Postdoctoral Research Scholar Walker Lab Physics of Causation

Job Details:

The Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science () at Arizona State University invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Scholar to work in the lab of PI Sara Walker ( as part of a John Templeton Foundationfunded project pursued in collaboration with Lee Cronin (University of Glasgow) and Jacob Barandes (Harvard University). The project aims to develop a fundamental physics of causation bringing together quantum foundations and emerging theories for the physics of life. The anticipated start date is December 1 2026; however the date is flexible.

The Project:

Our current physical theories are extraordinarily successful at predicting the outcomes of experiments yet they remain remarkably silent about the causal structure of the world how objects come to exist how histories are made physical and what distinguishes the trajectories realized in nature from the vastly larger space of those that are possible. Recent advances in the physics of life including assembly theory and related frameworks for selection history and the emergence of complexity suggest that causation and time may be more foundational to physics than our current formalisms assume.

This project asks whether such insights can inspire genuinely new foundational physics and in particular whether a deeper account of causation can illuminate the empirical and operational foundations of quantum theory. We are seeking a researcher who is excited to bridge the empirical structures that give rise to our current theories of quantum mechanics with more foundational approaches to the physics that might underlie them someone equally at home in the technical machinery of quantum foundations and in the more speculative generative work of asking what new physics living systems might be pointing us toward.

The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary research environment spanning theoretical physics complexity science origins of life and the foundations of quantum theory and will collaborate closely across the Walker Cronin and Barandes groups.

About The Beyond Center and the ASU-Glasgow Collaboration on the Origin of Life:

Individuals hired for these positions will be part of the Beyond Center ( the School of Earth and Space Exploration ( ) and the Walker lab( ) at Arizona State University as well as part of the Cronin group( and the School of Chemistry ( at the University of Glasgow.

About The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences:

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the academic heart of Arizona State University committed to improving communities on a local national and global scale. We support the professional development and growth of our faculty and staff in their cutting-edge research to advance these aims. Within The College our faculty engage with a large curious student body guiding them as they grow into socially aware critical thinkers and writers able to succeed in a wide range of careers and to address the challenges of the twenty-first century. Advancing the success of our students remains our top priority. To learn more about The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences please visit .

About Arizona State University:

ASU exemplifies a new prototype for the American public research university. As articulated in the ASU Charter ASU is a comprehensive public research university measured not by whom it excludes but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic social cultural and overall health of the communities it serves.

Essential Functions:

• Develop theoretical and mathematical frameworks
• Conduct original research connecting quantum foundations with emerging theories in the physics of life including assembly theory
• Analyze and synthesize literature across diverse scientific fields
• Formulate new hypotheses models and conceptual frameworks
• Develop rigorous mathematical arguments technical notes simulations or analytical tools as appropriate to support project goals
• Collaborate closely project PIs
• Participate in interdisciplinary research meetings workshops seminars and planning sessions
• Prepare and contribute to peer-reviewed publications conference presentations technical reports and grant-related materials
• Communicate complex foundational and interdisciplinary ideas clearly
• Maintain detailed research records documentation and organized project materials
• Mentor or collaborate with graduate and undergraduate students as appropriate
• Manage time milestones and research priorities effectively within a creative multi-institution research environment

Required Qualifications:

• A PhD in physics applied mathematics or a closely related field completed by the time of appointment.
• Demonstrated expertise in quantum foundations physics or related areas
• Strong theoretical and mathematical skills and a track record of high-quality research output appropriate to career stage.
• A demonstrable interest in foundational and interdisciplinary questions and enthusiasm for bridging existing physics with emerging ideas on the physics of life.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a distributed multi-institution team.

Desired Qualifications:

• Familiarity with assembly theory origins of life complexity science or theoretical/mathematical biology.
• Experience with reconstructions of quantum theory quantum information category-theoretic or process-based approaches or the foundations of probability and causation.
• A publication record reflecting independent research direction and interdisciplinary curiosity.
• Demonstrated commitment to working with faculty staff students and communities to advance the principles of the ASU Charter