University of Oslo PhD Research Fellowship in Experimental Heavy-Ion Physics, Norway

University of Oslo PhD Research Fellowship in Experimental Heavy-Ion Physics

Position as PhD Research fellow in Experimental Heavy-Ion Physics is available at the Department of Physics.

If the successful candidate has a good knowledge of one Scandinavian language (Norwegian, Swedish, Danish), the fellowship will be for a period of 4 years, with 25 % compulsory work (teaching responsibilities at the Department of Physics). Otherwise, the fellowship will be for a period of 3 years, with no compulsory work. Starting date no later than 1 October, 2016.

No one can be appointed for more than one fixed-term period at the same institution.

Job/ project description:

The position is associated with the Norwegian ALICE project at CERN, funded by the Norwegian Research Council. The heavy-ion group of the Department of Physics participates in the ALICE experiment, which last year entered a second round of data taking from ultrarelativistic proton-proton, lead-lead and proton-lead collisions at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN (LHC Run-2). During this run period, ALICE aims for a precision characterization of the hot quark-gluon plasma, exploiting its superior capability in identifying particles at low and intermediate transverse momenta and utilizing rare signals, among others in the heavy flavour sector.

The candidate is expected to work on the analysis and interpretation of data taken with the ALICE detector during the Run-2 part of the LHC programme. The primary scientific focus of the Norwegian ALICE groups for the Run-2 period is quantitative studies of the hot partonic matter formed in the early stage of heavy-ion collisions and also of the influence of cold nuclear matter effects, utilizing rare tomographic probes involving heavy quarks, in particular charmonia. Other analysis topics include collective anisotropic expansion (flow) and penetrating tomographic probes like photons / electrons, hadrons with high transverse momenta and their correlations.

The preferred topic for this PhD project could be to contribute to ongoing studies of charmonium production at midrapidity, measured in the dielectron channel, now at the highest available LHC energies. Charmonium states display a complex and interesting behaviour in the nuclear medium.

Run-1 data showed hints of a new quark-gluon plasma signature, charmonium production through a recombination mechanism, permitted by the higher density of charm-anti-charm quark pairs in this unprecedentedly hot plasma. Run-2 data is expected to verify this phenomenon.

The candidate will be based in Oslo, but will be expected to spend some time participating in data taking and other ALICE activities at CERN.

Information about the research at The Department of Physics is found here.

Requirements/qualifications:

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition of being a leading research faculty. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

Applicants must hold a Master's degree or equivalent in heavy-ion physics / high-energy subatomic physics. Good programming skills with experience in data analysis and / or simulations are essential. Experience from working in large experimental collaborations, knowledge of ALICE analysis software and programming, and a scientific profile matching the Norwegian heavy-ion research programme as outlined above, are strongly desirable.

Candidates without a Master’s degree have until 30 June, 2016 to complete the final exam.

The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree.

The fellowship requires admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The application to the PhD programme must be submitted to the department no later than two months after taking up the position. For more information see the web pages about the PhD research training at UiO and the PhD programme at the Faculty.

A good command of English is required.

Salary:

Position code 1017, Pay grade: 50 - 57 (NOK 430 500 – 483 700 per year)

The application must include:

Application letter including a description of scientific interests and the motivation for applying for the position (max. 2 pages)
CV (summarizing education, work experience and academic work, including any scientific publications and other qualifying activity)
Copies of educational certificates, transcript of records and letters of recommendation
Documentation of English proficiency
Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University’s grading system. Please remember that all documents should be in English or a Scandinavian language. Applications with documents missing will not be considered further.

In accordance with the University of Oslo’s equal opportunities policy, we invite applications from all interested individuals regardless of gender or ethnicity.

UiO has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results a.o.