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Nikhef currently has an opening for a
PhD student in experimental particle physics
(ATLAS and Theoretical physics)
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 excellent theoretical and experimental research in the fields of particle- and astroparticle physics. The Nikhef theory group conducts research in a broad range of these fields, in particular on precision predictions for collider physics. Among the experimental research collaborations Nikhef participates in are the ATLAS, LHCb and ALICE experiments at CERN, the KM3NeT neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean, the VIRGO inferometer in Pisa and the Pierre Auger cosmic rays observatory in Argentina. Nikhef itself is a collaboration between 5 major Dutch universities and the Nikhef research institute.
The Research Group
The Nikhef ATLAS group consists of groups in Amsterdam and Nijmegen, for a total of 15 staff, and typically 5 postdocs and 20 PhD students. We have constructed part of the semiconductor tracker (SCT), part of the barrel muon chambers, and elements of muon chamber readout, alignment, slow control, trigger and data acquisition. Our group has responsibilities in data acquisition (FELIX) and trigger, construction of the new inner tracker (ITk), the readout and alignment of muon chambers, as well as muon reconstruction software, and we have been active in several analyses in Higgs, SUSY, exotic and top-quark physics.
The Project
We have a vacancy for a PhD student in a joint project of the Nikhef ATLAS group and theory group. The project is dedicated to the study of the Wtb vertex and is led by dr. M. Vreeswijk (ATLAS) and prof. dr. E. Laenen (theory). The objective is to exploit the spin of the top quark to search for signs of new physics affecting the interaction of the W-boson with the top and bottom quarks.
The project will start with an examination of various polarisation observables suggested by theory, notably Standard Model Effective Field Theory with higher order QCD corrections included. Several theoretical approaches and relevant observables will be assessed, in collaboration with other experts in the field.
The next stage focusses on the experimental challenges to extract parameters from measurements with the ATLAS detector in single top produced at the LHC. For the interpretation of the measurements, experiment meets theory again, also to provide contributions to a global fit on the Wtb-vertex parameters.
The appointment will be on a temporary basis for a period of 4 years (initial appointment will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it can be extended for a total duration of 4 years) and should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). An educational plan will be drafted that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. The PhD candidate is also expected to assist in teaching of undergraduates.
Based on a full-time appointment (38 hours per week) the gross monthly salary will range from €2,191 in the first year to €2,801 in the last year. The Collective Employment Agreement (CAO) of the Dutch Universities is applicable. The conditions of employment of the University of Amsterdam can be found at www.uva.nl/en/about-the-uva/working-at-the-uva/terms-of-employment.We like to make it easy for you, sign in for these and other useful features: