Experimental particle physics - Student at NIKHEF, Amsterdam

Nikhef is the national institute for subatomic physics in The Netherlands. At Nikhef, approximately 175 physicists and 75 technical staff members work together in an open and international scientific environment. Together, they perform excellent theoretical and experimental research in the fields of particle- and astroparticle physics. Among the research collaborations Nikhef participates in are the ATLAS, LHCb and ALICE experiments at CERN, the KM3NeT neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean, the VIRGO inferometer in Pisa and the Pierre Auger cosmic rays observatory in Argentina. Nikhef itself is a collaboration between 5 major Dutch universities and the Dutch Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM).

The Nikhef ATLAS group consists of groups in Amsterdam and Nijmegen, for a total of 17 staff, and typically 6 postdocs and 20 PhD students. We have constructed part of the semiconductor tracker (SCT), part of the barrel muon chambers, and elements of muon chamber readout, alignment, slow control, trigger and data acquisition. Our group has responsibilities in muon reconstruction software and flavour tagging performance studies and we have an active programme of physics analyses in the Higgs, SUSY and exotics groups.

We are looking for 2 PhD students to join our Higgs research programme, and 1 PhD student to join our SUSY research programme.

*Requirements*

We are looking for a candidate with an (almost) completed master degree in high-energy physics, or a closely related field. The ideal candidate has interest in both data analysis and either detector instrumentation or software, has some research experience in experimental particle physics, and has good software skills.

*Offer*

All positions are offered for 4 years, and all candidates will be employed by the FOM-foundation. One position is based in Nijmegen, and two positions are based in Amsterdam, and all positions foresee a one year stay at CERN. You will receive a competitive salary, and an additonal net allowance during your stay at CERN. The conditions of employment are excellent and include extra months' salary payment in May and December and good travel facilities. The conditions of employment of the FOM-foundation can be found at www.fom.nl <http://www.fom.nl> The educational program of the Dutch research school for subatomic physics offers annual graduate schools for PhD students, as well as frequent series of lectures on advanced topics in particle physics.

*Information and application*

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. Further information on these positions can be obtained from Dr Wouter Verkerke (verkerke@nikhef.nl) or prof. dr Nicolo de Groot (nicolo@nikhef.nl). Please send a curriculum vitae including a brief description of your research interest and  the email addresses of at least two referents who are willing to send a letter of recommendation on your behalf to:nicolo@nikhef.nl. Please quote vacancy nr PZ-150190 in the subject line.The opening closes on the 4th of September 2015. Later applications might be considered as well until the position is filled.