Four postdoc positions in particle theory and cosmology

Organisation/Company Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) Department IRMP - Institut de recherche en Mathématique et Physique Research Field Physics » Other Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Positions Postdoc Positions Country Belgium Final date to receive applications 5 Jan 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Brussels) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

The theory group at UCLouvain is inviting applications for two 2+1-year postdoctoral positions starting in the fall of 2026, with focus on the following profiles:

Particle phenomenology
: effective field theories, their collider phenomenology, precise predictions, and on-shell amplitude techniques, primarily supervised by Céline Degrande and Gauthier Durieux.

Particle cosmology
, broadly defined, primarily associated with the team of Marco Drewes. Current research activities include:

• nonequilibrium quantum field theory, thermal quantum field theory
• applications in cosmology and astroparticle physics (cosmic inflation and reheating, neutrino decoupling, leptogenesis, dark matter production, …)
• phenomenology of cosmologically motivated extensions of the Standard Model (collider and non-collider experiments)

We kindly ask candidates to indicate the alignment of their interest and expertise with one or several of these topics.

Candidates should have obtained their PhD degree no longer than six years before the start of the appointment.

To apply, please submit, preferably in a single PDF file:

The UCLouvain theory group comprises 7 staff members at the two centres CP3 and CURL (Chiara Arina, Céline Degrande, Marco Drewes, Gauthier Durieux, Fabio Maltoni, Olivier Mattelaer, Christophe Ringeval). Research activities in include SM and BSM aspects of collider physics (LHC and future colliders, simulation tools, machine learning, effective field theories, amplitude techniques) as well as early universe cosmology (cosmic inflation, reheating, neutrinos, baryogenesis, dark matter, cosmic defects, CMB, large scale structures, gravitational waves cosmology, data analysis for current and future cosmological observations).

Currently, 9 postdocs and 14 PhD candidates push these research directions forward.

Theorists at UCLouvain have strong ties with local experimentalists, from the CMS, NA62, Ice Cube, KM3

Net, Virgo, and E-TEST collaborations. In total, the centre hosts 19 permanent staff members, 20 postdocs and 41 PhD candidates. UCLouvain is located in Louvain-la-Neuve, about 25 km south of Brussels in Belgium, at the heart of Europe.

The group also welcomes expressions of interest for postdoctoral fellowships with deadlines outside of the standard postdoc application season:

• at the European level, through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (with expected deadline in September 2026, results in February 2027, and earliest possible starting date in April 2027, here )
• at the national level, through the FNRS "Postdoctoral researcher - CR" programme (with deadline on 20 January 2026, results in June 2026, and starting date in October 2026, here )
• at the university level, through the FSR Postdoctoral Fellowships programme (with expected deadline in October 2026, results and earliest starting date in March 2026, here )

We encourage applications from underrepresented groups, are committed to diversity and equal opportunity, focusing on scientific excellence.