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University Assistant postdoctoral 

56 Faculty of Mathematics  

Job vacancy starting: 09/01/2025  | Working hours:  20,00  | Classification CBA: §48 VwGr. B1 lit. b (postdoc) 

Limited contract until: 08/31/2028

Job ID: 4200

The Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Vienna is the largest Austrian institution of mathematical research and tertiary education in the mathematical sciences. It consists of active research groups in a wide range of fields, starting from logical foundations, bridging all classical core subjects, and up to concrete applications in industry. As part of the Faculty, the Institute of Mathematics represents the entire discipline of mathematics in research and teaching, without making an arbitrary separation into pure and applied fields.

We are looking for an open, innovative, and productive colleague who enjoys working in an international and interdisciplinary environment. Does that sound like something for you? Apply to join our team!

Your professional field of activity:

As a University Assistant (Postdoc), you will complement the research team around Univ.-Prof. Dr. Philipp Grohs. Our ideal candidate has a strong interest in Applied Mathematics, possesses solid and profound background knowledge in Numerical Analysis, Approximation Theory and Machine Learning, can easily integrate into our team, independently contribute to current research, and work with responsibility for results. 

The research project is a collaboration between the "Mathematical Data Science" research group at the University of Vienna (led by Prof. Dr. Philipp Grohs) and the "Computational Partial Differential Equations" research group at TU Wien (led by Prof. Dr. Michael Feischl). Within the scope of this collaboration, there is a possibility to increase the position's hours by an additional 20 hours per week to a full time position.

We are looking for a highly qualified candidate in the intersection of numerical analysis, approximation theory, and machine learning. The goal of this research project is to investigate how far standard proofs in numerical analysis and approximation theory can be automated by a (neural network) guided search over the action space of standard tools (e.g., Hölder inequalities, Sobolev embeddings, ...). Certain proofs in these fields require the intricate application of known tools in the correct order, which can be tedious to find for a human.  Machine assisted proof automation might be a big step forward in this field and allow us to consider much deeper questions in the future.  Candidates for this position should ideally be familiar with Lean4 (or a comparable proof assistant) and have a background in numerical analysis or approximation theory. Small axiomatic systems that are already available in the fields might serve as a starting point for the project.

The start date of the contract is flexible, beginning as early as September 1, 2025. The duration of employment is three years from the start of the contract. 

Your future tasks:

Active participation in research, teaching & administration, which means:

• Collaboration and research in the field of mathematical proof automation:

           o You identify and address research questions in the field of mathematical automation in numerical analysis or approximation theory.
           o You implement the developed methods in Lean.
           o You become an active team member of the "Mathematical Data Science" research group.

• Interdisciplinary collaboration:

           o You participate in international scientific collaborations, as  well as international conferences and workshops.

• Collaboration in teaching and administration:

           o You participate in the administration of the institute, teaching and research.
           o You hold courses and examinations in accordance with the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement and you (co-)supervise students.
 

Required Qualifications/Position Requirement: 

• Doctorate in mathematics, or a related field completed and certificate provided in due time before the start of the contract.
• Emphasis in one or more of the following areas: numerical analysis, approximation theory, harmonic analysis.
• Experience in Lean4 (or comparable proof formalization system) is a big plus.
• Research competence & initiative demonstrated through international publications in peer relevant media.
• Excellent command of English, both written and spoken
• You are a team player with high social and communicative competence and have international experience.
• You are goal-oriented and have a high motivation to strive for scientific excellence.
• You are not entitled to compensation for travel and accommodation expenses incurred in connection with the admission process.

What we offer:

• Work-life balance: The compatibility of work and private life or work and study is a particularly important concern for us. In consultation with the team and team management, you can therefore organize your working hours flexibly and in a family-friendly manner and also work partially work from home within the universty's respective framework. Inspiring working atmosphere: You are part of an international team with excellent research infrastructure in a relaxed working environment.
• Good public transport connections: Your new workplace is easily accessible by public transport.
• Climate neutrality - sustainability: The University of Vienna contributes to the achievement of climate goals by means of an adopted sustainability strategy and aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2030 through the reduction of resource consumption, resource-saving and sustainable procurements.
• Fixed-term contract and adequate salary: The basic salary corresponds to the collective agreement for employees of the universities according to § 48 VwGr. B1 lit b basic level (postdoc): EUR 4,932.90 on a full-time basis (14 times per year). The actual salary is finally determined depending on professional experience and qualification. The gross salary covers all benefits of the employee in quantitative and qualitative terms (= all-in payment).
• Internal training and coaching: We offer you ongoing opportunities to deepen your skills. Choose from an extensive range of courses free of charge.
• Benefits: The University of Vienna also offers you numerous benefits, such as a company pension fund, travel allowances, low-cost parking, discounted IT (hardware and software), special rates for language courses offered by the university language center, advancement of women, diversity management and specific career advancement, inclusion, Papamonat, flexible childcare, vacation care for children, health care, vaccination campaigns and fitness offers (special rates for USI sports courses) as well as discounts for employees at various companies.
• Equal opportunities for all: We welcome every additional personality to the team!

Does this spark your interest? Would you like to take on this new challenge as part of the research team around Prof. Grohs?

We are looking forward to your application:

• with your letter of motivation,
• a scientific CV, including a list of publications, talks, third-party funding, and teaching activities (if applicable)
• a statement of past research achievements and future research interests and plans (max. 4 pages)
• 2-3 letters of reference to be sent directly to philipp.grohs@univie.ac.at mentioning the applicant’s name and the job ID 4200

either:

• via our job portal by clicking on "Create Profile - Login & Logout" in the header on the upper right, or
• directly in this job posting by clicking the "Apply now" - Button on the bottom right side.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Philipp Grohs  

philipp.grohs@univie.ac.at

We look forward to new personalities in our team! 
The University of Vienna has an anti-discriminatory employment policy and attaches great importance to equal opportunities, the advancement of women and diversity. We lay special emphasis on increasing the number of women in senior and in academic positions among the academic and general university staff and therefore expressly encourage qualified women to apply. Given equal qualifications, preference will be given to female candidates.

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​Application deadline: 07/30/2025