statistical physics phd positions

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PhD in Physics, Statistics, and Data Science

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Many PhD students in the MIT Physics Department incorporate probability, statistics, computation, and data analysis into their research. These techniques are becoming increasingly important for both experimental and theoretical Physics research, with ever-growing datasets, more sophisticated physics simulations, and the development of cutting-edge machine learning tools. The Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Statistics (IDPS)  is designed to provide students with the highest level of competency in 21st century statistics, enabling doctoral students across MIT to better integrate computation and data analysis into their PhD thesis research.

Admission to this program is restricted to students currently enrolled in the Physics doctoral program or another participating MIT doctoral program. In addition to satisfying all of the requirements of the Physics PhD, students take one subject each in probability, statistics, computation and statistics, and data analysis, as well as the Doctoral Seminar in Statistics, and they write a dissertation in Physics utilizing statistical methods. Graduates of the program will receive their doctoral degree in the field of “Physics, Statistics, and Data Science.”

Doctoral students in Physics may submit an Interdisciplinary PhD in Statistics Form between the end of their second semester and penultimate semester in their Physics program. The application must include an endorsement from the student’s advisor, an up-to-date CV, current transcript, and a 1-2 page statement of interest in Statistics and Data Science.

The statement of interest can be based on the student’s thesis proposal for the Physics Department, but it must demonstrate that statistical methods will be used in a substantial way in the proposed research. In their statement, applicants are encouraged to explain how specific statistical techniques would be applied in their research. Applicants should further highlight ways that their proposed research might advance the use of statistics and data science, both in their physics subfield and potentially in other disciplines. If the work is part of a larger collaborative effort, the applicant should focus on their personal contributions.

For access to the selection form or for further information, please contact the IDSS Academic Office at  [email protected] .

Required Courses

Courses in this list that satisfy the Physics PhD degree requirements can count for both programs. Other similar or more advanced courses can count towards the “Computation & Statistics” and “Data Analysis” requirements, with permission from the program co-chairs. The IDS.190 requirement may be satisfied instead by IDS.955 Practical Experience in Data, Systems, and Society, if that experience exposes the student to a diverse set of topics in statistics and data science. Making this substitution requires permission from the program co-chairs prior to doing the practical experience.

• IDS.190 – Doctoral Seminar in Statistics and Data Science ( may be substituted by IDS.955 Practical Experience in Data, Systems and Society )
• 6.7700[J] Fundamentals of Probability or
• 18.675 – Theory of Probability
• 18.655 – Mathematical Statistics or
• 18.6501 – Fundamentals of Statistics or
• IDS.160[J] – Mathematical Statistics: A Non-Asymptotic Approach
• 6.C01/6.C51 – Modeling with Machine Learning: From Algorithms to Applications or
• 6.7810 Algorithms for Inference or
• 6.8610 (6.864) Advanced Natural Language Processing or
• 6.7900 (6.867) Machine Learning or
• 6.8710 (6.874) Computational Systems Biology: Deep Learning in the Life Sciences or
• 9.520[J] – Statistical Learning Theory and Applications or
• 16.940 – Numerical Methods for Stochastic Modeling and Inference or
• 18.337 – Numerical Computing and Interactive Software
• 8.316 – Data Science in Physics or
• 6.8300 (6.869) Advances in Computer Vision or
• 8.334 – Statistical Mechanics II or
• 8.371[J] – Quantum Information Science or
• 8.591[J] – Systems Biology or
• 8.592[J] – Statistical Physics in Biology or
• 8.942 – Cosmology or
• 9.583 – Functional MRI: Data Acquisition and Analysis or
• 16.456[J] – Biomedical Signal and Image Processing or
• 18.367 – Waves and Imaging or
• IDS.131[J] – Statistics, Computation, and Applications

Grade Policy

C, D, F, and O grades are unacceptable. Students should not earn more B grades than A grades, reflected by a PhysSDS GPA of ≥ 4.5. Students may be required to retake subjects graded B or lower, although generally one B grade will be tolerated.

Unless approved by the PhysSDS co-chairs, a minimum grade of B+ is required in all 12 unit courses, except IDS.190 (3 units) which requires a P grade.

Though not required, it is strongly encouraged for a member of the MIT  Statistics and Data Science Center (SDSC)  to serve on a student’s doctoral committee. This could be an SDSC member from the Physics department or from another field relevant to the proposed thesis research.

Thesis Proposal

All students must submit a thesis proposal using the standard Physics format. Dissertation research must involve the utilization of statistical methods in a substantial way.

PhysSDS Committee

• Jesse Thaler (co-chair)
• Mike Williams (co-chair)
• Isaac Chuang
• Janet Conrad
• William Detmold
• Philip Harris
• Jacqueline Hewitt
• Kiyoshi Masui
• Leonid Mirny
• Christoph Paus
• Phiala Shanahan
• Marin Soljačić
• Washington Taylor
• Max Tegmark

Can I satisfy the requirements with courses taken at Harvard?

