A globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a warm and friendly place to work, and a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other.

As one of the UK’s leading universities, Durham is an incredible place to define your career. The University is located within a beautiful historic city, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and surrounded by stunning countryside. Our talented scholars and researchers from around the world are tackling global issues and making a difference in people's lives.  

We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things in the world. Being a part of Durham is about more than just the success of the University. It’s also about contributing to the success of the city, county and community.

Our University Strategy is built on three pillars of research, education and wider student experience, but also on our keen sense of community and of inspiring others to achieve their potential. 

Our Purpose and Values

We want our University to be a place where people can be free to be themselves, no matter what their identity or background. Together, we celebrate differences, value one another and are each responsible for creating an inclusive community that is respectful and fair for all.

Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Durham? information page.  

The Department

The Department of Computer Science at Durham is one of the very best UK departments with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students. Ranked 4th in the Complete University Guide 2024, the department provides an excellent working and research environment. Furthermore, the Algorithms and Complexity group is among the largest in the UK.

The Role

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Computer Science with a particular emphasis on Mathematical and Complexity-theoretic aspects of Constraint Satisfaction Problems (CSPs). The research project is the EPSRC-funded “Promise Constraint Satisfaction Problems: Structure and Complexity”, led by Professor Andrei Krokhin. The aim of the project is to understand the mathematical structure of Promise CSPs that makes them easy or hard from the algorithmic point of view.  This project is particularly suitable for researchers in mathematics and theoretical computer science looking to expand their expertise into a new, exciting area of much international interest.

The CSPs are very general combinatorial problems that can be expressed in many different ways: for example, via logic (e.g. logical satisfiability problems), combinatorics (e.g. graph homomorphisms), or algebra (e.g. systems of equations over a field). Such problems can have different computational complexity (e.g. polynomial-time solvable or NP-hard), and the question of how exactly the inherent mathematical structure of problems affects the complexity is the essence of the project. There are many mathematical approaches that can be used in this research -- recent examples include universal algebra, logic and model theory, combinatorics and graph theory, algebraic topology and topological combinatorics, combinatorial optimisation, category theory, matrix analysis, and Boolean function analysis. The successful applicant will use their own mathematical background, possibly in combination with some of the existing approaches, to assist the project team in developing a new mathematical theory of Promise CSPs, a recently proposed generalisation of the standard CSPs.

Key responsibilities:

• To understand and convey material of a specialist or highly technical nature to the team or group of people through presentations and discussions that lead to the presentation of research papers in conferences and publications.
• To prepare and deliver presentations on research outputs/activities to audiences, which may include research sponsors and academic and non-academic audiences.
• To publish high-quality outputs, including papers for submission to peer-reviewed journals and papers for presentation at conferences and workshops under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.
• To assist with the development of research objectives and proposals.
• To conduct individual and collaborative research projects under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.
• To work with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and other colleagues in the research group, as appropriate, to identify areas for research, develop new research methods and extend the research portfolio.
• To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and offering creative or innovative solutions.
• To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration.
• To plan and manage own research activity and research resources in collaboration with others and contribute to the planning of research projects.
• To contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect.
• To engage in wider citizenship to support the department and wider discipline.
• To engage in continuing professional development by participation in undergraduate or postgraduate teaching programmes or by membership in departmental committees, etc. and by attending relevant training and development courses.   

This post is fixed term for 36 months, as funding is available for this period only.

The post-holder is employed to work on research/a research project which will be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols.

The start date is negotiable, but the successful applicant will ideally be in post by 1 October 2025.

Working at Durham 

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:

• 30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year.  
• The University closes between Christmas and New Year.
• We offer a generous pension scheme; as a new member of staff, you will be automatically enrolled on the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
• No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered.  We have parking across campus, a cycle-to-work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discounts with local bus and train companies.
• There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally.  There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University.  All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.
• Lots of support for health and wellbeing, including discounted membership for our state-of-the-art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
• On-site nursery is available, and children’s clubs in the summer holidays.
• Family-friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
• The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.
• Discounts are available via our benefits portal, including money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions.
• A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.
• If you are moving to Durham, we can help with removal costs, and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities, such as house hunting and schools.  If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key component of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our Purpose and Values and our Staff Code of Conduct.  At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all colleagues undertake activities that are aligned with both our values and commitment to EDI. 

We welcome and encourage applications from those who are currently under-represented in our workforce, including people with disabilities and from racially minoritised ethnic groups.

If you have taken a career break or periods of leave that may have impacted the volume and recency of your research outputs and other activities, such as maternity, adoption or parental leave, you may wish to disclose this in your application. The selection committee will take this into account when evaluating your application.

The University has been awarded the Disability Confident Employer status. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so, and where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their roles. 

Person Specification

Essential Criteria:

Qualifications

1. A good first degree in Mathematics or Computer Science.

2. A PhD (or be close to submission) in Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related subject.

Experience

3. Experience in conducting high quality academic research in an area of mathematics or theoretical computer science.

4. Demonstrable ability to write material of a quality commensurate with publication in highly-ranked journals.

5. Demonstrable ability to present research papers at international conferences and communicate complex information to specialists and within the wider academic community.

Skills

6. Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, including participating in research meetings.

7. Ability to work independently on own initiative and to strict deadlines.

8. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

Desirable Criteria:

Experience

9. Strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals, commensurate with stage of career.

10. A track record of presenting research at conferences, symposia, or meetings commensurate with the stage of career.

11. Demonstrable ability to develop research proposals and designs in collaboration with other academics.

12. Good understanding of mathematical aspects of constraint satisfaction research.

13. Experience in research in some of the following areas of mathematics: algebra, logic, graph theory, topology, combinatorial optimisation, and category theory.

14. Familiarity with computational complexity theory.

Skills

15. Demonstrable ability to plan and manage independent research. 

How to Apply  

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification below. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria.  

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at the interview.  

Submitting your application 

We prefer to receive applications online.   We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.

What to Submit 

All applicants are asked to submit: 

• a CV and cover letter which details your experience, skills, and achievements in meeting (or the potential to meet) the criteria set out below.
• a list of publications.

Contact Information 

Department Contact for academic-related enquiries 

For informal enquiries, contact Professor Andrei Krokhin by email at andrei.krokhin@durham.ac.uk.

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application 

If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email.  Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you’re experiencing to e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk 

Alternatively, you may call 0191 334 6801 from the UK or +44 191 334 6801 from outside the UK. This number operates during the hours of 09.00 and 17.00, Monday to Friday, UK time.  We will normally respond within one working day (Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays).  

University contact for general queries about the recruitment process 

If you have any queries about the recruitment process, please contact the recruitment team at e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk. 

Next Steps 

Short-listed candidates will be invited to the University, either virtually or in person and will have the opportunity to meet key members of the Department.  The assessment for the post will normally be by interview, and we anticipate that the assessments and interviews will take place over two days around March-April 2025.

In the event that you are unable to attend in person on the date offered, it may not be possible to offer you an interview on an alternative date. 

Please note that in submitting your application, Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.durham.ac.uk/about-us/governance/information-governance/privacy-notices/privacy-notices/job-applicants/ which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.   

When appointing to this role, the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds, which are applicable to some visas.