King's College London

About us

The study of Physics at King's dates back to the foundation of the College in 1829. The Department has an illustrious history. The first Professor was the polymath Sir Charles Wheatstone and other former professors include James Clerk Maxwell, whose outstanding work unifying the equations of electromagnetism took place during his time at King’s. He also took the first colour photograph in that period. Later, the Department was home to several Nobel laureates: Appleton, Barkla, Richardson and Wilkins. The seminal x-ray crystallography work by Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin, which led to the discovery of the structure of DNA, took place in the Physics Department. More recently, in 2013, two alumni of the Department, Professor Peter Higgs FRS and Professor Michael Levitt FRS were honoured with the Nobel Prize for Physics and Chemistry, respectively.

The Department is currently undergoing significant growth with substantial investment in new appointments, research infrastructure and laboratory space refurbishment.  The details of the current research in the Department can be found at www.kcl.ac.uk/physics. The post will be based at Photonics & nanotechnology group led by Professor Anatoly Zayats.

About the role

We are seeking a talented and motivated Research Associate to join the EPSRC-funded project Metamaterials in Four Dimensions (Meta4D, www.meta4d.co.uk). This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research at the intersection of nanophotonics and advanced materials science.

The successful candidate will play a central role in the modelling and experimental investigation of topological effects in optical nonlinear metamaterials, as well as exploring the topological properties of light. The project focuses on advancing our understanding of how nonlinear and ultrafast processes influence light–matter interactions in complex, engineered systems.

You will be responsible for designing and carrying out both theoretical and experimental studies, with a particular emphasis on nonlinear optical phenomena, ultrafast polarisation dynamics and pulse shaping in metamaterial platforms.

The position offers a collaborative and interdisciplinary environment. You will work closely with project partners at Imperial College London and the University of Exeter, contributing to joint research activities and shared project goals. In addition to research responsibilities, you will co-supervise PhD and MSc students, providing mentorship and contributing to the development of the next generation of researchers.

This role provides an excellent platform for career development in a rapidly advancing field. You will have the opportunity to expand your technical expertise, take ownership of key research directions, and develop leadership skills through project and people management.

We offer a supportive and innovative research environment, access to state-of-the-art facilities and the chance to contribute to high-impact scientific advancements.

If you are passionate about pushing the boundaries of photonics and metamaterials research and are ready to take the next step in your career, we encourage you to apply.

This is a full time job (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 31/03/2029.

Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1.      PhD qualified in relevant subject area (or pending results)

2.      Experience in modelling and experimental investigation of topological properties of metamaterials and/or nanostructures and/or light, nonlinear optical properties of metamaterials, and ultrafast optical processes

3.      Ability to communicate clearly both orally and in writing

4.      Ability to work as a part of a team

5.      Strong presentation and communication skills

6.      Good attention to detail

Desirable criteria

1.      Experience in working with epsilon near-zero media

2.      Experience in nanofabrication

3.      Experience in structural characterisation (AFM, SEM)

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6. 

Further Information

At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university.

The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.

We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.

When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day.

We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.