matter, energy, or applications to biosciences.

• all physics domains (Optics, laser and plasma);
• Astrophysics
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Particle Physics;
• Quantum Physics

Theoretical Physics Center (CPHT)

Electronic structure of materials, quantum chromodynamics, mathematical physics, string theory, laser-plasma interaction, thermonuclear plasmas, astrophysical plasmas.

The Institut Photovoltaïque d’Île-de-France (IPVF)

Photovoltaic conversion; Photoelectron spectroscopy; perovskites; sputtering; Organometallic; chalcogenides

Leprince-Ringuet Laboratory for particle physics and astrophysics(LLR)

Elementary particles ; fundamental interactions ; astroparticles ; gamma-ray astronomy ; laser-plasma particle acceleration ; particle detectors          

Applied Optics Laboratory (LOA)

Femtosecond laser pulses, laser-matter interaction, secondary particle and radiation sources and applications, ultrafast dynamics in condensed matter.

Laboratory for Optics and Biosciences (LOB)

Microbiology, molecular biology, structural and functional dynamics of biomolecules, multiphoton microscopy, femtosecond spectroscopy, cell nano-imaging, super-resolution, morphogenesis, biomechanics

Plasma Physics Laboratory (LPP)

Magnetic fusion, ITER, space plasmas, low temperature plasmas, turbulence, space engineering

Intense Lasers Laboratory (LULI)

Plasma, high-energy-density physics, ultra-high-intensity physics, secondary particle and radiation sources and applications, laser, LULI2000, APOLLON

Physics of Interfaces (PICM)

Plasma processes, thin films, nanomaterials, photovoltaics, sensors, batteries, instrumentation, Muller polarimetry, biomedical imaging, Raman, Scanning probe microscopy

Condensed Matter Physics (PMC)

Semiconductors, spintronics, transport and spectroscopy, complex geometries, localization, transport, disorder, electrocatalysis, single entities, functional films, materials chemistry, nanoparticles, active devices

Partner laboratories

International  Laboratory  For  Astrophysics,  Neutrino  And  Cosmology Experiments (ILANCE)

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PhD in Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics

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This is a three to four-year research programme culminating in submission and examination of a thesis containing substantial original work. PhD students carry out their research under the guidance of a supervisor, and research projects are available from a wide range of subjects studied within the Department. Students admitted for a PhD will normally have completed preparatory study at a level comparable to the Cambridge Part III (MMath/MASt) course. A significant number of our PhD students secure post-doctoral positions at institutions around the world and become leading researchers in their fields.

Prerequisites

Many students in DAMTP are admitted after taking the Cambridge Part III (MMath/MASt) course and others will have completed a comparable Master-level course. Some may already have carried out a small-scale research project. All of our students, therefore, begin their PhD work with a good grasp of advanced material, on which they can build as their research progresses.

Research Areas

Research in DAMTP can be divided into the following broad areas: Applied and Computational Analysis, Astrophysics, Fluid Mechanics, Geophysics, Biophysics and Soft Matter, Mathematical Biology, Quantum Information, High Energy Physics, General Relativity and Cosmology, and Machine Learning (fundamentals and applications to healthcare). The boundaries between such areas are not rigid, however, and many members of staff will contribute to more than one area (this is regarded as a key factor in the continuing success of DAMTP). There are active seminar programmes across all subject areas, attendance at which is an important part of PhD student training.

PhD Supervision

Each PhD student in DAMTP has a supervisor who is responsible for guiding their research and monitoring their progress. Each student is admitted to work within a particular subject area, and often with a specific supervisor. Some students will work in close collaboration with their supervisor, or as part of a larger research group, while others may work more independently (with their supervisor's approval). Collaborative projects may involve other researchers or groups outside Cambridge, in the UK or worldwide.

Progress during the course

Students in DAMTP are admitted on a probationary basis in the first instance and are assessed for registration after roughly one year of work. A review of progress starts before the end of the third term of research when students are asked to submit a short report.  A more detailed appraisal and interview are conducted during the fourth term of their research.  For the fourth term assessment, two assessors are assigned to consider the academic progress of each student, including a record of their attendance at seminars and other related activities. Progress continues to be monitored throughout their PhD through regular online supervision reports.

Students are encouraged to give talks and seminars within the department, and to present their findings at conferences or meetings, once the time is right. We regard it as particularly important that our students submit their work for publication in leading journals, as well as to web-based archives, and many will already have several papers in circulation when they come to write their thesis. Additional support and advice for students is available at any stage of their PhD through a system of designated departmental advisors, as well as from members of the DAMTP Postgraduate Education Committee.

