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A position exists for a Research Associate in Quantum Networks using Diamond Spin Qubits.

The aim of the role is to realise functional quantum memories using the electronic and nuclear spins of tin-vacancy (SnV) colour centres in nanofabricated diamond chips, using quantum optical control from single confined spins using both optical and microwave fields. The research topics will include the realisation of efficient photon emission, high-fidelity coherent spin control using optical and microwave control, demonstration of spin-photon quantum entanglement, and quantum information transfer and storage in nuclear spin registers.

The successful candidate will hold a PhD in Physics, ideally in Applied Physics or Engineering, with a proven track record in quantum optics, quantum control and preferably in solid-state spin-photon interfaces. Preference will be given to candidates with experience in coherent spin control and single-photon interference as demonstrated by publications in major journals. A solid understanding of software-hardware interface experience is desirable.

You will have proven organisational, communication and team working skills. You will also have the ability to perform coding relevant to analysis and instrumentation work, to design mechanical and electrical components of the experimental apparatus, and to communicate material of a specialist or highly technical nature.

Appointment at Research Associate level is dependent upon having a PhD. Those who have submitted but not yet received their PhD will be appointed at Research Assistant level, which will be uplifted to Research Associate once the PhD has been awarded.

Ensure that you upload your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a covering letter in the upload section of the online application. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

The position is available until 30th April 2027 in the first instance, with the possibility of extension dependent on further funding.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to Professor Mete Atatüre (ma424@cam.ac.uk).

Please quote reference KA44935 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Department of Physics for an enthusiastic and highly motivated individual to join a small friendly team within the Postgraduate office.

The Department: The Cavendish Laboratory is the place of pioneering physics, that's been at the forefront of scientific discovery for 150 years, and will continue to be, because we never sit still. The Cavendish Laboratory has made several important discoveries, including: the discovery of the electron (1897), the neutron (1932), the structure of DNA (1953); thirty Cavendish researchers have won Nobel Prizes. We're trailblazers who continue to extend the frontiers of physics. We are looking forward moving into our new state-of-the-art, multi-million pound Ray Dolby Centre which will be the centrepiece of the new Cavendish Laboratory and we started moving in from November 2024. This is an exciting and challenging time for the Department, and we would like to find a highly motivated individual with a positive attitude towards change and development to join us.

The Role: The successful applicant will join a small friendly team within the Postgraduate office. You will provide a complete service to all postgraduate students from initial enquiries, admissions and funding applications, through to monitoring reports and degree awards. The position is busy and varied and has plenty of scope for training and development.

About You: You will have previous administrative experience in a Higher Education setting and ideally knowledge of postgraduate education programmes. You will have excellent organisational and time management skills; the ability to produce work to a high level of accuracy is essential.

You will possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and have the ability to work well within a busy team, building positive working relationships within the Department and University. Discretion, diplomacy and empathy are also essential due to the nature of the role and working closely with students. You should be proficient in all standard Microsoft Office packages, highly organised, self-motivated, and able to prioritise your workload within a demanding environment.

The department operates a hybrid working policy, but we expect employees to be on site full time during the probation period to facilitate training and build working relationships. Once the probation has been completed successfully, you may be able to work off site up to two days per week, depending on operational need.

Interviews are scheduled to be held week beginning 3rd March 2025.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to Sarah Hedger at deputy.departmental.administrator@phy.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference KA44924 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

A position exists for a Research Assistant/Research Associate in Experimental High Energy Physics in the High Energy Physics (HEP) Group at the Cavendish Laboratory. The post holder will make leading contributions on two fronts within the ATLAS experiment: the commissioning and operating of the upgraded L1 Calorimeter (L1Calo) Trigger and the searches for massive long-lived particles. It is intended that (subject to LTA funding being awarded by the ATLAS collaboration to the successful applicant after appointment) the post holder will be based in CERN for the majority of their tenure. Should this not happen they will be based in Cambridge.

The successful candidate will hold (or be close to obtaining) a PhD in Experimental Particle Physics or a related discipline. Experience with programming in C++ and Python is essential along with an interest and desire to work with hardware description languages like VHDL. A willingness to work with fast custom digital electronics systems such as those connected to L1Calo, and a willingness to learn about development and debugging of firmware needed to support L1Calo systems are also essential. The candidate should possess strong organisational, communication and teamworking skills along with the ability to write reports, present results and contribute to academic papers.

Appointment at Research Associate level is dependent upon having a PhD. Those who have submitted but not yet received their PhD will be appointed at Research Assistant level, which will be uplifted to Research Associate once the PhD has been awarded.

