Job offer

Organisation/Company COGENT - Doctoral Network

Research Field

1. Mathematics » Geometry
2. Mathematics » Number theory
3. Mathematics » Computational mathematics
4. Mathematics » Algorithms
5. Mathematics » Algebra

Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)

Positions: PhD Positions

Country: France

Application Deadline: 30 May 2025 - 16:00 (Europe/Paris)

Type of Contract: Temporary

Job Status: Full-time

Offer Starting Date: 1 Sep 2025

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number 101169527

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

IMPORTANT PRELIMINARY NOTICE: The recruitment process will begin on 3 March, and will continue until all positions are filled.

COGENT is a European Doctoral Network, funded by the European Commission (EC) as part of the MSCA programme and by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Academic UK beneficiaries: University of Durham, University of Sheffield (UFSD).

Partner organizations worldwide: Colorado State University (CSU), University of Massachusetts (UMASS), University of Michigan, University of North Carolina-Greensboro (UNCG), University of Oklahoma, ID Quantique (IDQ, Switzerland), MSM Programming (Croatia).

Doctoral candidates 1 to 10 are funded by the EC as part of the MSCA program. Doctoral candidates 11, 12 and 13 are funded by UKRI.

The COGENT project (Cohomology, Geometry, Explicit Number Theory) will advance the state of the art in an active area of interplay between algebra, geometry and computer science. It aims to promote game-changing approaches to explicit and exact calculations underlying longstanding conjectures in number theory.

COGENT has the ambition to stimulate interdisciplinary and intersectorial knowledge exchange between number theorists, algebraists, geometers, computer scientists and industrial actors facing real-life challenges in symbolic computation in order to bridge key knowledge gaps. To this end, the project will address the urgent need for computer-assisted investigations of several longstanding number-theoretic conjectures, and EU industry’s need for workers with an advanced mathematical and computational skill set.

COGENT brings together international experts with relevant diverse and complementary expertise in mathematical and computational techniques. They will work on topics such as the development of methods for the efficient application of the cohomological machinery to various classes of arithmetic groups and applications to number theory. COGENT will broaden theoretical knowledge aimed at extending the scope of computer-aided symbolic and exact calculations, with a view to potential industrial applications in disparate areas ranging from cryptography to applied topological data analysis. The main training goal of the project is to form a new generation of young researchers with a unique expertise, including high-performance computations in geometry and topology, proof-assistant and formalized mathematics, machine learning and quantum computing techniques.

The training will incorporate innovative boot camps, exposure to new research collaborations, and a wide range of transferable skills.

The project consists of a relatively large consortium (5 academic EU beneficiaries, 2 academic UK beneficiaries funded by UKRI and 7 partner organizations worldwide). Beneficiaries provide supervision of at least one Doctoral candidate project, while the Partner Organisations provide co-supervision, secondments, short visits or training.

The members of the COGENT network are experienced supervisors with more than 90 successful PhD students supervised working either in academia, in the public sector or in industry. Moreover, they have been part of more than 200 PhD committees and been involved in more than 50 PhDs as referees.

Doctoral candidates will participate in a range of online seminars, in-person workshops, conferences and other training activities organised as part of this COGENT Doctoral Network.

Scientific Challenges

The COGENT project aims to tackle a range of scientific challenges including:

• Obtaining full explicit information on the cohomology of several families of arithmetic groups.
• Circumventing the exponential complexity of current computational methods.
• Implementing the action of Hecke operators.
• Explicitly studying algebraic K-groups and related conjectures, and connecting elements in algebraic K-groups and in homology.
• Testing and refining the integral Langlands Program.
• Formally verifying intricate proofs and computer-aided computations.
• Identifying suitable applications of motivic cohomology and group theory to cryptography.

Eligibility Criteria

Students with a Master's degree who wish to pursue a PhD in mathematics.

Languages: ENGLISH Level Excellent

Additional Information

Each recruited researcher will receive:

• A living allowance (gross amount, including compulsory deductions under national law, such as employer and employee social security contributions and direct taxes.)
• A mobility allowance, to cover the additional, private mobility-related costs (e.g. travel and accommodation costs).

The recruited doctoral candidates will also receive a family allowance if they have or acquire family obligations during the action duration. Family is defined as persons linked to the researcher by (i) marriage, or (ii) a relationship with equivalent status to a marriage recognised by the legislation of the country or region where this relationship was formalised; or (iii) dependent children who are actually being maintained by the researcher.

Please note that a country correction coefficient applies to the living allowance in order to ensure equal treatment and purchasing power parity for all researchers.

IMPORTANT STATEMENT: the indicative amounts of the living allowances mentioned in this vacancy include the provisions for all compulsory deductions under national applicable legislation. This means that the living allowance is not just your gross salary, but additionally includes the compulsory employer's contributions.

Estimation per month and per country based on the MSCA requirements: (France: approximately 3900€ (gross amount), Germany: approximately 3300€ (gross amount), Netherlands: approximately 3700€ (gross amount), Ireland: approximately 4000€ (gross amount), UK: approximately 4600€ (gross amount))

Mobility allowance:600€ per month

Family allowance (if applicable):495€ per month

For more information on the MSCA Doctoral Networks action please consult the MSCA website.

Selection Process

Applications will be accepted starting on February 6th.

Candidates will potentially apply for all proposals, but with a preferred list of at least 3.

The Recruitment Committee (RC) will be composed of all supervisors and co-supervisors within the COGENT.

The preliminary and final selection will be made in a collective, fully transparent process and will adhere to principles outlined in the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers and in conformity with our respective host institutions.

Criteria for the final evaluation will include scientific skills and knowledge (including computer science and programming skills), demonstrated motivation, and communication skills.

Interviews will be scheduled with short-listed candidates.

Applications received by e-mail will not be considered.