We are looking for an enthusiastic candidate for a PhD position in Astroparticle Physics at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). The successful candidate will be embedded in the GRAPPA Center of excellence in Gravitation and Astroparticle Physics, a multidisciplinary team of researchers active in a variety of research topics including neutrinos, dark matter, high-energy astrophysics, physics beyond the standard model, and gravitation. You will also be strongly encouraged to work with experimentalists at Nikhef on a regular basis.

The position is expected to start by fall 2021.

What are you going to do?

The position is funded by recently awarded NWA-ORC project, “One second after the big bang”, and its focus is theoretically studying the cosmic neutrino background. In addition, we encourage the successful PhD candidate to develop their profile in theoretical Astroparticle Physics in a broader context. You are also expected to closely work with experimentalists at Nikhef and institutions participating in this collaborative network. The ultimate goal of the project is the development of the PTOLEMY experiment to detect the cosmic neutrino background.

What do we require?

As our successful candidate you should:

• have a master’s degree in Physics or equivalent (expected to be received by fall 2021);
• excel academically, as indicated by grade transcript and curriculum vitae;
• wish to pursue an academic career;
• be fluent in spoken and written English;
• have the ability and interest to work in a collaborative team;
• have an interest in sharing science with the wider non-scientist community.

Our offer

We offer a temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of 4 years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years). This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students. 

The salary, depending on relevant experience before the beginning of the employment contract, will be €2,395 to €3,061 (scale P) gross per month, based on a full-time contract of 38 hours a week. This is exclusive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

Are you curious about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits like our excellent opportunities for study and development? Take a look here.

University of Amsterdam

With over 5,000 employees, 30,000 students and a budget of more than 600 million euros, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is an intellectual hub within the Netherlands. Teaching and research at the UvA are conducted within seven faculties: Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Law, Science, Medicine and Dentistry. Housed on four city campuses in or near the heart of Amsterdam, where disciplines come together and interact, the faculties have close links with thousands of researchers and hundreds of institutions at home and abroad.  

The UvA’s students and employees are independent thinkers, competent rebels who dare to question dogmas and aren’t satisfied with easy answers and standard solutions. To work at the UvA is to work in an independent, creative, innovative and international climate characterised by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with the city of Amsterdam and society.

Faculty of Science – Institute of Physics

The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 7,000, as well as 1,600 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 center of excellence in Gravitation and Astroparticle Physics (GRAPPA) is connected to the Institute of Physics (IoP) and the Anton Pannekoek Institute at the University of Amsterdam as well as Nikhef. GRAPPA researchers have wide research interests, including dark matter phenomenology, cosmic rays, high-energy astrophysics, cosmology, black holes physics, gravitational waves, and string theory. It also includes experimental physicists active in the Antares/KM3NeT, ATLAS, CTA, LOFAR, Virgo, and XENON1T collaborations.