The ATLAS group at Radboud University / Nikhef (based in Nijmegen, The Netherlands) is looking for a 

post-doctoral research associate to work on the FELIX upgrade project.

Nikhef is the national institute for subatomic physics in The Netherlands. Radboud University is one of the six major Dutch universities that constitute the institute together with the Dutch Foundation for Scientific Research (NWO). At Nikhef, approximately 190 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.

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, all with good connections to the experimental programmes.

Located in Nijmegen, Radboud University is a mid-sized university, with about 24,000 undergraduate students, of which about 4,000 at its Science Faculty. The HEP department presently features 15 scientific staff members, 8 post-docs and 27 PhD students; its experimental research focuses on collider physics and cosmic-ray physics, while theoretical research is carried out both in the area of particle physics phenomenology and in gravity.

The ATLAS group has a history of prominent involvement in Higgs physics, with smaller efforts focusing on searches for lepton flavour non-universality as well as direct searches for beyond-the-Standard-Model phenomena. This is accompanied by an extensive experience with Machine Learning tools. In addition, we play important roles in the identification of beauty and charm jets, and in ATLAS upgrade projects, notably the FELIX readout system and the High-Granularity Timing Detector.

The successful candidate's main focus will be on the FELIX project, which is to be used for all ATLAS detector systems in the next upgrade phase. While the present system is adequate for the ongoing upgrade (and indeed has been used already for the commissioning of the new detector systems), a substantial development effort will be needed to prepare for the higher readout rates required for the next upgrade. The candidate will contribute to the software aspects of this development, as well as to further commissioning and operation of the present system. Both the FELIX firmware and the software efforts are led by the Nikhef group at large, and close collaboration with our colleagues in Amsterdam is expected.

Additional contributions to ATLAS physics analysis topics of the candidate's choice (but preferably aligning with the group's interests) are possible (and encouraged), up to 50% of her/his time.

The successful candidate has completed (or is close to completing) her/his PhD, and has good C++ programming skills, as well as experience with online software. (S)he has demonstrated the ability to function as an independent researcher, but also to function as a member of a team, and has good (written and verbal) communication skills.

The successful candidate will be employed by the NWO-I foundation, initially for two years and with a possible extension by a third year. The starting date of the contract will ideally be February 1, 2022, but a different date can be negotiated. The first three months are to be spent in The Netherlands, after which the candidate will be stationed at CERN. 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/

Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply by clicking the 'Apply Now' button on https://www.nikhef.nl/jobs/vacatures/ . Please be prepared to upload a curriculum vitae and have the email address of at least two referees ready, who are willing to send a letter of recommendation on your behalf.