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PhD student position on tracking detector R&D and particle physics outreach

Employer
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Location
Lausanne, Switzerland
Salary
Unspecified
Posting live until
10 Feb 2025
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The lab

The High Energy Physics Laboratory [ 1 ] of EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, invites applications for a PhD student position to work on tracking detectors based on the scintillating fibre technology for future experiments at CERN, in particular, FCC-ee.

The group

The lab is carrying out diverse research activities with strong involvement in physics analyses of LHCb data and a prominent role in the past construction and current operation of the Scintillating Fibre (SciFi) Tracker for the LHCb detector upgrade and of the new PLUME luminosity monitor for LHCb. The group also plays a leading role in the R&D of the SciFi detector technology for further upgrades of the LHCb tracker, as well as its usage in the SHiP experiment, future FCC-ee detectors, the HERD experiment for astroparticle physics, and medical applications.

The PhD project

The PhD project will focus on the SciFi detector R&D, to reduce detector thickness and retain its key performance characteristics. The project will also explore new applications of the SciFi technology beyond its original design. For example, SciFi mats could serve as sensitive layers in other detector subsystems, such as muon systems, which could profit from high spatial resolution or energy measurement capabilities for new physics searches.

In case of interest, there is a possibility of carrying out feasibility studies for flavour physics or FIP searches with the FCC-ee experiments to arrive at an optimal detector layout for these physics goals or propose dedicated additional subdetectors.

The project also includes a small project on AI with Disney Research Studios. This is an excellent opportunity to learn advanced AI in a different field and apply it to particle physics. Finally, there will be some outreach activities to promote the FCC project in Switzerland and internationally.

The candidate

The ideal candidate has a strong motivation for fundamental research and has received education in Particle Physics. Experience with data analysis, computer programming and/or particle detectors is an advantage. Familiarity with AI (courses or previous projects) will also be a plus.

Applicants are expected to hold a Master degree (or equivalent) in Physics at the start of employment.

The selected PhD students will need to enroll in the Physics program of the EPFL doctoral school [ 2 ], and the employment runs up to a total of four years. Doctoral school information and employment conditions at EPFL may be consulted online [ 3 , 4 ].

Application procedure

Applicants should send their application in a single pdf file, including the following documents in this order:

  • motivation letter;
  • CV;
  • transcripts from Bachelor and Master (if available) studies;
  • contact addresses of two references willing to write a recommendation.

The file should reach our secretariat (Mrs. Corinne Craman, recruiting.lphe@epfl.ch) by February 15, 2025. In addition, applicants should ask the references to send their letters to the same address by the same deadline. More information can be obtained from Prof. Lesya Shchutska (Lesya.Shchutska@epfl.ch) and Dr Luigi Marchese (lmarchese@phys.ethz.ch).

[1] https://www.epfl.ch/labs/lphe/

[2] https://www.epfl.ch/education/phd/programs/edpy-physics

[3] https://www.epfl.ch/education/phd/doctoral-studies-structure/doctoral-students-salary

[4] https://www.epfl.ch/about/working/working-at-epfl/employment-conditions

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