The Faculty of Chemistry at the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen welcomes applications for two
Ph.D. positions (f/m/d)
at the Theoretical Chemistry group (Group of Prof. Ricardo Mata). The positions are remunerated with 50 %
E 13 TV-L (corresponding to 19.9 hours per week) with a limited contract of 3 years. The positions should be filled by 01.10.2026 or by individual arrangement. Salary: Pay grade 13 TV-L (50 %).
Your duties
- You will conduct individual and collaborative research projects in theoretical chemistry and computational simulation,
- continually update your own knowledge and understanding in the field and translate knowledge of advances in the subject area into research activity,
- write up research work for publication,
- present information on research progress and outcomes to team members and collaboration partners,
- contribute positively to a collegiate research environment by supporting students and engaging in group activities such as meetings and seminars,
- contribute to teaching of courses as defined in Section 31 of the Higher Education Act of Lower Saxony (NHG) and administering of examinations.
Your profile
- You hold (or are in the process of concluding) a Master’s degree in Chemistry, Physics or a related discipline,
- ability to work collaboratively and effectively within an interdisciplinary and diverse team,
- You have experience in academic writing.
- You have an interest and background in quantum chemistry and molecular simulations.
- You have an excellent command of written and spoken English.
- experience with programming (e.g. Python, Julia) and simulation methods (e.g. molecular or quantum dynamics) is advantageous.
This post is designed to serve in fostering young researchers and scientists and give the successful applicant the opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree. Another requirement for employment is a commitment from the doctoral supervisors to supervise the successful applicant in the doctoral program within the framework of the GAUSS doctoral program.
We are looking for Ph.D. students working in the following areas:
Project 1: Simulation of nuclear quantum effects in chemical and biochemical systems
Project 2: Theoretical studies of enzymatic catalysis
Who we are : The Mata group develops quantum chemical approaches for the description of reactivity and molecular interactions in the gas phase and in solution. The group applies a combination of electronic structure methods, hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics methodologies as well as machine learning techniques to atomistically describe complex processes. Work includes several active collaborations with experimental groups in Chemistry and Biology, both national and international.
The University of Göttingen is an equal opportunities employer and places particular emphasis on fostering career opportunities for women. Qualified women are therefore strongly encouraged to apply in fields in which they are underrepresented. The university has committed itself to being a family-friendly institution and supports their employees in balancing work and family life. The mission of the University is to employ a greater number of severely disabled persons. Applications from severely disabled persons with equivalent qualifications will be given preference.
The documents (CV, motivation letter plus the name and contact of two references) are to be submitted by electronic form (single PDF file) to the e-mail
[email protected] . The deadline for submission is 20:00 (CET) on
Tuesday July 7, 2026 .
If you have any questions, please contact us via e-mail:
[email protected] .
Please note:
With submission of your application, you accept the processing of your applicant data in terms of data-protection law. Further information on the legal basis and data usage is provided in the Hinweisblatt zur Datenschutzgrundverordnung (DSGVO) https://www.uni-goettingen.de/hinweisdsgvo
