[Users] Postdoctoral Position in Numerical Relativity and Fundamental Physics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

[Helvi Witek]

Dear all,

we are inviting applications for a postdoctoral position in numerical 
relativity and fundamental physics at the University of Illinois 
Urbana-Champaign. The successful candidate will work with Prof. Helvi 
Witek and her team, and they will have the opportunity to collaborate on 
the Einstein Toolkit/CarpetX software framework.

Applicant should submit their application package

(1) a cover letter,

(2) a curriculum vitae, including a list of publications,

(3) a research statement (limited to 3 pages, 1 inch margin, 11-12pt) 
containing a summary of previous and current research, and future 
research plans,

(4) contact information for three (3) referees who will be asked to 
write letters of recommendation,

by *December 1, 2025*, here:https://my.physics.illinois.edu/join/under 
“Postdoctoral Position in Numerical Relativity and Fundamental Physics 
with Dr. Helvi Witek – 2026.” The prospective start date of the position 
is August 2026.

Please find the detailed announcement below.

Best wishes

Helvi

---

The Illinois Relativity Group in the Department of Physics at the 
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign invites applications for a 
postdoctoral research position with focus on numerical relativity, 
computational astrophysics, and their applications to fundamental physics.

The successful candidate will join Prof. Helvi Witek and her team to 
work on numerical relativity in and beyond general relativity, including 
tests of gravity or modeling signatures of dark matter candidates around 
black holes. The candidate is intended to partially work on the Einstein 
Toolkit/CarpetX software framework and contribute to its hybrid 
Monte-Carlo/M1 neutrino transport scheme as part of the “E=mc^2 ” 
project. This is a multi-institutional project to develop numerical 
infrastructure and methods, with collaborators at Louisiana State 
University, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Idaho, 
University of Texas Austin, and the University of Wyoming, and 
international collaborators R. Haas and E. Schnetter.

Prof. Helvi Witek’s team is currently home to postdoc Dr. Jay Kalinani, 
Visiting Research Scientist Dr. Elena Kopteva, six graduate students and 
undergraduate students; 
seehttps://witek-gravity-group.physics.illinois.edu. The successful 
candidate will become a member of the Illinois Relativity Group which 
includes Profs. S. Shapiro, H. O. Silva, N. Yunes, and Research 
Professor A. Tsokaros. They will also become part of a vibrant research 
community in the Illinois Center for Advanced Study of the University 
(ICASU;https://icasu.illinois.edu/) that bridges the Departments of 
Physics, Astronomy, Computer Science, Mathematics and the National 
Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). ICASU faculty working in 
closely related areas include Profs. C. Gammie, G. Holder, J. 
Noronha-Hostler, J. Noronha, J. Shelton, and S. Vishveshwara. The 
successful candidate will also have opportunities to join the LISA 
Consortium (https://lisamission.org) and the Einstein Toolkit Consortium 
(https://einsteintoolkit.org).

The candidate should have a strong background in scientific software 
development using parallelization frameworks like MPI or in numerical 
relativity in and beyond General Relativity. Expertise in GPU 
programming is beneficial. Interested candidates must have completed a 
Ph.D. in astronomy, physics, or a related field before the start date.

They must submit their application package online 
here:https://my.physics.illinois.edu/join/under “Postdoctoral Position 
in Numerical Relativity and Fundamental Physics with Dr. Helvi Witek – 
2026.” Applicants are requested to submit:

(1) a cover letter,

(2) a curriculum vitae, including a list of publications,

(3) a research statement (limited to 3 pages, 1 inch margin, 11-12pt) 
containing a summary of previous and current research, and future 
research plans,

(4) contact information for three (3) referees who will be asked to 
write letters of recommendation.

The deadline for applications and all letters of recommendation 
is*December 1, 2025*, for full consideration. The anticipated starting 
date of the position is August 15, 2026, though other starting times may 
be negotiated. The position is expected to last for a two-year term with 
a potential extension to a third year, conditional on performance and/or 
funding availability.

Please contact Prof. Helvi Witek (hwitek at illinois.edu) if you have any 
questions about the position itself, or Deanna Frye 
(ddebord at illinois.edu) if you have any questions about the application form.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, 
including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and 
complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. 
Please visitRequired Employment Notices and Posters 
<https://www.hr.uillinois.edu/cms/one.aspx?portalId=4292&pageId=5705>to 
view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information 
about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct 
disclosures, and employment eligibility review throughE-Verify 
<https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/EVerifyParticipationPoster.pdf>.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a 
reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act 
(2008) to complete the application and/or interview process.


---------------------------------------------
Dr. Helvi Witek
Associate Professor
Department of Physics
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

247 Loomis Lab
1110 W Green St
Urbana, IL 61801
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