Harvard CompSci 181 will count as the equivalent of MIT’s 6.867.  For the status of other courses, please contact the program co-chairs.

Can a course count both for the Physics degree requirements and the PhysSDS requirements?

Yes, this is possible, as long as the courses are already on the approved list of requirements. E.g. 8.592 can count as a breadth requirement for a NUPAX student as well as a Data Analysis requirement for the PhysSDS degree.

If I have previous experience in Probability and/or Statistics, can I test out of these requirements?

These courses are required by all of the IDPS degrees. They are meant to ensure that all students obtaining an IDPS degree share the same solid grounding in these fundamentals, and to help build a community of IDPS students across the various disciplines. Only in exceptional cases might it be possible to substitute more advanced courses in these areas.

Can I substitute a similar or more advanced course for the PhysSDS requirements?

Yes, this is possible for the “computation and statistics” and “data analysis” requirements, with permission of program co-chairs. Substitutions for the “probability” and “statistics” requirements will only be granted in exceptional cases.

For Spring 2021, the following course has been approved as a substitution for the “computation and statistics” requirement:   18.408 (Theoretical Foundations for Deep Learning) .

The following course has been approved as a substitution for the “data analysis” requirement:   6.481 (Introduction to Statistical Data Analysis) .

Can I apply for the PhysSDS degree in my last semester at MIT?

No, you must apply no later than your penultimate semester.

What does it mean to use statistical methods in a “substantial way” in one’s thesis?

The ideal case is that one’s thesis advances statistics research independent of the Physics applications. Advancing the use of statistical methods in one’s subfield of Physics would also qualify. Applying well-established statistical methods in one’s thesis could qualify, if the application is central to the Physics result. In all cases, we expect the student to demonstrate mastery of statistics and data science.

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PhD in Statistics

of Technology is opening a PhD position in Statistics . We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic candidate with a background in Mathematics/ Statistics to join the Statistics Group and conduct research in

PhD on Statistical mechanics on random graphs and algorithms

Are you a mathematician who is interested in doing research in theoretical probability, in particular on random graphs and algorithms? Then apply for this PhD position. Irène Curie Fellowship

that the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science of the Eindhoven University of Technology is opening a PhD position in Statistics . We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic candidate with a background in

PhD Fellow in Deep Learning and statistics for heterogeneous data

The position A PhD position is available at the Department of Mathematics and Statistics , Faculty of Science and Technology  and focuses on developing new methods for incorporating heterogeneous data into deep

PhD position in Statistical Physics or Computational Neuroscience on Curiosity [C3] (all genders welcome)

PhD position in Statistical Physics or Computational Neuroscience on Curiosity [C3] (all genders welcome) At the University of Göttingen -Public Law Foundation-, Graduiertenkolleg 2906 Neugier

PhD positions in mathematical statistics at Stockholm University

related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No Offer Description The Department of Mathematics at Stockholm University invites applications for two PhD student positions in mathematical

PhD in Psychometrics/Methodology and Statistics

We are looking for a talented and ambitious PhD candidate in methodology and statistics to develop and apply novel psychometric models that make use of response times for the purpose of measuring

PhD Studentship Social Statistics

Job Offer PhD Studentship in Social Statistics in Digital and Computational Demography University of Manchester and Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research We are pleased to invite

PhD : Statistical physics of chromosomes

AmsterdamCountryNetherlandsCityAmsterdamPostal Code1081HVStreetDe Boelelaan 1085Geofield Where to apply Website https://www.academictransfer.com/en/337573/ phd - statistical -physics-of-chromosom… Contact City Amsterdam Website http://www.vu.nl

at improving and refining present AI classification methodology using novel combinations of statistical methods and Deep Learning (DL). The position is for a period of four years. The nominal length of the PhD

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Requirements:

A full list of the requirements is also available on the Physics page:

Doctoral students in Physics may submit an Interdisciplinary PhD in Statistics Form between the end of their second semester and penultimate semester in their Physics program. The application must include an endorsement from the student’s advisor, an up-to-date CV, current transcript, and a 1-2 page statement of interest in Statistics and Data Science.

The statement of interest can be based on the student’s thesis proposal for the Physics Department, but it must demonstrate that statistical methods will be used in a substantial way in the proposed research. In their statement, applicants are encouraged to explain how specific statistical techniques would be applied in their research. Applicants should further highlight ways that their proposed research might advance the use of statistics and data science, both in their physics subfield and potentially in other disciplines. If the work is part of a larger collaborative effort, the applicant should focus on their personal contributions.

