Maastricht University (UM) has two vacancies for post-doc positions at the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE).

You will work in the research groups of the Department of Gravitational Waves and Fundamental Physics (GWFP), partner of the Nikhef collaboration, and the Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering (DKE), in close collaboration with IBM Research - Zurich.

The groups work on gravitational wave research, including Virgo, LIGO, the Einstein Telescope (ET) and ETpathfinder, and on particle physics using the LHCb experiment located at CERN.

The research project is part of a new initiative of quantum computing research (QC@UM: https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/quantum-computing-um), which aims at exploring the potential of Quantum Computing on handling the data challenges of the next-generation large-scale physics experiments.

The candidate will collaborate with domain researchers in Fundamental Physics and Quantum Computing at Maastricht University and IBM Research - Zurich.

You are a highly motivated investigator with a PhD degree in computing science, physics or a related discipline. Ideally you have experience in designing quantum computing algorithms and/or machine learning as well as an affinity to physics research. Supported by colleagues, you are motivated to develop the use-case of the ET and LHCb, and specific applications within the data analysis pipelines. These may include for instance to develop quantum computing and high-throughput algorithms for pattern recognition, signal selection and source parameter estimation in the data from the LHCb and ET experiment.

The project will be challenging, and will suit an ambitious candidate who likes a fast-paced environment.

Excellent knowledge of scientific English for speaking, reading, and writing are required. Knowledge of Dutch is not required.

Fixed-term contract: 36 months

We offer you fulltime employment for the duration of 3 years. GWFP and DKE have ambitions to significantly increase their research on quantum computing algorithms for large-scale physics experiments, aiming for longer-term career opportunities to be available by the end of the 3 years.

The salary will be set in Postdoc salary scale 10 of the Collective Labour Agreement of the Dutch Universities (between €2.790,00 and €4.402,00 gross per month depending on level of experience). On top of this, there is an 8% holiday and an 8.3% year-end allowance.

The position includes a possibility for a fixed term stationing at IBM Research - Zurich for which the candidate will receive a net compensation.

The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO), supplemented with local MU provisions. For more information, look at the website http://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > Support > UM employees.

Maastricht University

Maastricht University is renowned for its unique, innovative, problem-based learning system, which is characterized by a small-scale and student-oriented approach. Research at UM is characterized by a multidisciplinary and thematic approach, and is concentrated in research institutes and schools. Maastricht University has around 20,000 students and 4,400 employees. Reflecting the university's strong international profile, a fair amount of both students and staff are from abroad. The university hosts 6 faculties: Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Faculty of Law, School of Business and Economics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience.  http://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/ 
 

Department for Gravitational Waves and Fundamental Physics

The Department for Gravitational Waves and Fundamental Physics was recently founded and  is involved in gravitational wave research in context of the upcoming Einstein Telescope, and with particle physics research at the LHCb experiment at CERN. Both experiments are world-leading in their research, discovering a wealth of new facts about the fundamental forces of nature and the evolution of the universe after the big bang. The data processing challenges of the next-generation physics detectors, to be completed in 10-15 years, form an unprecedented challenge where quantum computing could be part of the solution.

Founded in 1992, Data Science and Knowledge Engineering is a fast-growing department. Research at DKE spans the disciplines and interfaces of artificial intelligence, data science, computer science and applied mathematics and robotics. We develop new tools and methodologies to advance these fields. At the same time, we collaborate with a wide range of institutes both within and outside of Maastricht University and work on diverse applications, including in the fields of health and medicine, logistics, biology, art, physics, cybersecurity, neuroscience and education.