University Assistant Predoctoral/PhD Candidate, Physics

51 Faculty of Physics
Startdate: 01.06.2025 | Working hours: 30 | Collective bargaining agreement: §48 VwGr. B1 Grundstufe (praedoc)
Limited until: 31.05.2029
Reference no.: 3938

We invite you to join the Operational Quantum Information Team (Dakić Group) to work on topics in quantum foundations and quantum information theory.

Your personal sphere of influence:

As a university assistant (praedoc) in this 4-year position, you will be part of the Operational Quantum Information Team around Professor Borivoje Dakić, and you will be focusing on research topics in quantum foundations and quantum information theory. Our research focuses on the foundations of quantum mechanics, quantum information theory, and practical applications of quantum information. Examples include operational reconstruction of quantum theory and quantum particle statistics, exploring quantum phenomena at macroscopic scales, and advancing quantum verification theory. Our team is part of the Quantum Optics, Quantum Nanophysics, and Quantum Information group of the Faculty of Physics. We are a member of the Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology (VCQ), one of the largest quantum hubs in Europe, and of the Austrian Cluster of Excellence (quantA), advancing basic research in quantum sciences, aiming to expand the frontiers of knowledge and thus being the engine for future innovations. You will also benefit from being a fellow of the Vienna Doctoral School in Physics (VDSP), being part of a thriving community with more than 100 quantum scientists on premises, about 300 quantum researchers in Vienna.
The Dakić group is an international team of 12 young scientists (Master/ PhD/ Postdoc). Our expertise lies in quantum foundations and quantum information theory. For additional information, please visit: https://dakic.univie.ac.at/ .

Your future tasks:

You will actively participate in research, teaching & administration. This means:

• You are involved in a well-funded research project with the research topics in quantum foundations and quantum information theory.
• You will present your research plan to the faculty and complete a dissertation agreement within 12-18 months. This will be reviewed and adapted on an annual basis.
• You will work on your dissertation and towards its completion in time. We expect a large degree of independence paired with a high level of social awareness as the goal will only be achieved in a team.
• You will contribute to teaching (lab courses, exercise classes) within the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement.
• You will fill some administrative tasks, contributing to the success and self-organization of the group for research, teaching and administration.
• You will continuously stay informed about the state of the art in your field.
• You contribute to outreach by publications, conference presentations and public activities.

This is part of your personality:

• You have completed your Master's degree or Diploma in physics.
• You have experience in academic writing.
• You should come with a background in general quantum theory and mathematics.
• Ideally, you should have experience with the usual tools of quantum information (e.g. tensor network calculus, quantum communication protocols, quantum tomography protocols), linear algebra, and programming (e.g. Mathematica/ Python/ Matlab).
• You have an excellent command of written and spoken English.

What we offer:

Inspiring working atmosphere: You are a part of an international academic team in a healthy and fair working environment.
Good public transport connections: Your workplace in the center of beautiful Vienna is easily accessible by public transport.
Potential for development: Success in life depends on what you make of it, but if you are ambitious and successful, there are plenty of opportunities to connect you to all relevant top research groups in the world.
Internal further training & Coaching: The Vienna Doctoral School as well as the department of human resources offer plenty of opportunities to grow your skills in over 600 courses to choose from – free of charge.
Fair salary: The basic salary of EUR 2.786,10 (30h, 14x p.a.) increases if we can credit professional experience. The employment duration is 4 years. Initially limited to 1.5 years, the employment relationship is automatically extended to 4 years if the employer does not terminate it within the first 12 months by submitting a non-extension declaration.
Equal opportunities for everyone: We look forward to diverse personalities in the team!

It is that easy to apply:

• Your scientific curriculum vitae.
• A statement on your research interests for the future (motivation letter).
• Two letters of recommendation (directly send to: borivoje.dakic@univie.ac.at ).
• Your Bachelor’s and Master‘s degree: an excellent academic degree is a good entrance statement for this position.
• Note, that while a Master’s degree is the usual legal prerequisite for a PhD position at the University of Vienna, we can consider Bachelors (preferentially with Honor’s) in exceptional cases, too.

If you have any content questions, please contact:

Borivoje Dakic

borivoje.dakic@univie.ac.at

We look forward to new personalities in our team!
The University of Vienna has an anti-discriminatory employment policy and attaches great importance to equal opportunities, the advancement of women  and diversity . We lay special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions among the academic and general university staff and therefore expressly encourage qualified women to apply. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female candidates.

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Application deadline: 05/06/2025 (MM-DD-YYYY)

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