Working Environment

DAMTP is part of the Centre for Mathematical Sciences or CMS. The site is shared with the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics and also with the Isaac Newton Institute and the Betty and Gordon Moore Library (the main university mathematical science library). CMS provides a modern, comfortable and well-equipped working environment for PhD students, facilitating day-to-day contact with academic staff and other students.

Additional training and opportunities

All students in DAMTP can benefit from a wide variety of additional courses and training opportunities.  In addition to the wide range of lectures and seminars on offer in DAMTP and CMS, the Department actively promotes and encourages researcher development and transferable skills training (e.g. sessions on improving communication skills, organisational and leadership skills, presenting work at seminars or conferences, and applying for postdoctoral positions). Some of these workshops are coordinated with the centrally-run Researcher Development Programme which is open to all students of the University; others are run by the Faculty of Mathematics.

There is no requirement for PhD students to teach but there are plenty of opportunities to do so, such as offering problem-solving classes (college supervisions) for small groups of undergraduate students or offering help with running examples classes for Part III students.

Please note: part-time study may not always be viable and will be considered on a case-by-case basis, so please discuss this option with your proposed supervisor before making an application for this mode of study.

The Postgraduate Virtual Open Day usually takes place at the beginning of November. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions to admissions staff and academics, explore the Colleges virtually, and to find out more about courses, the application process and funding opportunities. Visit the  Postgraduate Open Day  page for more details.

See further the  Postgraduate Admissions Events  pages for other events relating to Postgraduate study, including study fairs, visits and international events.

Departments

This course is advertised in the following departments:

• Faculty of Mathematics
• Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics

Key Information

3-4 years full-time, 4-7 years part-time, study mode : research, doctor of philosophy, department of applied mathematics and theoretical physics this course is advertised in multiple departments. please see the overview tab for more details., course - related enquiries, application - related enquiries, course on department website, dates and deadlines:, lent 2025 (closed).

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Easter 2025

Michaelmas 2025, easter 2026, funding deadlines.

These deadlines apply to applications for courses starting in Michaelmas 2025, Lent 2026 and Easter 2026.

Similar Courses

• Mathematics MPhil
• Mathematics (Pure Mathematics) MASt
• Mathematics (Applied Mathematics) MASt
• Mathematics (Theoretical Physics) MASt
• Mathematics (Mathematical Statistics) MASt

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• Spotlight on...

Best Universities for Theoretical Physics in the World

Updated: February 29, 2024

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Below is a list of best universities in the World ranked based on their research performance in Theoretical Physics. A graph of 31M citations received by 1.19M academic papers made by 2,119 universities in the World was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. Princeton University

