Open Position PhD Student Position in Medical Physics Group

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. IFAE is an internationally recognized center for fundamental research in Particle Physics, Astroparticle Physics, and Cosmology. IFAE offers an international, dynamic, and competitive environment for the training of young researchers. IFAE has been accredited three times with the “Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence” distinction, most recently for the 2025-2029 period.

The Medical Physics group at IFAE has a strong background in radiation detector instrumentation in general, and pixel sensors in particular. The group has secured two ERC grants and one ATRAE grant, and currently holds five active patents granted in the EU, the US, China, and Japan. As a member of the Medipix Collaboration, the group has access to the full family of Medipix ASICs. In addition, the Medical Physics group benefits from access to state-of-the-art packaging facilities, which include an FC150 bump-bonding machine, a Pac Tech SB2 solder deposition machine, an F&K Delvotec automatic wire bonding machine, and a dedicated lead-shielded room for sensor characterization with radiation. The group also collaborates closely with the mechanical and electronics engineering divisions to develop the auxiliary components required for each project. We are at the forefront of detector technology, developing pixel detectors for high-energy physics, telescope cameras, medical imaging systems, and other scientific and industrial applications. We are seeking an outstanding candidate—creative, analytical, and innovative—who combines critical thinking with originality and consistently generates novel solutions beyond conventional approaches.

Required skills and evaluation criteria

The successful candidate is expected to have:

• Master’s in Physics, or in engineering, or satisfy the requirements to be admitted in the Physics PhD program of the UAB (https://www.uab.cat/en/phds/physics ) before the start of the grant
• Proficiency in the English language and good communication skills
• Experience in data analysis, programming, and detector instrumentation

The evaluation criteria and their weighting for the submitted applications will be the following:

• Experience in data analysis, 20
• Experience in instrumentation, 20
• Experience and knowledge of programming, 20
• Experience with AI, 20
• Motivation and involvement in the project, 20

What will be your role?

Development of radiation detectors for medical applications. Evaluation of detector properties and image processing/analysis with A.I. Offered contract:

• Full-time contract (40 hours/week).
• Predoctoral Contract
• The position will correspond to “Predoctoral Researcher (R1)” within the professional categories of the IFAE.
• Salary will be proportional to experience and qualifications within the corresponding category range.
• Work with interesting experimental science. Travelling to scientific singular infrastructures. Opportunity to gain experience learning first-hand. Personal growth, innovation, and learning every day.
• The selected candidate is expected to join the IFAE as soon as possible.

Application and Selection process:

Applications should be submitted to Dr. Mokhtar Chmeissani (mokhtar@ifae.es ) and rrhh@ifae.es stating the job reference (IFAE2025/35_MEDICALPHYSICS_SO_PhDStudent) as the subject of the message. The mail should include an up-to-date CV, a motivation letter and a full list of university grades, and arrange to have two letters of reference sent to the above e-mail addresses.

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

The application must contain a personal identification number (DNI, NIE or passport) in order to proceed to the verification of absence of conflict of interest required by Recovery and Resilience Mechanism of the Spanish Government.

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.

You may contact Dr. Mokhtar Chmeissani (mokhtar@ifae.es ) for any questions related to this job opening.

Funding Statement

Esta plaza está financiada en el marco de la acreditación Severo Ochoa de IFAE CEX2024-001441-S (2025–2028), concedida por el MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033.