King's College London 
London, United Kingdom Offer Summary
King's College London invites applications for a full-time Research Assistant position in Materials Modelling within the Physics Department. Based at the Strand Campus in central London, this postdoctoral role supports Dr. Chiara Gattinoni’s EPSRC-funded project on ultrathin ferroelectric films. The successful candidate will develop machine-learned interatomic potentials to manipulate polarization in these materials. The position offers an annual salary of £39,076 to £43,909, including London Weighting Allowance. Applicants must hold or be close to completing a PhD in Materials Modelling or Computational Physics, with essential skills in programming, data analysis, and atomistic simulation techniques. Experience with ferroelectric materials is desirable. The contract is fixed-term for six months. Applications require a CV and supporting statement addressing essential criteria. The closing date for submissions is 02 November 2026.
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Project Description
Job id:159665. Salary:£39,076 - £43,909 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.
Posted:19 October 2026. Closing date:02 November 2026.
Business unit:Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sci. Department:Physics.
Contact details: Chiara Gattinoni. chiara.gattinoni@kcl.ac.uk
Location: Strand Campus. Category:Research.
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About us
The available postdoctoral associate position is based in the Physics Department at King’s College London, one of the UK’s best Physics Departments with the QS World University Rankings placing us in the top 10 universities in the country.
The Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences (NMES) comprises Chemistry, Engineering, Informatics, Mathematics, and Physics – all departments highly rated in research activities and a wide-ranging portfolio of education programmes.
About the role
Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position in the group of Dr. Chiara Gattinoni — within the Theory and Simulation of Condensed Matter research group — on the materials modelling of ultrathin ferroelectric films. The overall goal of this research project is to produce strategies to manipulate the polarization in ultrathin ferroelectrics, and to design ferroelectric thin films possessing the desired magnitude and direction of the polarization.
The successful candidate will develop machine learned interatomic potentials for the study of ultrathin ferroelectric films.
This position is supported by the EPSRC New Investigator Award grant “Customisable polarization in ultrathin ferroelectrics”.
The position is based in the Department of Physics, King’s College London on the Strand Campus in the heart of central London.
This is a full-time post (35 Hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract with a 6 months length.
About you
To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:
Essential criteria
1. BSc in Physics, Materials Science of related subject
2. PhD in Materials modelling, computational physics or related subject (either complete or close to completion)
3. Excellent skills in programming and data analysis
4. Experience of atomistic simulation techniques
5. Ability to work independently and as part of a team
6. Excellent communication skills
Desirable criteria
1. Experience of atomistic modelling of ferroelectric materials
2. Experience in development and application of machine learned potentials
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 next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.
Further Information
At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university.
The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.
We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.
When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.
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 person specification section of the job description. 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.
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