PhD Position in the development of diagrammatic many-body perturbation theories

O2 Gebouw

Amsterdam

1 / 1

Faculty of Science

PhD

MSc

Closes on

10-08-2025

Publishing date

07-07-2025

Apply

We invite applications for a 4-year PhD position in the field of electronic structure theory that will be carried out at the quantum chemistry group at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Your function

We invite applications for a PhD position to advance diagrammatic many-body perturbation theory for single- and two-body Green’s functions to describe charged and neutral excited states of molecules with quantitative accuracy. Building on on-going work in our group(1–3), the project aims to systematically assess the impact of state-of-the-art vertex corrections to fully self-consistent GW within Hedin’s equations. The main goals are to account for dynamical screening in the vertex, going beyond first-order vertex corrections, and designing efficient schemes to embed vertex-corrected GW within low-order perturbation theory. The project combines theoretical work, algorithm development, and efficient implementation into a modern electronic structure code. It offers an opportunity to contribute to fundamental advances in many-body theory with direct applications in quantum chemistry and electronic structure theory.

The successful candidate will join the quantum chemistry group at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and be supervised by dr. Arno Förster. For an overview of our current group and our research interests please check out our group page. We are an interdisciplinary and international group of chemists and physicists working on the development of novel methods in electronic structure theory and their application to molecules and periodic systems. This PhD project offers plenty of space for your personal development, including participation in international summer schools and conferences.

The planned starting date for the PhD is between October 1st and December 1st 2025.

1. F. Bruneval, A. Förster, J Chem Theory Comput 20, 3218−3230 (2024).

2. A. Förster, F. Bruneval, J Phys Chem Lett 15, 12526−12534 (2024).

3. A. Förster, J Chem Theory Comput 21, 1709−1721 (2025).

Your profile

You hold, or about to obtain, a master’s degree in physics, chemistry, or a related field.
You have a solid background in electronic structure and a basic understanding of at least two of the following areas: effective single-particle theories (DFT, Hartree–Fock), many-body Green’s functions, dynamical mean-field theory, many-body perturbation theory (RPA, GW), coupled cluster theory, or methods for strongly correlated systems (e.g., exact diagonalization, tensor networks).
You are proficient in programming in a modern language (such as Python, Fortran, C++, etc.). The PhD project will involve implementing the developed algorithms in modern Fortran. Experience with Mathematica is a plus.
You have excellent communication and writing skills.
You are willing to work independently as well as in a team.
You are interested in participating in educational tasks.

We realise that everyone brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore, we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

What do we offer?

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

a salary of € 2.901,00 (1st year) and maximum of € 3.707,00 (4th year) gross per month for a full-time employment.
an employment contract of initially 1 year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended for a total duration of 4 years.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements. Some examples:

A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year.
8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
contribution to commuting expenses.
solid pension scheme (ABP).
space for personal development.
a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge.
discount on (and occasionally exclusive access to) theater performances and courses at the Griffioen Cultural Center.

About us

Faculty of Science

Researchers and students at VU Amsterdam’s Faculty of Science tackle fundamental and complex scientific problems to help pave the way for a sustainable and healthy future. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, and from molecules to the moon: we cover the full spectrum of the natural sciences. Our teaching and research have a strong experimentally technical, computational and interdisciplinary nature.

We work on new solutions guided by value-driven, interdisciplinary methodologies. We are committed to research, valorisation and training socially engaged citizens of the world who will make valuable contributions to a sustainable, healthy future.

Are you interested in joining the Faculty of Science? You will join undergraduate students, PhD candidates and researchers at the biggest sciences faculty in the Netherlands. You will combine a professional focus with a broad view of the world. We are proud of our collegial working climate, characterised by committed staff, a pragmatic attitude and engagement in the larger whole. The faculty is home to over 11,000 students enrolled in 40 study programmes. It employs over 1,600 professionals spread across 10 academic departments.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity

Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.

Interested

Are you interested in this position and do you believe that your experience will contribute to the further development of our university? In that case, we encourage you to submit your application no later than 10th of August 2025. Interviews for this position will start shortly after this date.

Please send a cover letter, explaining why you want to do a PhD and why you chose to apply for this specific position (one page maximum), a curriculum vitae, a complete record of Bachelor and Master courses including grades, and the contact details of 2 references. All the documents must be written in English.

If you have any questions about the position, we encourage you to reach out to dr. Arno Förster ([email protected]).

PLEASE DO NOT APPLY THROUGH MAIL, only applications through the VU application system will be considered.