International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA)

PhD in Statistical Physics

Statistical Physics, together with Quantum Mechanics, is the pillar of our understanding of many physical phenomena, from the simplest to the most sophisticated. The field has recently witnessed a significant and impressive outpouring of experimental and theoretical results, which have created an ideal physicist’s playground.

Statistical Physics addresses, for instance, crucial questions about the nature of phase transitions and predicts the possibility to forge new states of matter, such as Bose-Einstein condensation in ultra-cold gases. At the same time, it provides a vital source of fresh ideas and inspiration for those who work in more theoretical directions. Its attraction lies in its ability to produce an array of sophisticated analytical and conceptual tools with far-reaching applications. The remarkable blend of mathematical and physical ideas is at the root of the outstanding scientific elegance and extraordinary efficiency characterizing this scientific area.

Thanks to an intense activity of postgraduate courses, weekly seminars, colloquia and journal club meetings, the Ph.D. programme aims at providing students with aims at training students to a complete mastery of the scientific methods of Statistical Physics and exposing them to research topics which are currently at the frontier of this field, such as:

• Quantum Field Theory
• Exactly Solvable Models
• Ultra-cold atomic gases
• Quantum spin chains
• Physics out of equilibrium and thermalization properties
• Quantum quench and entanglement
• AdS/CFT correspondence
• Conformal Field Theory
• Stochastic methods
• Casimir effect
• Random matrices

The most recent placements after Ph.D. at SISSA:

• Rockefeller Foundation, New York, USA
• Rutgers University, Rutgers, USA
• Nordita, Stockholm, Sweden
• Max Planck Institute, Munich, Germany
• Institute of Complex Systems, Santa Fe, USA
• Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris, France
• Max Planck Institute, Dresden, Germany
• Institute of Quantum Optics, Barcelona, Spain
• CEA, Saclay, France
• C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, Stony Brook, USA

Ph.D. Fellowships at SISSA

The International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) welcomes applications for Ph.D. fellowships in Statistical Physics for the academic year 2016/2017. The students are selected through an oral exam held at SISSA, Trieste (Italy). There are two sessions, one in April and one in October, with application deadlines usually the month before. Candidates are entitled to reimbursement of travel expenses.