Closing date: Apr 1, 2026

Discipline: Physical Sciences, Physics

Position Type: Contract

Job Type: Postdoc

Organization Type: All Industry

Job Details

2nd SQUASH International Call for Postdoctoral Researchers

The SQUASH Program is a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND initiative offering 3-year postdoctoral positions in quantum science and technology. This 2nd international call invites outstanding researchers from around the world to join leading Slovenian and international institutions in shaping the future of quantum innovation. This 2nd Call (last call) is open from March 1, 2026 until June 1, 2026, 8:00 a.m. CET.

1. SUBJECT OF THE CALL

The Jožef Stefan Institute is announcing a public call for participation in the SQUASH program – the Slovenian Quantum Science Hub. This is an innovative, intersectoral training and career-development program, co-funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions program GA n. 101177446 and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Slovenia.

The aim of the SQUASH program is to enhance the research excellence and career opportunities of exceptional postdoctoral researchers from around the world. Selected candidates will have the opportunity to develop their research ideas in one of four areas of quantum science:

• Quantum Theory
• Quantum Materials
• Quantum Technology
• Quantum Computing and Information

The program, led by the Jožef Stefan Institute, includes collaboration with prominent associated partners from Slovenia, the EU, and beyond. It promotes career mobility and offers top-level training in scientific and transferable skills. Through this last - 2nd Call, SQUASH aims to employ an initial 20 individuals for 3-year full-time postdoctoral contracts with competitive salaries, excellent research conditions, and international mobility.

2. WHY APPLY?

The Slovenian Quantum Science Hub is an innovative, intersectoral program for training and career development. It is a highly competitive initiative offering researchers attractive conditions. The program will provide:

• 40, 3-year full-time employment contracts as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND fellow, with complete academic freedom to carry out your research project and a budget for research, training and travel,
• Opportunities for international and intersectoral mobility through secondments with prominent SQUASH partners from Slovenia, various parts of Europe, North America, India, and Japan,
• Strong links with industry through collaboration with SQUASH non-academic partners,
• High-quality courses on SQUASH research topics, supplemented by extensive soft-skills programs, including transferable-skills development.

SQUASH is a project aligned with the strategic priorities of both Slovenia and the European Union. It provides young researchers from diverse fields of quantum science—ranging from physics, chemistry, and materials science to computing and engineering—a pathway to scientific maturity and independence.

Join us and develop your career in Slovenia, where science, innovation, and quality of life converge! Read more: Discover SQUASH

3. WHO CAN APPLY?

To participate in the evaluation process, applicants must meet the following criteria by the application deadline:

• Hold a doctoral degree (or have successfully defended their dissertation, even if the degree is not yet formally awarded).
• Comply with the mobility rule, i.e., have not resided or carried out their main activities in Slovenia for more than 12 months within the last 3 years before the application deadline.
• Propose an independent postdoctoral research project aligned with one or more of the key research areas of the program.
• Applicants are encouraged to consult potential supervisors, who can guide the applicant through the application process.

SQUASH promotes an inclusive, diverse, and supportive research environment, encouraging applications from underrepresented groups.

4. THE APPLICATION

Applications must be written in English and submitted via the online portal of the Jožef Stefan Institute for the SQUASH program before the application deadline (June 1, 2026, 8:00 a.m. CET).

The portal requires each applicant to first register and then complete the following sections:

• Personal information
• Eligibility
• Academic profile
• Non-academic experience
• Details of participation in any communication, promotional, or dissemination activities (excluding scientific publications)
• Research field for which they are applying
• Ethics questionnaire

In addition, applicants must upload the following documents:

• Europass CV with standard academic and research information, including a complete list of publications.
• Motivation letter, based on a predefined set of questions, explaining the applicant's interest in the SQUASH program and the reasons for their application, including how they expect the program to enhance their career goals.
• Research proposal (word, pdf) (maximum 10 pages), addressing how the proposal aligns with one or more key research areas, as well as the objectives and purpose of the proposed project, the state of the art, originality and innovation of the proposal, research methodology, and expected outcomes. The proposal should also include a dissemination and communication plan, including an exploitation strategy if applicable. It must include a Gantt chart and financial plan, as well as requirements for work to be carried out during a mandatory secondment with one of the associated partners or at another location outside the project.
• Completed Ethics Self-Assessment and also an Ethics Statement of not more than 2 pages, including a description of the nature of these issues and how they plan to deal with them, annexing the Ethics Statement to the Project Proposal. (Template in pdf)
• Recommendation letters from two evaluators outside the SQUASH program, assessing the applicant's previous research activities, research abilities, and work experience. Applicants can also send recommendation letters via the AcademicJobsOnline website.

Templates for all of the documents can be found on this link.

5. EMPLOYMENT DETAILS

1. Researchers will be employed under a standard 3-year fixed-term employment contract following national regulations. All legitimate statutory benefits under national regulations and host institution rules will apply, including working hours, flexible working time, paid annual leave, sick leave, parental leave, social security, pension insurance, and family allowances.
2. Researchers will receive a monthly gross salary of €5.600,00/€6.100,00 (without/with family allowance). This is gross amount that includes all taxes and other statutory contributions. The researcher's net salary will be determined after deducting all mandatory social security contributions and direct taxes. The researcher will be contracted to work for 40 hours per week, with national (bank) holidays and approx. 25–30 personal free days (depending on previous working experience, social circumstances such as number of children, etc.) and fully paid maternity/paternity/parental leave. The institution will pay the salary in accordance with national legislation and established practice, providing equal working conditions, rights, and obligations as for other employees and researchers. Employment conditions will comply with the European Charter and Code for Researchers.
3. In Call 2, the expected starting date of employment is between 1 January 2027 and 1 March 2027, provided that all administrative procedures related to employment and moving to Slovenia are completed by then.

For more information, please refer to the Applicant's Guide, which can be found on this link.

Gross salary with employer's social contributions.

6. EVALUATION CRITERIA, CANDIDATE SELECTION AND REDRESS

6.1 SELECTION PROCESS: TRANSPARENT AND EVALUATION IN 7 STAGES

The SQUASH selection procedure ensures a fair, transparent, and merit-based recruitment of postdoctoral fellows. The process is aligned with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and consists of the following 7 key stages: [...]