Grade Requirements:  Students must complete their primary program’s degree requirements along with the IDPS requirements. C, D, F, and O grades are unacceptable. Students should not earn more B grades than A grades, reflected by a PhysSDS GPA of ≥ 4.5. Students may be required to retake subjects graded B or lower, although generally one B grade will be tolerated

PhD Earned on Completion: Physics, Statistics, and Data Science

IDPS/Physics Co-Chairs : Jesse Thaler and Michael Williams

Required Courses:

Courses in this list that satisfy the Physics PhD degree requirements can count for both programs. Other similar or more advanced courses can count towards the “Computation & Statistics” and “Data Analysis” requirements, with permission from the program co-chairs. The IDS.190 requirement may be satisfied instead by IDS.955 Practical Experience in Data, Systems, and Society, if that experience exposes the student to a diverse set of topics in statistics and data science. Making this substitution requires permission from the program co-chairs prior to doing the practical experience.

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Ph.D. program

The Applied Physics Department offers a Ph.D. degree program; see  Admissions Overview  for how to apply.  

1.  Courses . Current listings of Applied Physics (and Physics) courses are available via  Explore Courses . Courses are available in Physics and Mathematics to overcome deficiencies, if any, in undergraduate preparation. It is expected the specific course requirements are completed by the  end of the 3rd year  at Stanford.

Required Basic Graduate Courses.   30 units (quarter hours) including:

• Basic graduate courses in advanced mechanics, statistical physics, electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, and an advanced laboratory course. In cases where students feel they have already covered the materials in one of the required basic graduate courses, a petition for waiver of the course may be submitted and is subject to approval by a faculty committee.
• 18 units of advanced coursework in science and/or engineering to fit the particular interests of the individual student. Such courses typically are in Applied Physics, Physics, or Electrical Engineering, but courses may also be taken in other departments, e.g., Biology, Materials Science and Engineering, Mathematics, Chemistry. The purpose of this requirement is to provide training in a specialized field of research and to encourage students to cover material beyond their own special research interests.​

​ Required Additional Courses .  Additional courses needed to meet the minimum residency requirement of 135 units of completed course work. Directed study and research units as well as 1-unit seminar courses can be included. Courses are sometimes given on special topics, and there are several seminars that meet weekly to discuss current research activities at Stanford and elsewhere. All graduate students are encouraged to participate in the special topics courses and seminars. A limited number of courses are offered during the Summer Quarter. Most students stay in residence during the summer and engage in independent study or research programs.

The list of the PhD degree core coursework is listed in the bulletin here:  https://bulletin.stanford.edu/programs/APLPH-PHD .

3.  Dissertation Research.   Research is frequently supervised by an Applied Physics faculty member, but an approved program of research may be supervised by a faculty member from another department.

4.  Research Progress Report.   Students give an oral research progress report to their dissertation reading committee during the winter quarter of the 4th year.

5.  Dissertation.

6.  University Oral Examination .  The examination includes a public seminar in defense of the dissertation and questioning by a faculty committee on the research and related fields.

Most students continue their studies and research during the summer quarter, principally in independent study projects or dissertation research. The length of time required for the completion of the dissertation depends upon the student and upon the dissertation advisor. In addition, the University residency requirement of 135 graded units must be met.

Rotation Program

We offer an optional rotation program for 1st-year Ph.D. students where students may spend one quarter (10 weeks) each in up to three research groups in the first year. This helps students gain research experience and exposure to various labs, fields, and/or projects before determining a permanent group to complete their dissertation work. 

Sponsoring faculty members may be in the Applied Physics department, SLAC, or any other science or engineering department, as long as they are members of the Academic Council (including all tenure-line faculty). Rotations are optional and students may join a group without the rotation system by making an arrangement directly with the faculty advisor. 

During the first year, research assistantships (RAs) are fully funded by the department for the fall quarter; in the winter and spring quarters, RAs are funded 50/50 by the department and the research group hosting the student. RAs after the third quarter are, in general, not subsidized by the rotation program or the department and should be arranged directly by the student with their research advisor.

How to arrange a rotation

Rotation positions in faculty members’ groups are secured by the student by directly contacting and coordinating with faculty some time between the student’s acceptance into the Ph.D. program and the start of the rotation quarter. It is recommended that the student’s fall quarter rotation be finalized no later than Orientation Week before the academic year begins. A rotation with a different faculty member can be arranged for the subsequent quarters at any time. Most students join a permanent lab by the spring quarter of their first year after one or two rotations.  When coordinating a rotation, the student and the sponsoring faculty should discuss expectations for the rotation (e.g. project timeline or deliverables) and the availability of continued funding and permanent positions in the group. It is very important that the student and the faculty advisor have a clear understanding about expectations going forward.

What do current students say about rotations?

Advice from current ap students, setting up a rotation:.

