PhD position on the LHCb experiment at the CERN LHC collider

Among the research collaborations Nikhef participates in are 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. There are also scientific groups on Theory, Physics Data Processing and Detector R&D. Nikhef avails over excellently equipped technical departments in mechanics, electronics and computing.

The position

The Nikhef LHCb group has an opening for a PhD position to work on the LHCb experiment at the CERN LHC collider. The group has traditionally been involved in research on CP violation and rare decays of B mesons, charged particle reconstruction and detector construction. The group currently contributes to the vertex detector (Velo) and the scintillating fiber tracker (SciFi) hardware, to reconstruction and High Level Trigger software and to LHCb Upgrade II R&D.

We are looking for a candidate to work on the analysis of the golden channel and contribute to reconstruction and detector alignment. This position is embedded in a grant that has been obtained together with colleagues at EPFL in Switzerland.

Keywords: CP violation, LHCb, reconstruction, detector alignment

Requirements

The successful candidate has a master degree in physics with knowledge of particle physics. Strong software skills and affinity with charged particle reconstruction are desirable.

Offer

The candidate will be employed by the NWO-I foundation as a junior scientist for a duration of four years. The position is based in Amsterdam. A stay for up to one year at EPFL or CERN is foreseen. The gross monthly salary will be up to a maximum of €. 3.989,– in the fourth year of the contract. The conditions of employment of the NWO-I foundation are laid down in the Collective Labour Agreement for Research Centers (CAO-Onderzoekinstellingen).

Information and application

Applications should be submitted online through the designated portal. Please be prepared to upload a curriculum vitae and provide the email addresses two referees, who are willing to send a letter of recommendation on your behalf. Applications are accepted until October 11 2026 or until the position is filled.

Further information can be obtained from dr. Wouter Hulsbergen (wouter.hulsbergen@nikhef.nl), dr. Mara Soares (m.soares@nikhef.nl) or dr. Niels Tuning (niels.tuning@nikhef.nl).

Nikhef is committed to being an inclusive and diverse organisation. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply, in particular individuals from minority groups and other underrepresented backgrounds.