Research Associate in Number Theory

About us

The number theory group at King's currently consists of David Burns, Lassina Dembélé, Fred Diamond, Netan Dogra, Andrea Dotto, Natalie Evans, Peter Jossen, Asuka Kumon, Payman L Kassaei, Steve Lester, Rachel Newton, Owen Patashnick, Beth Romano and Igor Wigman, as well as several postdoctoral researchers and PhD students.

We benefit from being part of the wider London number theory community, with the London Number Theory Seminar and associated study groups hosted by Imperial, King's and UCL, and also take part in the biannual London-Paris Number Theory Seminar.

About the role

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral research associate to work with Rachel Newton on the UKRI-funded project 'Diophantine equations and local-global principles: into the wild'. The post is available for two years, starting on 1st September 2026.

The project spans several topics including Brauer groups, Brauer-Manin obstructions, and the frequency of failure of local-global principles in families of varieties and number fields. It also includes applications of p-adic geometry to the study of Brauer-Manin obstructions and rational points on varieties.

The postdoctoral research associate will contribute to appropriate strands of the project according to their background and interests. Those interests may be in arithmetic geometry, arithmetic statistics and/or analytic number theory.

When applying, candidates should include a CV with a list of publications and a research statement, and arrange for two reference letters to be sent directly to [email protected] by the closing date.

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 31/08/2028.

Research staff at King's are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers , applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. PhD awarded in relevant subject area or PhD in in relevant subject area near completion*

2. Excellence in research and publications, commensurate with career stage

3. Excellent written communication skills

4. Excellent verbal communication skills

5. Specialist knowledge in one of the areas of the research programme outlined above

6. An interest in rational points on varieties, local-global principles and/or arithmetic statistics

Desirable criteria

1. Strong background in one of the following areas: p-adic geometry, arithmetic statistics, analytic number theory

2. Experience of working independently

3. Experience of working in collaboration

4. Experience organising seminars/study groups or similar

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ' How we Recruit ' pages.

Interviews are due to be held in late January 2026.