• If you have a specific professor or group in mind, you should contact them as early as possible, as they may have a limited number of rotation spots.
• You can prepare a 1-page CV or resume to send to professors to summarize your research experiences and interest.
• Try to tour the lab/working areas, talk to senior graduate students, or attend group meeting to get a feel for how the group operates.
• If you don't receive a response from a professor, you can send a polite reminder, stop by their office, or contact their administrative assistant. If you receive a negative response, you shouldn't take it personally as rotation availability can depend year-to-year on funding and personnel availability.
• Don't feel limited to subfields that you have prior experience in. Rotations are for learning and for discovering what type of work and work environment suit you best, and you will have several years to develop into a fully-formed researcher!

You and your rotation advisor should coordinate early on about things like: 

• What project will you be working on and who will you be working with?
• What resources (e.g. equipment access and training, coursework) will you need to enable this work?
• How closely will you work with other members of the group? 
• How frequently will you and your rotation advisor meet?
• What other obligations (e.g. coursework, TAing) are you balancing alongside research?
• How will your progress be evaluated?
• Is there funding available to support you and this project beyond the rotation quarter?
• Will the rotation advisor take on new students into the group in the quarter following the rotation?

About a month before the end of the quarter, you should have a conversation with your advisor about things like:

• Will you remain in the current group or will you rotate elsewhere?
• If you choose to rotate elsewhere, does the option remain open to return to the present group later?
• If you choose to rotate elsewhere, will another rotation student be taken on for the same project?
• You don't have to rotate just for the sake of rotating! If you've found a group that suits you well in many aspects, it makes sense to continue your research momentum with that group.

Application process

View Admissions Overview View the Required Online Ph.D. Program Application  

Contact the Applied Physics Department Office at  [email protected]  if additional information on any of the above is needed.

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PhD projects in Statistical Physics and Complexity

About statistical physics and complexity.

Statistical physics sets out to explain how the patterns and structures around us in the macroscopic world arise from the interactions between their component parts. A major challenge in the 21st century is to extend statistical physics to systems that are far from equilibrium.

• Find out more about Statistical Physics and Complexity

Available PhD projects

A list of current PhD projects in Statistical Physics and Complexity is shown below. Click on each project to find out more about the project, its supervisor(s) and its research area(s).

• Active Self-Assembly of Colloidal Structures
• Active-Nematic/Polymeric Composites
• Computational Physics of Liquid Crystal Composites
• Developing the direct numerical simulation of turbulence for GPU based computing with application to fundamental problems
• Modelling the impact of extreme events on the emergence of infectious disease variants
• Nonequilibrium Phase Transitions
• Nonequilibrium Steady States
• Purely Elastastic Instabilities and Turbulence
• Statistical Mechanics of Biophysical Problems
• Statistical Mechanics of Social Dynamics
• Statistical physics of dividing and differentiating stem cell populations
• Stochastic Resetting in Chemical Physics
• Thermodynamics of timekeeping
• Transition to Turbulence

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Initial employment split

The postdoc, academic employment.

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Salaries and perspectives

An uncertain future, where do new phds work.

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Patrick J. Mulvey; Where do new PhDs work?. Physics Today 1 October 2020; 73 (10): 40–46. https://doi.org/10.1063/PT.3.4591

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We have all heard it. Physics degree recipients are versatile problem solvers who work in all sectors of the economy in all types of positions. For the PhD degree classes of 2017 and 2018, that mantra is as true as it has ever been. Against the backdrop of a strong US economy in recent years, those new physics PhDs secured meaningful employment in a variety of fields. Their specialized training made them strong candidates for specific academic and nonacademic positions, while their general scientific, mathematical, and analytical skills made them attractive hires to a broad range of employers.

The data about initial employment that form the basis of this article come from 2017 and 2018, the most recent data available from surveys conducted by my colleagues and me at the Statistical Research Center (SRC) at the American Institute of Physics (AIP, publisher of Physics Today) . The employment outlook for new PhDs from the class of 2020 will assuredly be different. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the US entered a recession in February of 2020, ending the longest economic expansion in US history. The recession was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to spread. Prospects for the classes of 2021 and beyond may also be different.

One consistent element of the job market is that colleges and universities will continue to educate students and fill faculty positions. Companies will continue to need employees, even if new hires will be working remotely. And university and government laboratories will continue to need staff and postdocs to carry out their research agendas. As national economies reopen, a new normal will be established that may or may not resemble the past.

The numbers of recently graduated physics PhDs in the US are at a record high. About 1900 degrees were awarded to the class of 2019 (see figure 1 ). Since the early 1990s, non-US citizens have accounted for about half of the physics PhDs awarded in the US. The proportion of non-US citizens peaked in 2005 when they represented 60% of the degrees conferred. For the class of 2019, non-US citizens represented 46% of physics PhDs.

