PhD Candidate in Numerical Methods for Functional Calculus

KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Engineering Sciences

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Applied and Computational Mathematics 

The Department of Mathematics at KTH welcomes applications for a full-time position as doctoral student under the supervision of Kristin Kirchner . The doctoral project focuses on research at the intersection of Numerical Mathematics and Functional Analysis.

The position is financed by Kristin Kirchner’s ERC Starting Grant FunCalc4Stats - Functional Calculus for Computational Statistics funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The successful applicant will develop foundations for the numerical analysis of functional calculus, i.e., the approximation of functions acting on operators, such as computational methods for fractional powers of differential operators. A particular emphasis will be on the development, implementation and error analysis of finite element methods for such problems.

The doctoral student position involves graduate studies with the goal of a doctoral degree (for more details, see the information about the doctoral program in Applied and Computational Mathematics) and some departmental duties, mainly teaching for basic level courses. Teaching can be performed in English, and there is support for learning the Swedish language if desired.

The Department of Mathematics offers a high-class, active research environment within a broad spectrum of mathematical areas. Currently, there are about 55 PhD candidates at the department. 

Interviews with selected candidates will be held in May and may be conducted online or in-person at KTH.

Supervision: Kristin Kirchner is proposed to supervise the doctoral student. Decisions are made on admission

Admission requirements

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7, 39 § Swedish Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

• passed a second cycle degree (for example a master’s degree), or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 second-cycle higher education credits, or
• acquired, in some other way within or outside the country, substantially equivalent knowledge

A master’s thesis (or equivalent), preferably in mathematics or applied mathematics, is required and must be completed before employment but not before the application deadline.

In addition to the above, there is also a mandatory requirement for English equivalent to English B/6.

Selection

In order to succeed as a doctoral student at KTH you need to be goal oriented and persevering in your work. During the selection process, candidates will be assessed upon their ability to:

• independently pursue his or her work
• collaborate with others,
• have a professional approach and
• analyze and work with complex issues.

In addition, a master’s thesis or degree project relevant for the specialization and doctoral project, coursework in Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations and Functional Analysis, programming skills (e.g., Matlab or Python), international experience, and excellent proficiency in written and spoken English are regarded as merits.

Applicants must be strongly motivated for doctoral studies, possess the ability to think critically, and have good communicative skills.

After the qualification requirements, great emphasis will be placed on personal skills. 

Target degree: Doctoral degree

Information regarding admission and employment

Only those admitted to postgraduate education may be employed as a doctoral student. The total length of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education in four years’ time. An employed doctoral student can, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within their role, e.g. training and administration. A new position as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, and then the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.

As a doctoral student, you are entitled to a workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH’s Doctoral student salary agreement . Read more about Doctoral studies (PhD) Sweden .

Union representatives

Contact information for  union representatives.

Doctoral Students’network (Students’ union on KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

Contact information for  doctoral section .

To apply for the position

Apply for the position and admission through KTH’s recruitment system. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement.

Applications must be received at the last closing date at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/Central European Summer Time).

Applications must include the following elements:

• CV including your relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Application letter with a brief description of why you want to pursue research studies, about what your academic interests are and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Maximum 2 pages long)
• Copies of diplomas and grades from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled language requirements (see above) . Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these languages.Copies of originals must be certified .
• Copy of the master’s thesis or degree project (if available) or other writing sample.
• Contact information of at least two references.

Other information

For information about processing of personal data in the recruitment process.

It may be the case that a position at KTH is classified as a security-sensitive role in accordance with the Protective Security Act (2018:585). If this applies to the specific position, a security clearance will be conducted for the applicant in accordance with the same law with the applicant’s consent. In such cases, a prerequisite for employment is that the applicant is approved following the security clearance.

We firmly decline all contact with staffing and recruitment agencies and job ad salespersons.

Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.

 

 

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Type of employment

Temporary position

Contract type

Full time

Full-time equivalent

100%

First day of employment

According to agreement

Salary

Monthly salary according to KTH’s doctoral student salary agreement

Number of positions

1

Location

Stockholm

County

Stockholms län

Country

Sweden

Reference number

PA-2026-0588

Published

12.Mar.2026

Last application date

30.Apr.2026

Contact

Kristin Kirchner
krikirkth.se