Description

The MIT Center for Theoretical Physics -- a Leinweber Institute (CTP-LI) hopes to make postdoctoral appointments in the theory of Quantum Information Science / Quantum Computing, in Nuclear Theory, and in High-Energy Theory, to begin September 1, 2027. CTP-LI also anticipates making offers of one or more Leinweber Physics Postdoctoral Fellowships, in any area of theoretical physics, with the same start date.

Current senior members of the Quantum Information Science/Quantum Computing (QI/QC) group include Soonwon Choi, Isaac Chuang, Edward Farhi, Jeffrey Goldstone and Aram Harrow in the Physics department as well as Peter Shor in Math, Seth Lloyd in Mechanical Engineering, and Anand Natarajan and Harry Zhou in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science with interests covering almost all areas of the field. Current senior members of the High-Energy group are: Netta Engelhardt, Alan Guth, Daniel Harlow, Mikhail Ivanov, Robert Jaffe, David Kaiser, Hong Liu, Shu-Heng Shao, Tracy Slatyer, Washington Taylor, Jesse Thaler, Frank Wilczek, and Barton Zwiebach with interests covering all areas of particle physics, phenomenology, cosmology, astroparticle physics, quantum field theory, quantum information, quantum gravity, string theory, formal gravity theory, and research connecting high energy physics, condensed matter physics, mathematics, and other related areas. The research interests of the Nuclear Theory group are centered around QCD, with emphases that include lattice gauge theory, chiral perturbation theory, hadron structure, factorization, effective theories, heavy quark physics, jet physics, quark-gluon plasma in QCD and other gauge theories, connections to string theory, and QCD at high density. The current Nuclear faculty group includes: William Detmold, John Negele, Krishna Rajagopal, Phiala Shanahan and Iain Stewart. Apply to the positions at: [https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/32745
] (QI/QC), [https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/32744] (Nuclear), [https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/32743] (High-Energy), and [https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/32742] (Leinweber Physics Postdoctoral Fellowships). Applications should include a CV, statement of research interests, a list of publications, and the names of three senior researchers who will provide letters of recommendation.

We also refer applicants interested in QI/QC to the QMIT Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, which has an earlier deadline of October 23, 2026, and requires an MIT faculty sponsor.

If your research aligns with more than one of these areas, or if you are unsure whether your research fits the description for a given position, we encourage you to apply for all CTP-LI areas which might be relevant. The CTP-LI seeks a broad and diverse applicant pool, and welcomes applications from candidates at the intersections of (sub)fields.

For full consideration, applications for all positions except the Leinweber Physics Postdoctoral Fellowships should be received by 11:59 p.m. US Eastern time on November 16, 2026, including all letters of recommendation. The application will request that you select which faculty you are most likely to interact with scientifically; this is a required question, and if you do not answer it then your application will be considered incomplete.

The Leinweber Physics Postdoctoral Fellowships have an earlier application deadline, by 11.59pm US Eastern time on November 2, 2026, and also require a brief nomination form [https://forms.gle/FgG8gGUKd5K3iG776] to be completed by a faculty member at any institution (or an equivalent senior researcher in industry), in addition to the Academic Jobs Online application. The nomination form is due earlier, by 11:59 p.m. US Eastern time on October 9, 2026.

The pay range for a 12-month academic staff appointment at the postdoctoral associate rank is $73,000–$90,000. MIT provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the Institute reasonably expects to pay for a position at the time of posting. The pay offered to a selected candidate during hiring will be based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience and education/training, internal peer equity, and applicable legal requirements. This pay range represents base pay only and does not include any other benefits or compensation.

Requirements

A PhD in Physics