Number of physics PhDs awarded at US universities, classes of 1966 through 2019. The past 15 years has seen an increase of 75%. (American Institute of Physics, Statistical Research Center, Enrollments and Degrees Survey.)

The postdegree outcomes for new physics PhDs fall into four main categories: postdoctoral fellowships, potentially permanent positions in academia or the private sector, other temporary positions, and unemployment. For this article, new PhDs are categorized according to the status of their employment in the February following the academic year in which they received their PhD.

The two most common postdegree outcomes—postdocs and potentially permanent positions—have displayed an inverse cyclical pattern for the past four decades (see figure 2 ). For most of the past two decades, the prevailing initial employment outcome for new physics PhDs has been a postdoc. Things changed for the class of 2018. More new PhDs accepted potentially permanent positions than accepted postdocs, albeit by only 3%.

Initial employment outcomes of physics PhDs, classes of 1980 through 2018. For the first time since the physics PhD class of 2000, a greater proportion of new PhDs accepted a potentially permanent position in 2018 than accepted a postdoctoral appointment. The category of “other temporary position” was added to the survey instrument starting with the degree class of 1991. (American Institute of Physics, Statistical Research Center, PhD Follow-up Survey.)

The third initial postdegree employment outcome category is other temporary positions. People in those nonpostdoc positions are mostly visiting professors, lecturers, and research scientists at colleges and universities. In recent years, 7–10% of new physics PhDs have accepted such positions. The fourth outcome category, unemployed, has accounted for about 5% of the respondents in recent years.

Not represented in the data shown in figure 2 and in the remainder of this article are the initial outcomes of new PhDs who did not remain in the US. For the classes of 2017 and 2018, about 25% of the non-US citizens and about 10% of the US citizens were either working or seeking employment outside the US in the winter following the year in which they graduated. More than half the non-US citizens and almost all of the US citizens who had left the US indicated they had accepted a postdoc.

The pattern of swings in the proportion of new physics PhDs who accept postdocs or potentially permanent positions is similar for both US and non-US citizens, but there are distinct and fairly consistent differences. Since the class of 2002, the proportion of US citizens accepting potentially permanent positions has been consistently greater than that of non-US citizens. For the combined PhD classes of 2017 and 2018, 47% of the US citizens accepted potentially permanent positions compared with 35% of the non-US citizens. The reverse is true for postdocs, with 40% of the US citizens and 51% of the non-US citizens accepting them.

Postdoc positions provide a temporary period of mentorship during which new degree recipients can either continue to do research and publish papers in the area of their dissertations or pursue other, new areas of research.

Typically two years in length and often renewable, postdoc positions pay less than potentially permanent positions in the private sector. Even so, they are an attractive employment option for many new PhDs. The decision to accept a postdoc is influenced by professional goals, personal circumstances, and the realities of the job market. My colleagues and I asked new PhDs who accepted postdocs to indicate to what extent specific factors influenced them. As figure 3 shows, the decision to accept a postdoc is driven not by a single factor but by a combination of them.

Specific factors that led new physics PhDs to accept a postdoc . The three most cited influences for taking a postdoc were related to career goals and pursuing research interests. Here, data are limited to PhDs who earned their degree in the classes of 2017 and 2018 from a US university and remained in the US. Respondents were asked to rate the level of influence each statement had on why they took a postdoctoral fellowship. They were presented with a four-point scale that included “very influential,” “influential,” “of little influence,” and “not at all influential.” The data in the figure represent the proportion of individuals choosing one of the two positive response choices. (American Institute of Physics, Statistical Research Center, PhD Follow-up Survey.)

The most cited reason for acceptance was that a postdoc is a “necessary step to get a future position.” That finding is not surprising, as completing a postdoc is generally considered a prerequisite to getting a faculty position, especially at a research university. As I discuss below, the notion that a postdoc is a required stepping-stone to a faculty position is corroborated by the hiring practices of colleges and universities. The motivation to “work with a particular scientist or research group” and to “obtain research experience in my field” also influenced new PhDs in accepting a postdoc.

Although the employment prospects and circumstances for non-US citizens differ from those for US citizens, non-US citizens cite many of the same reasons for accepting a postdoc. Non-US citizens often require a change in their visa status if they are to remain in the US after receiving their PhD. Almost half of the non-US citizens who accepted a postdoc in the US indicated that visa restrictions limited their options. Possibly also related to visas is that almost twice as many of the non-US citizens as the US citizens said that they took a postdoc because they “could not obtain a suitable permanent position.”

Non-US citizens can obtain a valid visa for a postdoc by getting authorized for Optional Practical Training (OPT). Universities that need postdoctoral researchers are adept at assisting non-US citizens in obtaining the authorization. Because all employment during a period of OPT authorization must be related to the individual’s major field of study, the employment options of non-US citizens are more limited than those of US citizens. It is unknown what proportion of the non-US citizens who left the US after receiving their degree did so because of their inability to obtain the necessary visa.