For Theoretical Physics

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

3. University of Cambridge

4. Stanford University

5. Harvard University

6. University of California - Santa Barbara

7. University of Tokyo

8. University of California - Berkeley

9. California Institute of Technology

10. Kyoto University

11. University of Oxford

12. University of Chicago

13. University of Maryland - College Park

14. Imperial College London

15. University of Texas at Austin

16. Rutgers University - New Brunswick

17. Pierre and Marie Curie University

18. Cornell University

19. Stony Brook University

20. University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

21. University of Pennsylvania

22. University of British Columbia

23. Moscow State University

24. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

25. Pennsylvania State University

26. International School for Advanced Studies

27. University of Washington - Seattle

28. New York University

29. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

30. University of California - Los Angeles

31. Columbia University

32. Heidelberg University - Germany

33. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

34. Tel Aviv University

35. Yale University

36. Sapienza University of Rome

37. University of Waterloo

38. University of Toronto

39. Durham University

40. University of Vienna

41. Technion - Israel Institute of Technology

42. Queen Mary University of London

43. Paris-Sud University

44. University of California-San Diego

45. University of Geneva

46. University of Manchester

47. Technical University of Munich

48. Polytechnic School

49. Weizmann Institute of Science

50. Texas A&M University - College Station

51. University of Wisconsin - Madison

52. Ohio State University

53. University of Munich

54. Autonomous University of Madrid

55. Boston University

56. Utrecht University

57. King's College London

58. Osaka University

59. University of Hamburg

60. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

61. McGill University

62. University of Warsaw

63. Nagoya University

64. Tsinghua University

65. National Autonomous University of Mexico

66. University of Florida

67. Free University of Brussels

68. University of Amsterdam

69. University of California - Davis

70. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

71. Humboldt University of Berlin

72. University of Bonn

73. Brown University

74. University of Sao Paulo

75. Australian National University

76. Peking University

77. Providence College

78. University of Barcelona

79. University of Arizona

80. University of Colorado Boulder

81. Hebrew University of Jerusalem

82. University of Science and Technology of China

83. Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

84. University of Southern California

85. Catholic University of Leuven

86. University of Montreal

87. University of California - Irvine

88. University of Helsinki

89. University of Alberta

90. University of Pisa

91. University of Sussex

92. Johns Hopkins University

93. Syracuse University

94. University of Trieste

95. University of Valencia

96. University of Lisbon

97. Carnegie Mellon University

98. Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne

99. Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main

100. University of Copenhagen

Physics subfields in the World

PhD in Theoretical Physics

A PhD is the highest academic qualification in the Netherlands. It generally involves four years of original research on a specific topic. Students who have a Master's degree can apply for a position, and are selected on the quality of their (educational) background.

The programme

A regular PhD programme takes 4 years of independent research, supervised by a professor. The programme is concluded by a thesis (dissertation) and/or a series of articles in scientific journals. As PhD student you get the opportunity to contribute to the development of deep knowledge in your subject. 

There are several ways to obtain a PhD. Most PhD candidates in the Netherlands are not students but employees of the university. The primary criterion for admission to a PhD programme is the quality of the candidate. 

Candidates can obtain a PhD:

• As an employee of the UvA. Job vacancies at the Institute of Physics can be found on this page .
• On a scholarship, for example from a foreign government, an international organisation or a Dutch fund.

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Institute for Theoretical Physics

Phd programme.

Research at the Institute for Theoretical Physics (ITP) at Utrecht University covers high-energy physics (elementary particles, quantum gravity, string theory), cosmology (early universe, cosmic microwave background, inflation, gravitational waves), quantum matter  (superconductivity, spintronics, Bose-Einstein condensation, quantum Hall effect, quantum computing), and soft matter and biophysics (colloidal self-assembly, iontronics, cell motility, stochastic population dynamics).

The institute offers students with an MSc degree the opportunity to enter a four-year’s PhD program in theoretical physics. Apart from their research project PhD students are required to take a number of courses, almost always in the context of the Dutch Research School for Theoretical Physics . They also act as teaching assistants for about ten percent of their working time (usually some form of tutoring in the MSc and BSc physics courses).

Note that PhD students in the Netherlands in most cases are employed with a salary rather than a stipend, see Obtaining a PhD Position.  Openings for PhD positions in the ITP can be found under Vacancies.

Utrecht University Heidelberglaan 8 3584 CS Utrecht The Netherlands Tel. +31 (0)30 253 35 50

Dutch Research School of Theoretical Physics

DUTCH RESEARCH SCHOOL OF THEORETICAL PHYSICS (DRSTP)

Theoretical physics aims to describe our physical reality by mathematics. The strength of this research area is in part based on the unity of methods employed for a wide range of applications, ranging from the largest scales of the universe to its smallest. This unity manifests itself both in scientific research and in academic education. The Dutch Research School of Theoretical Physics (DRSTP) was established in 1993 to structure and coordinate the graduate education in theoretical physics. The school is a cooperation between the theoretical physics groups of six Dutch universities: University of Amsterdam (UvA), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VUA), University of Groningen (RUG), Leiden University (UL), Radboud University Nijmegen (RU), Utrecht University (UU) (commissioner) and of the National Institute for Subatomic Physics (Nikhef). In addition, there are several associate members.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Dutch Research School of Theoretical Physics (DRSTP) is a cooperation between the theoretical physics groups of six Dutch universities and of the National Institute for Subatomic Physics (Nikhef) with the following purpose:

• to implement a joint program of graduate education in theoretical physics that draws upon a dynamic research environment;
• to maintain and strengthen research in theoretical physics from a broad unifying perspective that exploits the interrelationships between different fields of theory;
• to strengthen, both in research and graduate education, connections with experimental physics, and other disciplines such as mathematics, computational science, astrophysics, earth science, physical chemistry and the life sciences.

The DRSTP is based on the conviction that a joint venture of all the moderately sized local theory groups, each with its own profile, offers added value for the achievement of these objectives. The DRSTP represents a sizable part of the national activity in theoretical physics, a field that has a strong tradition in the Netherlands. At present there exists no other organization that represents this field of research at the national level. The DRSTP welcomes further growth, for instance, by cooperation with institutions in neighbouring countries that share these goals. Often its educational activities already attract students from neighbouring countries and occasionally some of these activities are based on a close collaboration with partners abroad.

