The organization
Nikhef is the national institute for subatomic physics in the Netherlands. At Nikhef, approximately 220 physicists and 80 technical staff work together in an open and international scientific environment. Together they perform theoretical and experimental research in the fields of particle and astroparticle physics. Nikhef is a partnership between six major Dutch universities and the NWO-I Foundation, the Institutes Organization of the Dutch Research Council (NWO).
Nikhef participates in a wide range of research collaborations, including the ALICE, ATLAS and LHCb experiments at CERN, the KM3NeT neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean, the Virgo gravitational waves interferometer in Pisa, the Xenon-nT dark matter experiment in Gran Sasso, the Pierre Auger cosmic ray observatory in Argentina, and the eEDM research programme in Groningen. Nikhef furthermore has scientific groups on theoretical particle physics, physics data processing, and detector R&D, and has excellently equipped technical departments in mechanics, electronics, and computing. Nikhef hosts a LHC Tier-1 data processing center and offers substantial additional computing resources for end-user data analysis and simulation.
The group
The Nikhef Theory group in Amsterdam is currently composed by 7 staff members, 8 postdocs and 12 PhD students. The group has a strong expertise in effective field theories, higher-order calculations in quantum chromodynamics, event generators, machine learning in particle physics, proton structure determinations, high-energy neutrino scattering, flavour physics, beyond the standard model physics, and cosmology, among other topics. The group also has strong connections with other national and international groups in theoretical high energy physics, as well as frequent interactions with the experimental groups at Nikhef.
The position
The first postdoc position will be embedded in the group of Dr. Melissa van Beekveld. The research focus is to improve parton showers, a core component of general-purpose Monte Carlo event generators. The applicant will work on the connection between analytic resummation and parton showers and will aim to extend this connection to next-to-leading power. They will be embedded in the PanScales project and will have the opportunity to work together with other members of this team.
The second postdoc position will be embedded in the group of Prof. Dr. Juan Rojo and focuses on the physics of high-energy neutrino scattering at the LHC far-forward experiment FASER, as well as its possible upgrades within the proposed Forward Physics Facility. This position is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation project Fingerprinting Neutrinos and Feebly Interacting Particles with FASER at the LHC with co-PI Prof. Anna Sfyrla (Universite de Geneve). The goals of the project, relevant for this position, are expanding on neutrino measurements with the electronic FASER detector with Run-3 data, and integrating them with the FASERν emulsion ones within a theory-driven framework, developing new Monte Carlo event generators tailored to the physics of TeV neutrinos, and constraining proton structure, forward hadron production, and small-x QCD phenomena by combining the Run-3 neutrino measurements within a global theory analysis. The applicant will work together with the other project team members, including through working visits to CERN.
Our research community is friendly and supportive. Nikhef is committed to being an inclusive and diverse organisation. Applications from women and people belonging to minority and underrepresented groups are especially welcomed.
Offer
The candidates will be employed by the NWO-I foundation for a period of 3 years (position van Beekveld) and 2+1 years (position Rojo, with third year subject to available funding), and will obtain the status of postdoctoral researcher. They will receive a competitive salary. The conditions of employment are excellent and include extra months’’salary payment in May and December. The conditions of employment of the NWO-I foundation can be found at https://www.nwo-i.nl/en/employees/
Requirements
Excellent software and programming skills, in particular in C++ and Python, as well as prior expertise in the topics relevant for these positions are specially encouraged. Applicants should have a Ph. D degree in theoretical or particle physics (or a closely related topic) by the time they start their appointment at Nikhef or shortly thereafter.
Further information and application
Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply by filling in the template below. Please be prepared to upload a curriculum vitae and a motivation letter, and have the email addresses of at least two referents ready, who are willing to send a letter of recommendation on your behalf. The deadline for applications is Friday December 20, 2024. The starting date will be set on mutual agreement. For further information, feel free to contact Dr. Melissa van Beekveld (mbeekvel@nikhef.nl) or Prof. Dr. Juan Rojo (j.rojo@nikhef.nl). The Nikhef Theory group complies with the High Energy Theory Postdoc Deadline Accord and will make no postdoc offers with acceptance deadline before February 15th 2025.
All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply