Open Position Tenure track position for the Hadron Colliders research line

About IFAE

The Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE) is a public consortium of Generalitat de Catalunya, the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB, a public university) whose main goal is to carry out research and to contribute to the development of high energy physics from a theoretical, experimental and technological point of view. IFAE has the status of a “University Institute" attached to UAB and its premises are within the campus of the university. IFAE takes part of the project Advances technologies for the exploration of the Universe and its components, of the area of Astrophysics and High Energy Physics, within the frame of the R&D&I Complementary Plans of the Spanish Government that are part component 17 of the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU and by the Department of Research and Universities of the Catalan Government.

About IFAE’s Hadron Colliders research line

IFAE participates in the upgrades of the ATLAS experiment at CERN for the High Luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). The IFAE Pixel group is actively involved in the construction of the High Granularity Timing Detector (HGTD) and the Pixel Detector for the Inner Tracker (ITk). We work in close collaboration with the near-by National Centre of Micro-electronics (IMB-CNM) to develop state-of-the-art silicon pixel detectors for tracking and precise timing in collider experiments: radiation-hard 3D pixel devices for the innermost layer of the ITk Pixel Detector and ultra-fast sensors with charge multiplication for HGTD. We also perform R&D on Depleted Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (DMAPS) which are partially designed at IFAE and on silicon timing devices. These semiconductor devices have also applications besides particle physics experiments, for example in synchrotron radiation research and in the medical field. The selected candidate will become a member of the ATLAS upgrade group, currently led by Prof. Sebastián Grinstein, with freedom to engage in related projects after discussing with the group leader and, if need be, the IFAE Director.

Required skills

The main selection criteria for the position are scientific and pedagogic skills, with an emphasis on scientific skills.

When assessing the scientific skills, these are the requirements:

• Doctoral degree in physics with a focus on experimental high-energy physics.
• Experience with postdoctoral research on experimental high-energy physics.
• High competence in high-energy physics instrumentation, in particular on silicon detectors, where the candidate is expected to have held leadership positions and coordination roles.
• Scientific production in terms of publications, PhD/MSc theses directed and secured funding (see also below).
• Experience with research in large international collaborations.
• Very good knowledge of scientific communication in English in speech and writing, knowledge of Spanish and/or Catalan would be beneficial but it is not mandatory.

And these are areas where we would like the applicant to have successful experience:

• Experience with advanced-level student supervision.
• Demonstrated ability to apply for and attract national and international funding.
• Particular importance will be placed on the applicant´s research plan which has to be coherent with the scientific goals of the IFAE group in ATLAS and R&D activities.

Personal abilities that are of great importance for the evaluation of pedagogic and scientific skills are:

• Communication and cooperation skills.
• Initiative and independence.
• Leadership
• Interest and ability for outreach to the general public.

It is important that the application is written in such a way that the described skills are either documented or easily validated. For future funding and independence as a researcher, both great research and teaching skills are necessary. Potential to attract external funds in the Spanish system and, for example, ERC, is an important basis for assessment. The position holder may have to spend a non-negligible fraction of the research time at laboratories abroad.

Offered contract

A Full-time (40h/week) Tenure Track position with an “actividades científico-técnicas” contract (article 23-bis of the Spanish Act 14/2011, Ley de la ciencia, la tecnología y la innovación). There will be a 6 months trial period. IFAE’s Labour category: Tenure Track (R3), Level 1. Gross salary will be within the range of this category (between 40,000 and 49,392 euros per year) in accordance with the experience and qualifications of the selected candidate. The selected candidate is expected to join IFAE in September/October 2022.

Applications and Selection process

Applications should be submitted to jobs@ifae.es stating the job reference (ED-TT-01/2022) as the Subject of the message. The mail should include a motivation letter, an updated CV, and three letters of recommendation. Sending CV to the above address implies consent to the legal warning at IFAE’s Home Page. IFAE is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace and social integration of people with a disability. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates. People from groups that are typically underrepresented in the labour market in general, and in Science and Engineering in particular, such as women, minorities, or people with a disability, are particularly encouraged to apply. You may contact Sebastián Grinstein (sgrinstein@ifae.es ) for any questions related to this job opening. Deadline: August, 22, 2022 A Selection Committee will evaluate the received applications. If more than one candidate seem equally suitable for the position, the Selection Committee will arrange an on-line interview with each one of them as part of the Selection process.

Funding Statement

This position is part of IFAE’s Hadron Colliders research line within the project Advances technologies for the exploration of the Universe and its components, of the area of Astrophysics and High Energy Physics, within the frame of the R&D&I Complementary Plans of the Spanish Government that are part component 17 of the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism. The contract will be funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU and by the Department of Research and Universities of the Catalan Government.