Please include a CV, cover letter and the names of two referees in the upload section of the online application. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 15 April 2026 in the first instance.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to: Dr Christopher Lester (lester@hep.phy.cam.ac.uk) or Dr Ed Flaherty (flaherty@hep.phy.cam.ac.uk)

Please quote reference KA44923 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

The Department of Physics is undergoing a period of exciting change as we undertake the move to our new Ray Dolby Centre. The new facility is designed to match the most exacting standards of current research, serving the educational needs of future generations of undergraduate and graduate students much more effectively than is possible on our previous site.

We are seeking a Purchasing Administrator to join the department's Finance Team as part of a new 'core' structure for purchasing in the department. You will undertake a full range of purchasing and procurement duties within the Department's Finance Office, following University policy, procedures and best practice.

Reporting to the departmental Purchasing Supervisor, the role-holder will ensure that all purchasing adheres to best practice and guidelines issued by the University Procurement Service, in particular obtaining best value for the University whilst maintaining awareness of sustainability goals.

The successful candidate will be able communicate and work effectively with multiple stakeholder groups to deliver efficient ways to source goods and services for the wide range of activities undertaken by the department.

You will ideally be educated to first degree level in a numerate discipline or with equivalent level of practical experience. The role involves day-to-day contact with academic, technical and administrative staff and students and requires the ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people.

The Role

You will provide direct purchasing and procurement support to the Department, including:

• Advise on procurement and logistics procedures in line with best practice and University regulations, maintain documentation covering local procedures

• Review and make recommendation on sole-source requests (dispensations) raised within the Department

• Provide guidance and assistance to stakeholders sourcing goods and services

• Work alongside the team of buyers to process purchasing transactions

• Preparing activity and spend reports, and identify opportunities to improve workflow

Your Skills

• Have experience of working in a busy purchasing or finance function within a large organisation.

• Confident and experienced in working on projects with multiple stakeholder groups.

• Highly numerate and have good oral and written communication skills.

• Skilled in dealing with financial or procurement controls and able to prioritise your own workload.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be directed to Dmitrii Buravlev, Purchasing Supervisor db996@cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference KA44878 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

In this talk, I will show how a gauge-theoretic approach to Jackiw–Teitelboim (JT) gravity naturally yields a two-dimensional Henneaux–Teitelboim (HT) unimodular theory, applicable to both flat and curved spacetimes. Under a mini-superspace reduction, the Wheeler–DeWitt equation becomes a Schrödinger-like equation admitting a consistent, unitary quantum description. The resulting wavefunction describes a quantum distribution for the scale factor, illuminating cosmic expansion and contraction, and allowing topology change at a=0.

• Speaker: Farbod Rassouli, University of Nottingham
• Friday 07 February 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Venue: Venue to be confirmed.
• Series: DAMTP Friday GR Seminar; organiser: Xi Tong.

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The formation history of giant planets, both within and beyond our solar system, remains an open question. I propose a new pathway for giant planet formation, where runaway gas accretion begins only when a planet reaches about 100 Earth masses and occurs only after a few million years (Myrs). This suggests that the transition to a gas giant—defined as a planet primarily composed of hydrogen and helium—occurs at around Saturn’s mass. The delay in runaway gas accretion to later stages and higher planetary masses results from an intermediate phase of efficient heavy-element accretion. This process generates enough energy to hinder rapid gas accretion. Consequently, Saturn may never have undergone runaway gas accretion, classifying it as a “failed giant planet.” This proposed transition to a gas giant planet above Saturn’s mass naturally explains the distinct bulk metallicities and internal structures of Jupiter and Saturn, as well as the unique characteristics of Uranus and Neptune. In the context of giant exoplanets, postponing runaway gas accretion to planets exceeding Saturn’s mass explains the transitions in the mass-radius (M-R) relations of observed exoplanets, the relatively low occurrence of gas giants, and the high metallicity of intermediate-mass exoplanets.

• Speaker: Ravit Helled
• Thursday 27 February 2025, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: Hoyle Lecture Theatre, Institute of Astronomy.
• Series: Institute of Astronomy Colloquia; organiser: Matthew Grayling.

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Lookback studies over the past two decades have assembled a fairly complete census of galaxies over 85% of cosmic time and established that the bulk of stars, which today reside in massive ellipticals and spirals, formed rapidy at redshift z~1-3, “cosmic noon”. An exciting new era has now begun, with dramatic advances driven by facilities such as JWST , the Very Large Telescope, ALMA and NOEMA . I will summarize the state-of-the-art and discuss recent key insights in our understanding of galaxy evolution at and beyond cosmic noon, with a focus on the assembly and transformations of galactic structure and kinematics. I will highlight emerging frontiers for science with the Extremely Large Telescope and other upcoming transformative capabilities towards the end of the decade.

