Are you a eager to push optical atomic clocks and atom interferometers to new levels in a lively, international research group?

Our Strontium Quantum Gases Group is looking for a postdoc who wants to take part in leading the new Quantum Delta NL (QDNL) Ultracold Quantum Sensing Testbed. This group is headed by Prof. Florian Schreck and is part of the Quantum Gases & Quantum Information (QG&QI) cluster at the Institute of Physics (IoP) of the University of Amsterdam (UvA). We exploit ultracold Sr gases for quantum sensing, the study of many-body physics and for quantum computing. We are collaborating with industry, startups and users to bring optical clocks to the market and explore new ways to build sensors, such as superradiant clocks or atom interferometers based on continuous atom lasers.

What are you going to do?
Our group has three opportunities for postdocs (see www.strontiumBEC.com).

• Working with our Rb-Sr team on alkali-alkaline-earth mixtures in optical lattices, exploring beyond Hubbard model many-body physics and ultracold RbSr molecules. We are currently expanding the experiment with species specific optical lattices and a high-resolution imaging system.
• Working with the QDNL KAT-1 neutral atom quantum computing/simulation team, which also comprises team members at TU/e. We are currently exploring many-body physics in fractal dimensions with Cristiane Morais Smith’s group at Utrecht, building a variational quantum eigensolver with Servaas Kokkelman’s group at Eindhoven and will in the future exploit the large nuclear spin of fermionic Sr as qudit.
• Working with the QDNL KAT-3 Ultracold Quantum Sensing team, which focusses on exploiting ultracold high-flux sources of Sr for clocks and atom interferometers. We are building continuous superradiant clocks, a zero-deadtime clock and continuous atom lasers. Together with partners we are building an optical time and frequency distribution network across the Netherlands. We are collaborating with industry, startups and ESA to render ultracold atom devices more compact, robust and cheaper.

Together with you, we will determine which topics are the most suitable for you. The maximum duration of this position is four years and during that time you can get involved in several of our topics or even start new activities. For these positions it is not required to teach, but if you are interested in advancing your teaching skills teaching opportunities can be arranged. Similarly, you are supported if you want to apply for your own funding for research in our group or your own research at another institution after you finish your employment at UvA.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• conducting research in ultracold quantum sensing, computing or simulation, resulting in academic publications in peer-reviewed international journals;
• actively contributing to and developing national and international research and industry partnerships and other forms of cooperation;
• representing our group at workshops, conferences, research schools, etc.;
• contributing to outreach activities of our group;
• supervising Bachelor, Master students and co-supervising PhD students;
• supporting Florian Schreck in pursuing external funding for research;
• helping with reporting duties (e.g. writing of EU deliverable reports).

You are enthusiastic about experimental quantum physics and a good team worker. You take pride in designing and building complex research instruments. You love pushing into the unknown and reaching for results well beyond the state-of-the-art. You are open to collaboration with people of different background, e.g. industry engineers.

Your experience and profile:

• PhD in AMO physics;
• Committed researcher, demonstrated by publications in international refereed academic journals and academic publishers;
• Professional command of English

We offer a temporary employment contract for 38 hours per week for an initial period of 1 year. Based on performance the contract can be extended to a total of two to four years. The preferred starting date is as soon as possible.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 2,960 to € 4,670 (scale 10). This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable

Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:

• 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
• multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
• multiple courses on topics such as leadership for academic staff;
• multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
• 7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
• partly paid parental leave;
• the possibility to set up a workplace at home;
• a pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
• the possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
• help with housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad.

Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.

Faculty of Science

The University of Amsterdam is the Netherlands' largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 30,000 students, 6,000 staff members and 3,000 PhD candidates study and work in a diverse range of fields, connected by a culture of curiosity.

The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

The Institute of Physics is situated in new, purpose-built laboratory and teaching space in the building of the Faculty of Science in the Science Park Amsterdam. This location also plays host to numerous national research institutes such as AMOLF (nanophotonics, biomolecular systems, photovoltaics), NIKHEF (Subatomic Physics) and CWI (mathematics and Computer Science), as well as ARCNL (Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography, which combines the leading Dutch tech firm ASML with both Amsterdam universities and AMOLF) and the Quantum Delta NL Ultracold Quantum Sensing Testbed.

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.