Doctoral students in Mathematics

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Mathematics

Applications are invited within the areas listed below. For further details, please contact the corresponding advisor. Applications in other areas may also be considered; inquiries may be directed to David Rydh the head of the Ph.D. program.

• Commutative algebra (1 position, advisor: Mats Boij)
• Differential Geometry, Geometric Analysis and General Relativity (1 position, advisor: Klaus Kröncke)
• Enumerative Algebraic Geometry (2 positions, advisor: Georg Oberdieck)
• Algebraic Geometry, Moduli Spaces and Stacks (1 position, advisor: David Rydh)
• Constraint maps and their properties (1 position, advisor: Henrik Shahgholian)

The Ph.D. student positions primarily involve graduate studies with the goal of a doctoral degree. Some departmental duties are included, mainly teaching basic level courses. Here is general information on doctoral studies at KTH and information about the graduate program in mathematics.

At the Department of Mathematics, there are active research groups in a number of areas, for example algebraic geometry, algebraic topology, algorithms and complexity, combinatorics, differential geometry and general relativity, dynamical systems, mathematical physics, mathematical statistics, number theory, numerical analysis, optimization, partial differential equations and topological data analysis. Currently, there are about 25 graduate students within the subject Mathematics and about 30 graduate students within the subject Applied and Computational Mathematics.

Interviews for the positions are planned for the last week of January or the first week of February, 2026. Interviews may be conducted online but applicants should also be prepared to travel for an in-person interview.

Supervision: Mats Boij, Klaus Kröncke, Georg Oberdieck, David Rydh or Henrik Shahgholian are 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, is required and must be completed before employment but not before applying.

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 to traditional academic merits, a degree project or master's thesis relevant for the specialization, international experience, and language skills are regarded as merits. Applicants must be strongly motivated for doctoral studies, possess the ability to work independently and perform critical analysis, and possess good levels of cooperative and communicative abilities.

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 part of a workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH’s Doctoral student salary agreement. Read more about Doctoral studies (PhD) | KTH | 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:

• 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.
• 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)
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please provide a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.
• The applicant may also arrange for up to three reference letters to be sent directly to jobs@math.kth.se with the reference number and the applicant’s name in the subject line before the application deadline.

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.