• Speaker: Natascha M. Foerster Schreiber
• Thursday 06 February 2025, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: Hoyle Lecture Theatre, Institute of Astronomy.
• Series: Institute of Astronomy Colloquia; organiser: Jan Scholtz.

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Host stars play a huge role in shaping the planetary systems they host, both through their evolution and through the influence they have over planet formation. While the exact processes through which stars influence their planetary systems remain unclear, these processes are all expected to imprint signatures on the overall population of planets that exist throughout the galaxy. The all sky coverage of the TESS mission provides enables us to study these populations and uncover the influence of the star. In this talk I will discuss how I use the TESS Full-Frame-Image light curves to measure the occurrence rates of different planets and planetary systems, and what these occurrence rates can teach us about the impact of the host star on planet formation and evolution. In particular I will present the results from studying two populations. The first is the population of giant planets around low-mass stars, through which we can probe an extreme of giant planet formation. The second is the population of giant planets around post-main sequence stars. By studying this population we can better understand the impact of the early stages of post-main sequence stellar evolution on close-in planets, including strong tidal interactions and rapid orbital decay.

• Speaker: Ed Bryant (UCL)
• Tuesday 04 February 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Venue: Ryle seminar room + ONLINE - Details to be sent by email.
• Series: Exoplanet Seminars; organiser: Dr Dolev Bashi.

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Host stars play a huge role in shaping the planetary systems they host, both through their evolution and through the influence they have over planet formation. While the exact processes through which stars influence their planetary systems remain unclear, these processes are all expected to imprint signatures on the overall population of planets that exist throughout the galaxy. The all sky coverage of the TESS mission provides enables us to study these populations and uncover the influence of the star. In this talk I will discuss how I use the TESS Full-Frame-Image light curves to measure the occurrence rates of different planets and planetary systems, and what these occurrence rates can teach us about the impact of the host star on planet formation and evolution. In particular I will present the results from studying two populations. The first is the population of giant planets around low-mass stars, through which we can probe an extreme of giant planet formation. The second is the population of giant planets around post-main sequence stars. By studying this population we can better understand the impact of the early stages of post-main sequence stellar evolution on close-in planets, including strong tidal interactions and rapid orbital decay.

• Speaker: Ed Bryant (UCL)
• Tuesday 04 February 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Venue: Ryle seminar room + ONLINE - Details to be sent by email.
• Series: Exoplanet Seminars; organiser: Dr Dolev Bashi.

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Abstract not available

• Speaker: Alkistis Pourtsidou (University of Edinburgh)
• Monday 10 March 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Venue: CMS, Pav. B, CTC Common Room (B1.19) [Potter Room].
• Series: Cosmology Lunch; organiser: Louis Legrand.

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Bright exoplanet host stars provide highly precise stellar and planetary parameters, as well as chemical abundances. However, modern multi-object spectroscopic surveys often neglect stars brighter than 11 visual magnitudes due to their relatively low on-sky number density, resulting in significant observational overhead. The WEAVE -TwiLight Survey (WTLS) will address this gap by employing a groundbreaking observing mode, that allows for observations of low-density/bright star fields, without compromising survey efficiency. With an input catalogue derived primarily from the northern PLATO long-duration phase field, WEAVE -TwiLight will result in a highly homogeneous spectral dataset, characterizing approximately 6,000 future PLATO targets, including 68 confirmed planet hosts. In this talk, I will present the progress made in implementing the new observing mode, alongside preliminary results from test observations obtained in late summer 2024, using WEAVE ’s high-resolution setup. Full-scale science operations for WEAVE -TwiLight are expected to begin in Q2 of 2025.

• Speaker: Thomas Hajnik / IoA
• Wednesday 05 February 2025, 13:15-13:40
• Venue: The Hoyle Lecture Theatre + Zoom .
• Series: Institute of Astronomy Seminars; organiser: Xander Byrne.

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In this talk we will review models and constraints on halo occupation distribution (HOD) statistics in Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) cross-correlation studies. We will focus on CMB lensing and kinetic Sunyavev Zeldovich cross-correlations. As we will see, HOD degeneracies are a limiting aspect of our measurements of the gas distributions around massive halos. We will discuss current constraints on the gas derived from recent ACT data and prospects for SO, as well as the significance of these constraints in the context of hydrodynamical simulations.

• Speaker: Boris Bolliet (Cavendish)
• Friday 31 January 2025, 11:30-12:30
• Venue: Ryle Seminar Room, KICC + online.
• Series: Galaxies Discussion Group; organiser: Sandro Tacchella.

