The Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics at Umeå University is offering a postdoctoral scholarship within the project “Saturation in graphs and hypergraphs”. The scholarship is full-time for two years with a starting date no later than October 1, 2027.The deadline for application is December 21, 2026.
Extremal Combinatorics and Mathematics in Umeå The postdoctoral scholar will be an integral part of the Discrete Mathematics group here at Umeå. Discrete mathematics is one of the six main research areas in the Department, alongside Geometry, Computational mathematics, Mathematical statistics, Analysis & Modelling, and Mathematical foundations of Artificial Intelligence.
The Discrete Mathematics group has nine permanent members whose research interests span a wide swathe of modern combinatorics. The group runs a weekly seminar and enjoys a frequent flow of research visitors. Areas of expertise include extremal combinatorics, discrete probability, combinatorial optimisation, discrete geometry, and computational combinatorics. Beyond Maryam Sharifzadeh, who will be the main supervisor, there are good opportunities for collaboration with other group members with research interests in extremal and probabilistic combinatorics, namely Victor Falgas-Ravry, Klas Markström and István Tomon. More information about Discrete Mathematics in Umeå may be found at:
Project description Within the project, the scholarship recipient will have the opportunity to work on problems in extremal and probabilistic combinatorics. More specifically, the project will explore saturation and weak saturation functions for various combinatorial objects. The first part will focus on graphs, while the second will investigate possible connections to hypergraphs and other combinatorial structures. There will also be flexibility to explore related questions in combinatorics.
This postdoctoral scholarship is financed and administrated by the Kempe Foundation (JCSMK261-0055). The tax-free scholarship will be 750,000 SEK for two years, meaning 375,000 SEK per year.
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. These 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.
The doctoral degree should be within the field of Discrete mathematics. You should have a strong background in combinatorics and basic knowledge of probability theory. Documented experience in extremal and probabilistic combinatorics will be deemed highly meritorious.
Excellent and rigorous knowledge of mathematics, as well as the ability to express yourself clearly and fluently in English, both in writing and speech, are required. Good interpersonal skills and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively are also essential.
Application The application should include:
Cover letter (maximum 2 pages) describing your mathematical background and research areas, tools and techniques in discrete mathematics and more specifically extremal combinatorics that you are familiar with. You may also briefly describe your current research,
Curriculum Vitae (CV) including a list of publications and preprints,
Verified copies of doctoral degree or documentation that clarifies when the degree will be obtained,
Verified copies of other diplomas, list of completed academic courses and grades,
Copies of relevant work such as PhD theses or research articles that you have authored or co-authored,
Other documents that the applicant wishes to include,
Contact information for two reference persons (phone number, email address, mail address, affiliation, and the capacity in which they know you).
The application should be written in English (preferably) or Swedish, and attached documents should be in Word or PDF format. The application should be registered via Umeå University’s e-recruitment system Varbi and submitted by the deadline 21 December 2026.
Umeå University strives to offer an equal environment where open dialogue between people with different backgrounds and perspectives lay the foundation for learning, creativity and development. We welcome people with different backgrounds and experiences to apply for this scholarship, and especially encourage female applicants.
