Doctoral student in Mathematical General Relativity

We are looking for a Doctoral student at the division Analysis and Probability Theory within the Department of Mathematical Sciences. The research project is in mathematical general relativity, with Thomas Bäckdahl as supervisor.  About us  The Department of Mathematical Sciences as the Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg has about 200 employees and is the largest department of mathematics in Sweden. We have an international environment with frequent exchanges with other universities around the world. We provide a friendly, creative and supportive atmosphere with a steady flow of international guests. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all our activities. We work actively to be a parent-friendly organization. About the research project   In this Doctoral project, you will study the mathematics of general relativity. This includes investigations of quasi-linear PDE systems in strongly curved geometries. Of particular interest are problems related to black holes, their stability, uniqueness, decay of fields around them, details about their geometry etc. This is a highly active field with research groups around the world. In this project, you will learn to combine modern analysis techniques like Morawetz estimates with Penrose's Nobel prize winning geometrical insights and formalisms, intricate symmetry operators, spinor techniques and powerful computer algebra tools to efficiently study these problems. A particularly useful technique is to study how different kinds of symmetries can characterize a spacetime and give a manifestly coordinate independent way to measure metric perturbations. The symmetries also yield powerful analysis tools. The nature of the tools also allows broad applicability to other PDE problems. The research project is funded by the Swedish Research Council and will be supervised by Associate Professor Thomas Bäckdahl. Who we are looking for The following requirements are mandatory: • Applicants must have a strong background and interest in mathematics, as evidenced by excellent course grades and undergraduate thesis work. • By the time the employment starts, you must have a Master's degree (masterexamen) of 120 credits or a Master’s degree (magisterexamen) of 60 credits* in mathematics or a related field • You will need strong written and verbal communication skills in English *for students with an education earned outside of Sweden, a 4-year Bachelor’s degree is accepted. Applications will be assessed by a local recruitment committee at Mathematical Sciences. What you will do • Take courses at an advanced level within the Graduate school of Xxxxx (länk till specifik graduate school Graduate schools | Chalmers )  • Develop your own scientific concepts and communicate the results of your research verbally and in writing  • You will be part of an international research environment while you expand your knowledge of the field and write your thesis. This gives opportunities for many inspiring conversations, a lot of autonomous work and some travel.  • In addition, the position will normally include 20% departmental work, mostly teaching duties. Contract terms   • The Doctoral student positions are fully funded from start.  • The position is a fixed-term appointment of four years, with the possibility to teach up to 20%, which extends the position up to five years.  • A starting salary of 34,550 SEK per month (valid from May 25, 2025).  • Doctoral studies require physical presence throughout the entire study period. A valid residence permit must be presented by the study start date; otherwise the admission may be withdrawn.  What we offer  • As a Doctoral student at Chalmers, you are an employee and enjoy all employee benefits. Read more about  working at Chalmers  and our benefits for employees.  • A dynamic and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg.  • Read more about Sweden’s generous parental leave, subsidized day care, free schools, healthcare etc at Move To Gothenburg.  Chalmers is dedicated to improving gender balance and actively works with equality projects, such as the GENIE Initiative for gender equality and excellence. We celebrate diversity and consider equality and inclusion as fundamental aspects of all our activities.  If Swedish is not your native language, Chalmers offers Swedish courses to help you settle in. Find more general information about doctoral studies at Chalmers here.   Application procedure  The application should be written in English and attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.  CV  Personal letter  • A brief introduction about yourself.  • A brief motivation as to why you are interested in this position.  Bachelor’s and, if available, master’s thesis together with the transcripts.  Contact information for two reference persons (name, phone number, email address, relation). Use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form.   Please note: The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete. Incomplete applications and applications sent by email will not be considered. Note that you do not need an acceptance letter from the supervisor. TOEFL/IELTS is NOT a requirement, and the English proficiency is typically documented by a master's thesis or other reports written in English. We welcome your application no later than 23 February 2026  For questions, please contact:   Anders Södergren, director of PhD studies in mathematics,  andesod@chalmers.se Jakob Björnberg, head of unit, Analysis and Probability,  jakobbj@chalmers.se Thomas Bäckdahl, associate professor, Analysis and Probability,  thomas.backdahl@chalmers.se We look forward to your application!  *** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. ***