Theoretical Physicist

Location: Martigny, Valais, Switzerland. Primarily on site; remote or hybrid arrangements may be considered for exceptional candidates.

Employment type: Full-time, permanent.

Reports to: Principal Theoretical Physicist.

Language: English required.

Eligibility: Swiss citizen, Swiss B or C permit holder, or EU/EFTA citizen eligible for a Swiss work permit.

Compensation: Competitive salary to be commensurate with academic level, research maturity, and writing ability.

ISFS SA is a privately funded scientific research organization based in Martigny, Valais, Switzerland. ISFS is developing a research program at the boundary of quantum mechanics, general relativity, vacuum structure, plasma physics, power electronics, and biotechnology.

The work is grounded in a fundamental physics research program developed over many years by the ISFS team of physicists, where spacetime geometry, quantum vacuum dynamics, gravitation, and field structure are investigated as deeply connected aspects of physical reality. This is not a conventional academic appointment. The role sits inside a small, focused, international research team working outside many of the institutional constraints of mainstream physics, with direct access to senior scientific leadership and a mandate to formalize, test, and communicate theoretical ideas that challenge prevailing assumptions in the field.

We are looking for a physicist who can engage seriously with that intellectual terrain: someone rigorous enough to question every step, mathematically literate enough to contribute to formal development, and clear enough in writing to turn complex theoretical work into publication-ready scientific argument.

The Theoretical Physicist will help develop ISFS's fundamental physics research output: peer-reviewed papers, technical reports, internal working notes, mathematical expositions, and scientific materials that connect the organization’s theoretical work to active experimental and applied programs.

This is a research and writing role, not a communications or outreach position. You will work closely with the Principal Theoretical Physicist, the Chief Scientist, and a small group of physicists and engineers. Your task will be to understand the existing framework in depth, identify where it needs sharper formulation or stronger support, and help express it in a form that can withstand serious scientific scrutiny.

The right candidate may be at postgraduate, postdoctoral, or early-career level. What matters is not seniority for its own sake, but evidence of genuine theoretical ability, disciplined reasoning, and exceptional written command of advanced physics.

·       Study and internalize ISFS's fundamental physics research program, including its treatment of spacetime geometry, quantum vacuum structure, gravitation, and field dynamics.

·       Contribute to the formal development of theoretical arguments, derivations, models, and conceptual bridges between the framework and established physics.

·       Identify gaps, ambiguities, assumptions, and promising extensions in existing theoretical materials, and work with senior physicists to resolve them.

·       Engage with relevant literature in quantum mechanics, general relativity, quantum field theory, quantum gravity, plasma physics, and related domains to position ISFS work accurately and critically.

·       Draft, revise, and strengthen theoretical physics papers, technical reports, internal working papers, and research expositions.

·       Translate complex and unconventional theoretical ideas into precise, structured, mathematically coherent scientific prose.

·       Develop sections of manuscripts in collaboration with physicists and engineers, ensuring that claims, notation, assumptions, and references are clear and defensible.

·       Prepare supporting materials for peer review, conferences, grant-style scientific communication, and internal research coordination.

·       Work iteratively with the Principal Theoretical Physicist and Chief Scientist on research direction, manuscript structure, and scientific argumentation.

·       Support the experimental and applied teams by clarifying theoretical implications, boundary conditions, predictions, and interpretive frameworks.

·       Incorporate feedback from internal scientists, engineers, external reviewers, and collaborators into successive drafts without losing conceptual precision.

·       Maintain organized theoretical notes and documentation so that a small interdisciplinary team can work from a shared scientific foundation.

·       PhD in physics, theoretical physics, mathematical physics, or a closely related field; exceptional MSc-level candidates will be considered.

·       Strong working knowledge of quantum mechanics and general relativity, including the mathematics needed to reason fluently within both domains.

·       Demonstrable ability to write advanced scientific material with clarity, precision, structure, and technical accuracy.

·       Capacity to learn an unfamiliar theoretical framework quickly, test it critically, and work productively within it without either uncritical acceptance or reflexive dismissal.

·       Intellectual openness to foundational and unconventional physics questions, combined with a disciplined respect for mathematical and empirical standards.

·       Ability to produce sustained, high-quality written output with limited supervision and careful attention to detail.

·       Fluency in English for scientific writing and discussion.

·       Research background in theoretical physics, mathematical physics, quantum gravity, quantum field theory, gravitation, vacuum energy, or spacetime geometry.

·       Experience writing, co-writing, or editing peer-reviewed papers, preprints, technical reports, theses, textbooks, lecture notes, or comparable scientific material.

·       Familiarity with foundational approaches to spacetime, vacuum structure, gravitation, geometric models of matter, or the relationship between quantum mechanics and general relativity.

·       Comfort with LaTeX and scientific typesetting workflows.

·       Ability to move between formal mathematics, physical interpretation, and clear prose without flattening the complexity of the subject.

·       A rare opportunity to work directly on a live theoretical physics program that aims to re-examine the relationship between spacetime geometry, quantum vacuum dynamics, matter, and energy.

·       Close collaboration with a small group of physicists, engineers, and scientific leadership, with unusually direct exposure to the central theoretical questions of the organization.

·       Intellectual freedom within a privately funded research environment, balanced by the expectation of rigorous reasoning, careful writing, and scientific accountability.

·       A focused role with real theoretical substance: the work is to develop and formalize physics, not to package it for marketing.

·       A research setting in Martigny, Valais, at the intersection of fundamental theory and applied experimental programs.

·       Swiss employment benefits, including BVG/LPP pension enrolment, and support with Swiss work-permit processes where applicable.

·       Competitive salary, depending on qualifications, experience, and demonstrated ability.

Please send your CV, a cover letter, and a scientific writing sample to [email protected].

Your cover letter should address your background in theoretical physics, the areas of mathematical or foundational physics you know best, and why you are interested in working on an unconventional research program outside a conventional university or institute structure.

The writing sample should show how you handle complex scientific material. Suitable examples include a paper extract, thesis section, technical report, lecture note, or a clear explanation of a difficult physics concept. We are more interested in precision, structure, and depth of thought than in publication status alone.

ISFS SA welcomes applications from candidates with varied academic and professional paths. The decisive criteria are physics depth, disciplined reasoning, intellectual courage, and exceptional scientific writing ability.