The Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) is inviting applications for a junior research group leader position in theoretical physics. The 5-year position comes with funding for a postdoc and two PhD students.

Applications should be received electronically until Nov 4, 2019. The starting date can be negotiated (and could be immediate).

The successful candidate has at least two years of research experience after the PhD by the time of the appointment. Young theoretical scientists working in a wide range of topics will be considered, such as quantum information processing, quantum engineering, nonlinear optics, photonic systems, topological photonics, machine learning for physics, light-matter interactions, nanophysics, foundations of physics, nonequilibrium dynamics, modern numerical approaches, and others.

We offer a competitive salary for the group leader (salary level E14 or E15, depending on experience), who is expected to lead a scientifically independent research program. Resources will be provided for the group, including one postdoc position and two PhD positions. The group runs for five years, with a possible extension if needed (depending on the stipulations of the German law / "Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz"). A successful group leader typically goes on to tenured (or tenure-track) positions elsewhere in Germany or abroad.

The group will be associated with and housed at the MPL theory division (director: Florian Marquardt). It will be embedded in a lively and international research environment both at MPL and at the nearby university of Erlangen-Nuremberg, with world-leading groups working on a range of topics (theory of quantum optomechanics, machine learning in physics, numerical approaches to quantum nonequilibrium systems, theory of correlated systems, experiments in nano-optics, photonic crystal fibres, and optical quantum information, etc.). The working language at MPL is English.

MPL is one of the youngest Max Planck institutes in Germany, founded in 2009, in Erlangen (Bavaria). The MPL theory division has been established in 2016.

The application should consist of a short cover letter, a CV, a publication list (including a list of three publications considered particularly representative and noteworthy), and a research statement composed of: a summary of past achievements, set into the context of the research field (e.g. 2 pages), and a vision for the topics the group will work on (e.g. 2-3 pages). Please send all these as PDF documents to Ms Gesine Murphy, marquardt-office@mpl.mpg.de. In addition, you have to have three letters of reference sent by email to the same address (quoting the candidate name and the "MPL theory group leader position"). For informal inquiries, please contact directly Florian.Marquardt@mpl.mpg.de.

The Max Planck Society has set itself the goal of employing more severely handicapped people. Applications from the severely handicapped are expressly welcome. The Society wants to increase the proportion of women in areas where they are underrepresented. Women are therefore expressly invited to apply.

Theory Division website: http://mpl.mpg.de/divisions/marquardt-division/