The Governing Board of the DRSTP, which consists of representatives of the partners, is responsible for undertaking any suitable initiative to further its goals. The Scientific Director of the DRSTP is responsible for implementing the overall policy on behalf of the Board and for coordinating the DRSTP activities. The mandate to carry out these tasks is based on an official agreement between the Boards of the participating partners. The agreement guarantees means for a six year period in terms of explicit staff commitments as well as graduate student positions. The DRSTP is assisted in its endeavor by an international Scientific Advisory Committee of distinguished scientists.

Theoretical physics is based on universal principles. New concepts often have a much wider validity than in the field in which they are discovered, and methods developed in one field are sometimes very useful in another. Hence theoretical physics is characterized by unity in diversity. The research fields of the DRSTP are highly diverse, ranging from the physics at the very smallest length scales to the large scale structure of space and time, and from the study of building blocks of matter to the intricacies of the many-body physics of condensed matter, be it quantum matter, soft matter or bio-matter. The methods employed in these various fields make up the universal language of theoretical physics: formalisms such as the renormalization group and quantum field theory, and various concepts of statistical, computational and mathematical physics are universally applied and establish cross-talk among the research fields.

The research areas covered by the DRSTP can be grouped into the following broad and overlapping themes:

• Theme 1: Particle physics, cosmology, quantum gravity and string theory
• Theme 2: Quantum matter, quantum information, soft condensed matter and biophysics

The specific content of the research program depends on the responsible project leaders, on their creativity as well as their initiative to obtain research funding from their home universities, the Dutch research councils of NWO, or from international sources such as European Union programs. The research program is carried out under the responsibility of the Governing Board and the scientific director in accordance with the agreement. The Governing Board of the DRSTP safeguards the objectives of the Research School. It monitors the overall coherence and quality of the research program. The Board discusses periodically whether the program remains on the forefront of international developments. The Scientific Advisory Committee plays an essential role in these matters. The DRSTP is also accountable to the faculties of the participating partners. Therefore it reports regularly on past and planned activities, both in research and graduate education, on the basis of information presented in its yearly reports.

Graduate program

The partners in the DRSTP offer a joint program of graduate education leading to a PhD. As part of the research training, under the supervision of a member scientist of the corresponding node, the Research School guarantees a wide range of educational opportunities for its PhD students. They consist of advanced courses, seminars and topical courses in the Netherlands, and international experience in the form of workshops, summer schools or extended research visits abroad. The Governing Board of the DRSTP decides on admission and monitors the evaluation of progress with a prognosis of ultimate success after the first year. This takes place on the basis of an “agreement of education and guidance” between each individual PhD student and its supervisor(s), to be submitted to and approved by the Board upon admittance. The Educational Board advises the Governing Board. It also assembles the content of the yearly program of regular activities. Standard advanced courses are published in a nationwide survey. Special PhD courses are offered within the DRSTP, in quantum field theory, statistical physics and in theoretical condensed matter physics, or result from joint efforts with other research schools. The input of graduate students in the Research School takes place in the form of a PhD Student Council that meets regularly with the Scientific Director and the Chairman of the Governing Board and the Educational Board (which also has one student member). Individual members of the DRSTP play a pivotal role in helping to organize many summer schools and workshops, in the Netherlands as well as abroad, and in serving as teachers in all the activities that the DRSTP undertakes by itself or in cooperation with others.

Other responsibilities

The responsibilities of the DRSTP include:

• the promotion of a stimulating research environment in theoretical physics;
• setting uniform standards of quality;
• making educational supplements available tailored to individual research needs.

The Board also develops a wide range of activities in order to support an exciting research climate from fund-raising, e.g. for postdoctoral fellows, guest teachers or international mobility of DRSTP students, to the selection of visiting professors, for example on the Kramers (UU), Lorentz (UL) or Van der Waals (UvA) Chairs.

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Institute for Theoretical Physics

Doctoral studies are carried out in individual research groups, combining original research with specialised doctorate courses and teaching activities.

Prospective Students

The institute is constantly looking for prospective PhD students. Generally, interested persons should get in touch with one of the  research groups of the institute. More information about doctoral studies in physics at ETH Zurich can be found at the  Department of Physics and at the Doctoral Administration of the ETH Academic Services.

Online Applications

The institute hosts an online application system at http://jobs.itp.phys.ethz.ch/phd/ . It lists the participanting groups, their present search status as well as particular openings for PhD positions.  

Typically, candidates should supply a curriculum vitae and information on their previous study. Furthermore, two established scientists should send in reference letters in support of the application. The application material should be uploaded to the website. The applications received will be reviewed periodically (as a rule of thumb, 4 times per year).