The Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics at Umeå University is offering a postdoctoral scholarship within the project ”Ramsey theory of graphs and hypergraphs”. The scholarship is full-time for two years with starting date February the 1st, 2024 or by agreement.

Project description

The purpose of the project is to pursue research in discrete mathematics, with particular emphasis on extremal combinatorics and related topics. The specific research questions will be determined based on the candidate’s interests and expertise, as well as the ongoing projects of the research group. Possible areas of research include (but are not limited to):

Ramsey theory: the study of the maximum size of cliques or independent sets in graphs and hypergraphs. Some particular topics of interest are the Erdős-Hajnal conjecture and the chi-boundedness phenomenon.

Turán-type problems: the study of the maximum number of edges of graphs and hypergraphs avoiding certain forbidden subconfigurations. Potential research questions include the Rational exponents conjecture, Turán-type problems of topological flavor, and extremal numbers of ordered graphs.

Research environment

The project will be carried out in close cooperation mainly with associate professor István Tomon. Currently, the research group in discrete mathematics consists of 18 people and has a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. The group is very active and has a weekly seminar, different workshops, a frequent flow of visitors and international collaborators. We have several PhD students and postdocs. Our research covers a wide range of areas including extremal, probabilistic, algorithmic, game theoretic, computational, topological, geometric, and algebraic combinatorics. The Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics does research in computational mathematics, discrete mathematics, mathematical modeling and analysis, and mathematical statistics. We offer courses and programmes from basic level to PhD studies, in mathematics, mathematical statistics and computational science.

Qualifications

To qualify as a postdoctoral scholarship holder, the postdoctoral fellow is required to have completed a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree. This qualification requirements must be fulfilled no later than at the time of the decision about scholarship recipient. Priority should be given to candidates who completed their doctoral degree, according to what is stipulated in the paragraph above, no later than three years prior. If there are special reasons, candidates who completed their doctoral degree prior to that may also be eligible. Special reasons include absence due to illness, parental leave, appointments of trust in trade union organizations, military service, or similar circumstances, as well as clinical practice or other forms of appointment/ assignment relevant to the subject area.

For this particular project, the successful candidate should have a background in discrete mathematics, broadly understood, or a closely related area. A further requirement is the ability to perform research independently and as part of a team. Good knowledge of oral and written English is required.

Application

A full application should include:

Cover letter, at most 2 pages, stating why this project suits you and your interests,
Curriculum vitae (CV) with list of publications,
Verified copy of a doctoral degree certificate, or documentation that clarifies when the degree of doctor is expected to be obtained,
Verified copies of university diplomas, list of completed academic courses and grades,
A short description of maximum 5 publications most relevant to this project,
Contact information of at least two people willing to act as references.

The application should be written in English (preferably) or Swedish. Your complete application, marked with reference number FS 2.1.6-1322-23, should be sent electronically (in PDF format) to medel@diarie.umu.se (with reference number on the subject line). The closing date is October 31st, 2023.

Further information

Further details are provided by István Tomon (istvan.tomon@umu.se).

More information about the department: https://www.umu.se/en/department-of-mathematics-and-mathematical-statistics/

We look forward to receiving your application.