Experimental particle physics - ATLAS group - 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 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 interferometer in Pisa, the Xenon1T dark matter experiment in Gran Sasso and the Pierre Auger cosmic rays observatory in Argentina. Nikhef also hosts well staffed theoretical physics and detector R&D groups. Nikhef itself is a collaboration between 5 major Dutch universities and the Dutch Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM).

The position

The Nikhef ATLAS group consists of groups in Amsterdam and Nijmegen, for a total of 17 staff, and typically 5 postdocs and 15 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 trigger and muon reconstruction software and we have been active in several analyses in  Higgs, SUSY, exotic and top physics.

This PhD position aims at the understanding of matter dominance of the Universe. The strategy is to search for a lepton flavor violating process using ATLAS Run 2 data. The contribution to either trigger or muon software development is foreseen. The project team will also include a postdoctoral researcher and possibly other PhD or master students.

Requirements

We are looking for a candidate with a (almost) completed master degree in high-energy physics, or a closely related field. The ideal candidate has interest in data analysis, has software skills, has some research experience in experimental particle physics. The candidate is expected to start soon and no later than September of this year.

Offer

The position is offered for 4 years. The candidate will be employed by the FOM-foundation and based at Nikhef in Amsterdam. All positions foresee one year stay at CERN. You will receive a competitive salary, and an additional 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. 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 by clicking the 'solliciteer' button below. Please be prepared to upload a curriculum vitae including a brief description of your research interests, and have the email addresses of at least two referents ready, who are willing to send a letter of recommendation on your behalf.