Many of the reasons new PhDs accepted a postdoc centered around gaining valuable additional experience. Indeed, 94% of postdoc holders reported feeling that the knowledge and skills they were developing would help advance their careers. Three-quarters of the postdocs in the classes of 2017 and 2018 were employed at a university. Most of the rest were employed in the government sector, which includes the national laboratories (see figure 4 ).

Employment sector of new physics PhDs , classes of 2017 and 2018 combined. Three-quarters of new physics PhDs who secured potentially permanent positions were working in the private sector. Here, “other” includes nonprofit organizations, hospitals and medical facilities, and other, unspecified employers. (American Institute of Physics, Statistical Research Center, PhD Follow-up Survey.)

Like postdocs, PhDs holding other temporary positions were also primarily (70%) employed in academia. Those other temporary academic positions can provide valuable teaching experience for physicists who hope to continue teaching in a college or university setting. They frequently come with the title of visiting professor or guest lecturer. For some new PhDs, these nonpostdoctoral temporary positions fell short of what they hoped to be doing in the year after receiving their PhD. Not being able to obtain a suitable permanent position was an influential factor for 75% of PhDs who accepted a temporary position. The majority (60%) of nonpostdoctoral positions lasted one year.

Since the PhD class of 2010, the proportion of new physics PhDs in potentially permanent positions has steadily increased. Forty-four percent of the degree classes of 2017 and 2018 accepted such a position. As mentioned above, that development marks the first time in almost two decades that the proportion of physics PhDs accepting potentially permanent positions exceeded the proportion accepting postdocs. The overwhelming majority (73%) of the potentially permanent positions were in the private sector. Companies that employ new PhDs range from the smallest startups to the largest corporations. By contrast, 16% of the new PhDs holding potentially permanent positions worked in an academic setting. Many had job titles such as assistant professor or assistant lecturer.

Many people may not purposefully track the time they spend looking for a job. Nevertheless, the time a person perceives they spent seeking employment can be seen as an indicator of the strength of the job market. New physics PhDs were asked, “How long did you spend actively seeking employment before accepting your position?” Of the PhDs who accepted a postdoc or other temporary position, 20% indicated they spent zero months actively seeking employment. It’s likely that some new graduates did not consider the time they spent cultivating contacts and professional connections before receiving their degree as being part of their job search. Of the PhDs holding potentially permanent positions, 12% also indicated spending zero months on job searches. The median length of time that PhDs in all three employment categories searched for employment was three months.

As seen in figure 4 , only 16% of PhDs accepting potentially permanent positions were working in an academic setting. That statistic forms only part of the academic employment picture. People who were in postdocs and other temporary positions when they were surveyed will go on to seek new positions. About 60% of the PhDs who held postdocs or other temporary positions indicated a desire to work in academia.

One indicator of potential future openings at physics and astronomy departments is the annual number of hires made. If hiring remains stable, there will not be enough open faculty positions to absorb all the individuals who want one. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of physics PhDs will eventually secure employment of some kind in academia.

Advice for individuals on looking for and obtaining an academic position can be found in two other articles in this month’s issue (see pages 30 and 52 ). Statistical data from NSF and AIP provide a complementary, quantitative look at the hiring practices of US physics departments. According to NSF’s 2017 Survey of Doctorate Recipients, about 39% of physics PhDs were employed at an educational institution. 1 NSF includes in that category four-year colleges and universities, medical schools (including university-affiliated hospitals and medical centers), university-affiliated research institutes, two-year colleges, community colleges, technical institutes, precollege institutions, and other educational institutions. As for individuals, NSF considered people who earned their physics PhD in the US, in any year, who were less than 76 years of age, and who were working in the US in 2017.

Data from the 2017–18 AIP Academic Workforce Survey provide insight into the backgrounds of the individuals who are hired into tenure and tenure-track faculty positions at US physics departments. Only 1% of the faculty members hired at PhD-granting physics departments and 12% of those hired by departments in which a bachelor’s is the highest degree offered were employed right out of graduate school. 2 The largest proportion (61%) of new academic hires at PhD-granting physics departments were individuals who had previously held a postdoc. For new hires at physics departments that offer a bachelor’s as their highest degree, 41% had a previous position as a postdoc and 24% had held a nonpostdoctoral temporary academic position.

Competition for tenured and tenure-track academic openings at US physics departments is not just limited to PhDs who earned their degree from a US institution. For the new academic hires in the 2017–18 academic year, 20% at doctoral-granting physics departments and 7% at bachelor’s-only departments had earned their PhD outside the US. 2  

Faculty positions for physics PhDs are not limited to physics and astronomy departments. One in five academically employed physics PhDs work in a department other than physics or astronomy, according to a survey conducted by SRC of US-trained physics PhDs who had received their degrees 10–15 years earlier. 3 Clearly, the academic employment possibilities for physics PhDs are broader than just physics departments. The substantial fraction of physicists employed in nonphysics departments exemplifies the interdisciplinary nature of physics and the versatility of physicists.

