Open Position 2 PhD Opportunities in the Astronomy Detectors Group at IFAE

About IFAE

The Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE) is a public consortium of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Autonomous Government of Catalonia, and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB, a public university) whose main objective 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 the UAB and its premises are within the campus of the University.

About Position

The High Energy Physics Institute (IFAE) in Barcelona announces the opening of up to two PhD Student Positions in the detector Characterization Group. IFAE is a worldwide-recognized center for fundamental research in Particle Physics, Astroparticle Physics and Cosmology, as well as for developing state-of-the-art instrumentation under the framework of several international scientific collaborations and medical physics applications. IFAE provides an international, dynamic, and competitive environment for training of young researchers. The IFAE has a long record of instrumentation development and has contributed to the construction, assembly, installation and commissioning in experiments at CERN, KEK, several telescopes at El Roque de los Muchachos, Chile and USA observatories, and the Euclid Space Mission. It has specialized cutting-edge laboratories for the characterization of CMOS, CCD and FPA devices and for newly developed detectors in the Infra-Red (IR) spectrum. The successful candidates will contribute to the characterization of a novel IR detector devoted to ground and space-based astronomy, being developed at the frontier of the Very Long Wave Infra Red (VLWIR) detector technology within the framework of a European collaboration (CEA-Leti, Lynred, among others) and/or the characterization of a Near and Short-Wave Infra Red (NIR-SWIR) detector for the European Space Agency (ESA) mission, Arrakihs. A solid background in semiconductors and photonics is desirable and a hands-on approach for design, integration, and testing tasks is required. The candidate will be deeply involved in developing setups, engaging with cryogenics, vacuum technology, optomechanical devices, and custom readout electronics. Electro-optical detector characterization requires proficient programming skills (Python, MATLAB, etc.) and statistical knowledge to handle noisy and pattern-corrupted images effectively. Hence, a background in digital image processing is highly valued.

Evaluation criteria will consider the previous experience (50%), the Scientific excellence based on the CV (30%) and the Motivation (20%).

Offered contract:

2 PhD Students position, full time (40 hours per week). The contract will have a maximum duration of four years. Opportunity to gain experience by learning first-hand. Personal growth, innovation and learning every day. The salary will be according to the candidate’s qualifications. The start date will be as soon as possible. We offer 2 contracts.

Application and Selection process:

Applications should be submitted to jobs@ifae.es , padilla@ifae.es and jjimenez@ifae.es stating the job reference IFAE2024/29_ATHENA_EUCLID_PHD Students as the subject of the message. Interested candidates must have a master’s degree in physics on the date of the contract start and provide a letter of interest, a CV and arrange for two letters of reference.

Sending CVs to the above addresses implies consent to the IFAE’s legal warning on data privacy.

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.

A Selection Committee will evaluate the received applications. If more than one candidate seems 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.

In compliance with article 121 of the Spanish Public Sector Legal Regime Act, staff with a pre-existing relationship with the Consortium administration (Generalitat de Catalunya and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) will have priority in the awarding of the position.

The application deadline is 31 august st, 2024. However, applications will be accepted until the opening is filled. For further information please contact Cristobal Padilla (Cristobal.Padilla@ifae.es ) and Jorge Jiménez (jjimenez@ifae.es ) General information about IFAE is available at http://www.ifae.es

Funding Statement