Helsinki Institute of Physics HIP participates in the CMS and ALICE experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN CMS is a general-purpose experiment that had an essential contribution to the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of the Higgs Boson in 2012. The goal is to investigate a wide range of physics including the properties of the Higgs boson and search for BSM physics e.g. dark matter particles. ALICE is the dedicated heavy ion experiment with a versatile proton-proton (pp) physics program. In lead-lead collisions, ALICE studies properties of the quark-gluon plasma, mimicking the conditions of the early universe, whereas the pp program is strongly motivated by open questions in the theory of strong interactions. Both experiments undergo currently through a series of upgrades to prepare them for the upcoming High Luminosity LHC phase.

Directly related to the upgrade activities of these two experiments, the Helsinki Institute of Physics is searching for a:

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER for a fixed period of 2,5 years starting as early as possible or as agreed.  The work will be carried out within the CMS Upgrade Project at the Helsinki office of the institute.

The main part of the work will focus on the following tasks:

• Extensive quality control of the silicon pixel detector modules for the CMS inner tracking detector and the ALICE FoCal detector,
• data processing and communication of results within the experimental collaborations.

In addition, the postdoctoral researcher is expected to actively take part in detector R&D and teaching activities at our institute.  Currently active detector R&D projects at the institute focus on pixelized semiconductor detectors for high energetic X- and gamma-ray detection used in medical imaging dosimetry and nuclear safety systems. Other projects concern development of radiation hard tracking detectors and ultra-thin silicon drift detectors.

The person selected for the position must have a doctoral degree in particle or nuclear physics or in an equivalent natural science field. In addition, the candidate must be familiar with the principles of radiation-matter interactions. Strong assets are hands-on experience in working and developing of ionizing radiation detectors. Profound knowledge of simulation tools such as TCAD, Geant4, MCNP, etc, is desirable. The position requires the ability to work independently in an international environment and fluent command of the English language. Especially important are careful and conscientious working standards and the ability to work in teams. The candidate must also be able to travel within Europe.

Why work for us

Finland is a member of EU, has high quality free schooling (also in English), generous family benefits and healthcare, and was recently ranked as the best country in the world for expat families and in the world’s top ten most livable cities. Finland and the Helsinki region possess top expertise in sciences in terms of a vibrant talent pool, leading research, strong support services and functioning collaboration networks. The salary of the position is between 3800-4100 euros per month, depending on the candidate's merits and work experience. The position has a six-month trial period.

How to apply

The application must be accompanied by a curriculum vitae. Please submit the documents using the University of Helsinki Recruitment System by clicking the Apply for the position button below. button “Apply now”. Applicants who are employees of the University of Helsinki are requested to leave their application via SAP Fiori. Deadline for applications is 18 November 2024. Please be prepared to send us references in case we ask for during the application process.

For more information about the position, please contact project leader of the CMS upgrade project Dr Erik Brücken (jens.brucken(at)helsinki.fi). For information about the recruitment process or the recruitment system please contact HR specialist Laura Karppinen (laura.karppinen(at)helsinki.fi).