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We discuss a proof of uniform boundedness and decay statements for solutions to the Maxwell equations on Kerr black holes. The proof is unconditional in the full subextremal |a| less than M family, in view of earlier joint work with Yakov Shlapentokh-Rothman. For extremal |a|=M Kerr, it is conditional on a conjecture for the spin ±1 Teukolsky equations motivated by work of Gajic and Casals—Gralla—Zimmerman. This is joint work with Gabriele Benomio (GSSI).

• Speaker: Rita Teixera da Costa
• Friday 31 January 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Venue: Potter Room / https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/87235967698.
• Series: DAMTP Friday GR Seminar; organiser: Daniela Cors.

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DESI represents the culmination of multi-years efforts and advanced spectroscopic techniques. Placed at Mayall 4-meter Telescope, DESI harnesses the power of 5,000 robotic fiber positioners, coupled with state-of-the-art spectrographs, to capture the spectral signatures of millions of galaxies and quasars with unprecedented precision. DESI success is also based on the collaborative spirit of its community, more than 400 scientists over 70 institutions in 5 continents.

This data release (DR1) corresponds to the first year of observations; it holds immense scientific promise across a multitude of fronts: from constraining cosmological parameters, mapping the expansion history of the Universe, to the properties of dark energy, gravity and neutrinos.

In this talk I will focus on the results from the first data release of DESI based on the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) and redshift space distortions (RSD) analyses, and their impact in cosmology. On one hand, the BAO signal allows us to trace the expansion history of the universe through the last 11 billion years; and on the other hand the RSD allows us to test GR at cosmological scales over a similar period of time. In addition if baryon density information is added, DESI can also infer the rate of expansion today, the Hubble constant at 1% level (H0=68.56 ± 0.75) km/s/Mpc. All these results seem to be in good agreement with the standard model of cosmology, the LCDM model. When combined with external datasets such as the SuperNovae data and Cosmic Microwave Background anisotropy observations (CMB), we have observed in some cases interesting hints towards evolving dark energy. Furthermore, DESI data in combination with CMB is able to put constraints on the sum of neutrino masses reaching an upper bound of 0.071 eV at 95% confidence level within the LCDM model.

• Speaker: Héctor Gil-Marín (ICC, Barcelona U.)
• Monday 03 February 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Venue: CMS, Pav. B, CTC Common Room (B1.19) [Potter Room].
• Series: Cosmology Lunch; organiser: Thomas Colas.

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The Kerr-de Sitter metric, originally proposed by Carter in four dimensions and later extended by Gibbons, Lü, Page and Pope to all dimensions, is likely to play a relevant role among Lambda positive vacuum spacetimes. To better understand what makes it special, we calculate the asymptotic data characterizing the metric near conformal infinity. This requires a review of tools in conformal geometry, such as the Fefferman-Graham expansion, and its relation with the asymptotic initial value problem in arbitrary dimensions. The asymptotic data obtained for Kerr-de Sitter admits a straightforward generalization to a broader class of spacetimes that depends on a set of parameters, which we refer to as Kerr-de Sitter-like class. This class of metrics is obtained explicitly as limits or analytic extensions of Kerr-de Sitter and the space of parameters inherits a natural topological structure from the asymptotic data. Furthermore, we discuss additional characterizations within the Kerr-Schild type metrics and the algebraically special metrics that highlight the geometrical significance of the class.

• Speaker: Carlos Peón Nieto (UPM, Madrid)
• Friday 24 January 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Venue: Potter Room / https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/84511154241?pwd=B778JtHEd8Vb7aTOdsygQhBdXWbybI.1.
• Series: DAMTP Friday GR Seminar; organiser: Daniela Cors.

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TBD

• Speaker: Malcolm Druett (Sheffield)
• Monday 17 March 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: MR14 DAMTP and online.
• Series: DAMTP Astrophysics Seminars; organiser: Loren E. Held.

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TBD

• Speaker: Paul Barrere (Geneva)
• Monday 10 March 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: MR14 DAMTP and online.
• Series: DAMTP Astrophysics Seminars; organiser: Loren E. Held.

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TBD

• Speaker: James Rogers (Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge)
• Monday 03 March 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: MR14 DAMTP and online.
• Series: DAMTP Astrophysics Seminars; organiser: Loren E. Held.

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TBD

• Speaker: Serguei Komissarov (Leeds)
• Monday 24 February 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: MR14 DAMTP and online.
• Series: DAMTP Astrophysics Seminars; organiser: Loren E. Held.

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TBD

• Speaker: Tamara Rogers (Newcastle)
• Monday 17 February 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: MR14 DAMTP and online.
• Series: DAMTP Astrophysics Seminars; organiser: Loren E. Held.

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