The Nikhef organization
Nikhef is the national institute for subatomic physics in the Netherlands. At Nikhef, approximately 220 physicists and 75 technical staff work together in an open and international scientific environment. Together they perform theoretical and experimental research in the fields of particle and astroparticle physics. Nikhef is a partnership between six major Dutch universities and the NWO-I Foundation, the Institutes Organization of the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

Nikhef participates in a wide range of research collaborations, including the ALICE, ATLAS and LHCb experiments at CERN, the KM3NeT neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean, the Virgo gravitational waves interferometer in Pisa, the Xenon-nT dark matter experiment in Gran Sasso, the Pierre Auger cosmic ray observatory in Argentina, and the eEDM research programme in Groningen. Nikhef furthermore has scientific groups on theory, physics data processing and detector R&D, and has excellently equipped technical departments in mechanics, electronics, and computing. Nikhef hosts a LHC Tier-1 data processing center and offers substantial additional computing resources for end-user data analysis and simulation.

The ATLAS group
The Nikhef ATLAS group consists of a total of 15 scientific staff, typically 5 postdocs and 20 PhD students. As a founding member of the ATLAS collaboration, the group has a long-term involvement in detector construction (the semiconductor tracker, barrel muon chambers, readout, alignment, and data acquisition). For the phase-2 upgrade (2026-2028), we will instrument and commission one of the end-caps of a new all-silicon inner tracking system (ITk) in Amsterdam, commission the High Granularity Timing Detector (HGTD), and develop the new universal readout system (FELIX) for ATLAS detector systems. The group also has a strong record in track reconstruction, flavor tagging algorithm development as well as physics data analysis, with a focus on Higgs boson physics, top quark physics, and searches for new physics signatures.

The position
The successful candidate will contribute to and lead the group effort in the research and development of tracking for the high-luminosity era, and will significantly contribute in this domain in the ATLAS collaboration. In addition, the candidate is expected to develop a physics- or detector oriented line of research of their choice, to supervise PhD candidates and postdocs on both tracking and physics- or detector-related topics, and to actively contribute to the procurement of funding. With its university partners, Nikhef offers access to excellent students, who play a vital role in the scientific life of the ATLAS group and the institute, and offers teaching opportunities for those interested.

Requirements
Applicants are expected to have a PhD degree in physics or a closely related field, a demonstrated record of outstanding research in particle physics in addition to a record of substantial contributions to tracking algorithm development or tracking performance studies at collider experiments. Applicants are expected to have proficient communication and presentation skills, both verbal and written. Expertise in novel technologies that may contribute to tracking development in ATLAS in the longer term, e.g fast timing detection technology or AI algorithms are considered a plus.

Offer
The successful candidate will enter a tenure track, with the intention of changing this to a permanent position upon mutual satisfaction. Depending on the seniority of the candidate, tenure may be offered right away. Our new colleague will be employed by the Dutch foundation for scientific research NWO-I and based at Nikhef in Amsterdam. The conditions of employment are excellent and include extra months' salary payment in May and December and good travel arrangements. More information about the NWO-I foundation can be found here. The date on which the appointment is to begin will be determined by mutual agreement. 

On top of being an employer, the Nikhef institute offers new colleagues the opportunity to become a member of a community with a long-standing tradition of being a welcoming home for talented scientists. We welcome candidates who want to be part of this community, who are willing to contribute to this atmosphere and who want to actively participate in extracurricular activities. Nikhef hosts active committees that organize a variety of intellectual, scientific and social activities. Nikhef staff members are encouraged to contribute to these activities.

Application
Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply by clicking the ‘Apply Now’ button at the bottom of this vacancy. Please be prepared to upload a curriculum vitae, a motivation letter and the email addresses of three referees who are willing to send a letter of recommendation on your behalf. The deadline for applications is February 14th, 2024. Selected candidates will be invited for an interview in Amsterdam in April 2024.

Further information on this position can be obtained from prof. dr. W. Verkerke (verkerke@nikhef.nl)

Nikhef is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace, and strongly encourages candidates from under-represented minorities to apply.