The organization
Nikhef is the national institute for subatomic physics in The Netherlands. At Nikhef, approximately 220 physicists and 80 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. The Nikhef institute is a collaboration between six major Dutch universities and the Dutch Foundation for Scientific Research (NWO).
Nikhef participates in large research collaborations, including 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, the Pierre Auger cosmic ray observatory in Argentina and the eEDM research programme in Groningen. Nikhef also hosts a group in theoretical physics, and groups for Physics Data Processing and detector R&D, excellent electronic- and mechanical engineering groups, all with good connections to the experimental programs. Nikhef hosts a LHC Tier-1 data processing center and offers substantial additional computing resources for end-user data analysis and simulation.
The position
The Gravitational Waves group at Nikhef Amsterdam is inviting applications for a PhD position in gravitational-wave astrophysics, with a particular focus on the modeling of compact binary gravitational-wave sources and the development of tools for accurate and efficient analyses of gravitational-wave data.
The successful candidate will be embedded in an extensive research network, both at Nikhef (which supports a broad gravitational-wave research portfolio from theory to instrumentation) and in the global scientific collaborations of current and future gravitational-wave observatories (Virgo, Einstein Telescope, LISA).
What do we require
Applicants should have a completed Master Degree in physics (or equivalent) by the start of the appointment, and they should demonstrate a strong interest in gravitational-wave astronomy. The ideal candidate has good programming skills (Python, C++, …) and preferably already gained some experience with related research during their Master.
Offer
The candidate will be employed by the NWO-I-foundation and will obtain the status of junior scientist. She/he will be based at the Nikhef institute in Amsterdam. A 4-year contract with a competitive salary is offered. The conditions of employment are excellent, and can be found on the website of NWO-I (https://www.nwo-i.nl/en/employees/). Apart from this, non-Dutch applicants may be eligible for the so called ’30% tax ruling’, which results in a net income advantage.
The educational program of the Dutch research school for subatomic physics offers annual graduate schools for PhD candidates, as well as frequent series of lectures on advanced topics in (astro)particle physics.
Information and Application
Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply by starting the application procedure below. Please be prepared to upload a curriculum vitae and a motivation letter, and provide the email address of two referees who are willing to send a letter of recommendation on your behalf. The deadline for applications is 15 January 2025. The preferred starting date is early 2025.
For further information, feel free to contact dr. Maria Haney (mhaney@nikhef.nl)
All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.