Nikhef, the national institute for subatomic physics in The Netherlands, invites applications for a staff physicist in experimental neutrino astroparticle physics with KM3NeT.

We seek a candidate to work on data analysis and detector construction in KM3NeT.

The KM3NeT neutrino telescope is currently under construction in the Mediterranean Sea. The Nikhef KM3NeT group has a strong record in detector design and construction, design of the optical network and data acquisition, calibration, trigger and reconstruction software, and data analysis. Our data analysis effort currently focusses on preparations for the measurement of neutrino oscillations with the ORCA block of KM3NeT and study of cosmic neutrinos with the ARCA blocks, and searches for neutrino point sources with the KM3NeT predecessor telescope ANTARES. A significant part of the Digital Optical Modules and Detection Units for KM3NeT are constructed at Nikhef. The KM3NeT effort is embedded in a wider neutrino physics programme at Nikhef that includes the Pierre Auger
Observatory and the XENON and DUNE experiments. 

The candidate is expected to initiate and conduct research in the field of neutrino astroparticle physics using the data from KM3NeT and take a coordinating role in the project management of the KM3NeT detector construction efforts at Nikhef. The position requires several years of postdoctoral experience, a demonstrated track record of excellence in data analysis, skills in the management of detector construction projects, and the ability to work in diverse teams. 

The position leads to tenure as a Nikhef staff physicist, as such there is the expectation that the successful candidate will take a leading role in international collaborations and within the scientific staff community of Nikhef. He or she should have a proven track record of creative and original contributions, good knowledge of (astro)particle physics theory and experiments and have a broad overview of the field. Furthermore the applicant should have experience in supervision of postdocs and/or students and possess excellent communication skills.

The successful candidate will be offered a tenure track or tenured appointment. In case of a tenure track, the successful candidate will be offered a 6-year contract prior to the permanent appointment at Nikhef, during which periodic development and assessment interviews will take place. (S)he will be employed by the NWO-I foundation and based at Nikhef in Amsterdam. The conditions of employment are excellent and include extra months' salary payment in May and December and good travel facilities. The conditions of employment of the NWO-I-foundation can be found at www.nwo-i.nl. The date on which the appointment is to begin will be determined by mutual agreement. Based on a full-time appointment the gross starting salary per year will range from € 49.000 up to € 67.000, including secondary benefits, and depending on expertise and previous experience. During the tenure track, the salary perspective may increase to € 75.000.

Nikhef

Nikhef is the national institute for subatomic physics in The Netherlands. At Nikhef, approximately 175 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 is a partnership between five Dutch universities and NWO-I. Among the research collaborations Nikhef participates in are 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 Observatory for cosmic rays in Argentina and the eEDM research programme in Groningen. Nikhef also hosts a group in theoretical physics, and groups for detector R&D and Physics Data Processing including a Tier-1 computing centre, all with good connections to the experimental programmes.