My colleagues and I asked new physics PhDs what their primary and secondary fields of employment were. If either was in physics, they were also asked if their employment field was the same as their dissertation field. For the most part, PhDs who accepted postdoctoral fellowships not only were working in physics but were also continuing in the area of their dissertation work. New physicists holding nonpostdoctoral temporary positions were fairly evenly split among those working in the field of their dissertation, those working in another area of physics, and those working in a nonphysics field.

The various types of employment that new physics PhDs accept is most prominent among degree recipients who accepted potentially permanent positions. Almost three-quarters (73%) of them indicated that their primary field of employment was in neither physics nor physics education (see figure 5 ). Recall that most PhDs in potentially permanent positions work in the private sector. Many of them secured employment in the fields of computer software, engineering, and data science. To help better understand which employers hired PhDs into those fields and what skills they use, the SRC has developed an online tool, Who’s Hiring Physics PhDs? (see the online resources box on page 46).

Primary field of employment for physics PhDs holding potentially permanent positions, classes of 2017 and 2018 combined. The percentages may not add up to 100 because of rounding. (American Institute of Physics, Statistical Research Center, PhD Follow-up Survey.)

Who’s Hiring Physics PhDs?

www.aip.org/statistics/whos-hiring-physics-phds

This resource lists the names of employers that hired new physics PhDs into potentially permanent positions by field. It includes job titles, salaries, and skills used.

PhD Plus 10 Study

www.aip.org/statistics/phd-plus-10

This resource provides a series of reports exploring the employment of midcareer physics PhDs.

Physics Faculty Salary Calculator

www.aip.org/statistics/salary-calculator

This resource lets you explore salaries for physicists by institution type, degree, job title, tenure status, gender, and location.

Although most grad students pursue physics because of their interest in discovering how the natural world works, they soon recognize a practical side to a physics degree: supporting themselves financially post-PhD. Starting salaries for the PhD classes of 2017 and 2018 varied by category of position, but the bigger variance came from the sector in which they were employed (figure 6 ). Physics PhDs who secured potentially permanent positions in the private sector earned considerably more and had a much wider range of salary than PhDs who held other types of employment.

Median starting salaries for new physics PhDs. For those working in the private sector, it was $110 000 for the combined classes of 2017 and 2018. (American Institute of Physics, Statistical Research Center, PhD Follow-up Survey.)

The median starting salary for physics PhDs working in potentially permanent university and four-year college positions was $60 000, which is about half as much as the median salary for their cohorts employed in the private sector. About half of the PhDs holding potentially permanent positions at universities and four-year colleges reported that their positions were for 9–10 months of work. Those academic salaries were not adjusted for the length of their contract.

Far less striking but still notable is the difference between the salaries of postdocs at government labs and at universities. Physics PhDs who accepted postdocs at government labs had a median salary of $70 000, whereas those with postdocs at universities, which employ the majority of postdocs, had a median salary of $50 000.

The level of monetary compensation for the work one does is important, but other aspects of employment matter as much or possibly more for some individuals. When asked to self-assess how they perceived different aspects of their employment, new physics PhDs in the classes of 2017 and 2018 responded overwhelmingly positively.

The majority (85%) who accepted potentially permanent positions indicated they felt that a physics PhD was an appropriate background for their position. That again speaks well to the ability of physics PhDs to apply their knowledge and skills to the various fields in which they find work. New PhDs were also asked if they considered themselves underemployed; 16% of the individuals who had a postdoc said they were. Of the PhDs holding potentially permanent positions, 20% said they were underemployed. PhDs holding other temporary positions were generally less positive about their employment; 50% felt underemployed.

Predictions by economists of when the economy will recover vary considerably, as do predictions by health-care professionals of when an effective COVID-19 vaccine will be deployed. The timing of both milestones will affect the academic and research environments for physics PhDs.

Compounding the uncertainty, President Trump has suspended various categories of visas through the end of 2020, including the H-1B program. The policy does not apply to the J-1 exchange visitor program used by postdocs and professors or to the OPT program, though some fear those programs may be curtailed through subsequent actions.

But it is clear that physics PhDs are well prepared for a diverse set of career options. Although PhDs will continue to be employed in what was once considered the traditional career path of teaching and research in an academic setting, the majority will continue to find fulfilling employment opportunities in a wide array of other employment sectors and fields.

Regardless of whether they find work directly related to their thesis, in another area of physics, or in a different field, they will be able to leverage their acquired skills and knowledge to obtain professionally challenging, rewarding, and well-compensated positions.

