PhD Position: Experimental Particle Physics on the ATLAS Experiment

Are you fascinated by the mysteries of the so-called ghost particle neutrino? What is its nature, a conventional Dirac fermion or a Majorana particle? Do you enjoy collaborating and would you like to analyse data measured by a 7,000-tonne detector in the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider? We look forward to your application!

As a PhD candidate, you will conduct fundamental research in experimental particle physics, perform data analysis and develop object reconstruction algorithms in the ATLAS experiment. You will become a member of the ATLAS collaboration and will be based in Nijmegen. Furthermore, you will be given the opportunity to spend 10-12 months at CERN in Geneva. Your project will be supervised by Dr Mengqing Wu (Radboud University).

This position is part of a research project called Are neutrinos Majorana?, which is funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The main goal of this project is to search for Majorana neutrinos in the uncovered tau channel at the highest possible masses in the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The project will be conducted in close collaboration with our Nikhef colleagues in Amsterdam.

Your appointment will be for a fixed period of four years, starting in January 2026 or soon thereafter. It includes funding for a short secondment to CERN and travelling to international conferences. Your duties as a teaching assistant cover about 10 percent of your work time, spread over the course of the appointment.

Does this sound like you?

• You hold a Master's degree in physics with experience in experimental subatomic physics. (This can be demonstrated, for example, by Master’s thesis topics or by successfully having completed relevant courses.) Or you expect to obtain your Master’s degree around the starting date of the appointment.
• You are curious, communicative, critical, enthusiastic, proactive and excited to learn about new developments in experimental physics.
• You have a strong interest in and affinity for programming and preferably experience with C++ and/or Python.
• You are able to work in a team as well as independently.
• You have excellent writing and verbal communication skills in English.

What we offer you

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).
• You will receive a starting salary of €3,059 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,881 in the fourth year.
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• We offer Dual Career Coaching. The Dual Career Coaching assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20.

Additional employment conditions

Work and science require good employment practices. Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions reflect this. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself. For example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports membership. In addition, you receive a 34% discount on the sports and cultural activities at Radboud University as an employee. And, of course, we offer a good pension plan. We also give you plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

Where you will be working

You will join Dr Mengqing Wu’s research group, consisting of one PhD candidate and two postdoctoral researchers. The group makes strong contributions to exotic physics searches at ATLAS, as well as to detector research and development varying from projects on semiconductor detectors like the ATLAS HGTD project to data acquisition projects like the ATLAS FELIX project.

The group is embedded in the High-Energy Physics Department at the Institute for Mathematics, Astrophysics and Particle Physics (IMAPP) at Radboud University (Nijmegen, Netherlands). Currently, it is home to 17 PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers.

Research at the department covers a broad range of topics, including theoretical and experimental particle physics, gravitational waves and quantum gravity. Research seminars and informal events foster a vibrant and friendly work atmosphere.

The position also offers you ample opportunities to collaborate and establish connections with particle physicists at Nikhef, the Dutch National Institute for Subatomic Physics, of which Radboud University is one of the founding partners.

Faculty of Science
The Faculty of Science (FNWI), part of Radboud University, engages in groundbreaking research and excellent education. In doing so, we push the boundaries of scientific knowledge and pass that knowledge on to the next generation.We seek solutions to major societal challenges, such as cybercrime and climate change and work on major scientific challenges, such as those in the quantum world. At the same time, we prepare our students for careers both within and outside the scientific field.Currently, more than 1,300 colleagues contribute to research and education, some as researchers and lecturers, others as technical and administrative support officers. The faculty has a strong international character with staff from more than 70 countries. Together, we work in an informal, accessible and welcoming environment, with attention and space for personal and professional development for all.Radboud University
At Radboud University, we aim to make an impact through our work. We achieve this by conducting groundbreaking research, providing high-quality education, offering excellent support, and fostering collaborations within and outside the university. In doing so, we contribute indispensably to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. To accomplish this, we need even more colleagues who, based on their expertise, are willing to search for answers. Will you also contribute to making the world a little better? You have a part to play.

Dr M. Wu (Mengqing)
mengqing.wu [at] ru.nl