Updated 18 December 2020: In the caption for figure 1, the increase in the number of PhDs awarded at US universities was corrected to be 75% instead of 175%.

Patrick Mulvey is a research manager in the Statistical Research Center at the American Institute of Physics in College Park, Maryland.

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PhD Student in Statistical Physics with focus on active matter

Job information, offer description.

av anställning

The Department of Physics at the University of Gothenburg is located in the center of Gothenburg, with approximately 100 employees. The communication routes are good both nationally and internationally. The research focuses within the fields of Atom- and Molecular Physics, Condensed Matter Physics and Spintronics, and Complex Systems and Biophysics and is performed in an international environment with extensive national and international collaborations. The education programs at the Department include Bachelor- and Master programs in Physics, physics teacher-training programs, as well as outreach courses in Physics aimed for the general public. Gothenburg Physics Centre is a close collaboration with three other departments within the Faculty of Science and Chalmers University of Technology, which creates an innovative environment for all researchers and students at the department.For further information about the Department of Physics, please visit our website at www.physics.gu.se/english . More information about Gothenburg Physics Centre can be found  at www.chalmers.se/en/centres/gpc/Pages/default.aspx . 

Our research is in the area of statistical physics. The present project concerns how microswimmers navigate turbulent environments. The swimming behavior of plankton is key when predicting future changes in aquatic food chains due to environmental changes, as well as in applications of aquaculture, toxic algal blooms, and bioreactors. Efficient navigation strategies are also important for engineered microswimmers. 

Job assignments  

You will develop and simulate models of microswimmers in turbulent environments. You will use reinforcement learning and analytical approaches to search for efficient navigation strategies. Regarding the turbulent environment, you may use turbulent flow data obtained in collaboration with other research groups, as well as numerical simulations using idealized model flows. To validate the models and/or strategies, you may analyze experimental data obtained by our collaborators, tracking plankton in the laboratory. 

Being a PhD is a 4 year full-time studies and leads to a Doctoral Degree. Those who are employed as doctoral students must primarily devote themselves to their doctoral education. However, a doctoral student may to a limited extent work with education, research and administration. Such work may, before the doctoral degree is completed, not cover more than 20 % of full-time work.  

  Eligibility  

To be eligible for third-cycle studies, the applicant must meet both the general and specific entry requirements. A person meets the general entry requirements for third-cycle courses and study programs if he or she:  1. has been awarded a second-cycle qualification,   2. has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or  3. has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.    To meet the specific entry requirements for third-cycle studies, applicants must: (i) have a second-cycle (advanced-level) degree in a relevant* subject area in the natural sciences, or (ii) have completed studies for at least 60 higher education credits at a second-cycle level in relevant subject areas in the natural sciences, or (iii) have completed a corresponding programme of relevance to the planned third-cycle programme, in Sweden or in another country, or have equivalent qualifications. 

The specific entry requirements also include an acceptable command of spoken and written English. Guidelines for assessing English proficiency may include a minimum score of 550 on the TOEFL test (or 213 on the TOEFL-CBT, or 79 on the TOEFL-iBT). 

Assessment  

The primary criteria in the assessment of suitable candidates are qualifications from bachelor and master studies, including relevant courses and the quality of the master’s thesis, as well as the anticipated ability of the candidate to benefit from research studies. 

Employment  

A new employment as a PhD student applies for a maximum of one year. The employment may be prolonged for up to two years at a time. The total employment period may not be longer than the equivalent of four years of full-time doctoral studies. 

Type of employment: Fixed-term employment, 4 years full time  Extent: 100 %  Location: Department of Physics, Gothenburg  First day of employment: September 1 2024, or by agreement  

University applies a local salary agreement of graduate students. 

Appointment procedure  

Please apply online. The application shall include: 

- Cover letter with an explanation of why you apply for the position  - CV including scientific publications  - Copy of exam certificate   - Two referees (name, telephone number, relation) 

For further information regarding the position     Kristian Gustavsson, Senior Lecturer, +46 70 050 2211, [email protected]  

Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg: http://www.gu.se/english/about_the_university/job-opportunities/union-representatives  

How to apply  

In order to apply for a position at the University of Gothenburg, you have to register an account in our online recruitment system. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline. The selection of candidates is made based of the qualifications registered in the application. 

The application deadline is: 2024-05-03. 

The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.

Salaries are set individually at the University.

In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden’s regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.

In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.

Requirements

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PhD positions 2023/34

PhD positions open -->

The International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) welcomes applications for PhD fellowships in Statistical Physics for the academic year 2023–2024.

The students are selected through an oral exam via videoconference (Zoom). The deadline for the application is March 7th, 2023.

Further information and application forms are at the links below. For information about the Ph.D. program, contact statphys [at] sissa [dot] it .

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