The Department of Physics, the Cavendish Laboratory, invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Experimental High Energy Physics to commence on 1 November 2021 or as soon as possible thereafter. The experimental High Energy Physics research group of the Cavendish Laboratory has major involvements in the ATLAS and LHCb experiments at CERN, in the MicroBooNE and DUNE experiments at Fermilab, and in the AION and MAGIS experiments. The group is strongly involved in detector projects for LHC experiments: the ITk and L1 Calo upgrades for ATLAS, and the RICH upgrade for LHCb, with a focus on fast detector electronics.

The role holder will strengthen the group's existing international reputation in experimental particle physics on the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider, and will establish the experimental foundations of the recently proposed ANUBIS detector (https://www.hep.phy.cam.ac.uk/ANUBIS) that will extend the sensitivity of the ATLAS experiment to search for long-lived particles with decay lengths in excess of 10 m. The main focus of this work will be on the construction, commissioning, and operation of the proANUBIS prototype detector, followed by data taking of the in the ATLAS cavern during Run 3 and data analysis. Another important aspect is the optimisation of the detector geometry by comparing the proANUBIS measurements inside the ATLAS cavern with detailed simulations. Furthermore, the successful candidate will contribute to the performance studies of Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) detectors considering timing and efficiency with eco-gas mixtures, and the quantification of ageing effects through irradiation. The role holder will contribute to the design of the final ANUBIS detector with a particular focus on of the data acquisition (DAQ) and readout (R/O) system, and including other aspects like the LHC clock distribution, power, gas, and detector control systems.

- PhD in (Astro-)Particle Physics (awarded or close to submission);

- Strong research record in experimental (astro-) particle physics;

- Experience with electronics in the context of DAQ and/or R/O systems;

- Programming fluency in C++ and/or python;

- Ability to work in an international team of scientists;

- Ability to travel to CERN and collaborating institutes for detector-related work.

- Expertise with DAQ and R/O systems in the context of timing-critical applications;

- Experience with VMI systems;

- Expertise in muon detection and RPC detector technology;

- Experience with gas and power distribution systems, as well as detector control systems

- Experience with reconstruction algorithms: muons, tracking, MET;

- Familiarity with GEANT4;

- Experience with data analysis.

The post will be a fixed term appointment for 24 months in the first instance. The successful candidate will be based at the Cavendish Laboratory. Travel to CERN and collaborating institutes for detector-related work may be necessary. Appointment at Research Associate is dependent on having a PhD. The Research Associate (grade 7) salary falls within the range £32,816 to £40,322.

To apply online for this vacancy, please click on the 'Apply' button on the bottom of the advertisement webpage (https://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/31187/). Please submit a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a covering letter together with a list of key publications in the Upload section of the online application. As part of your application, please provide the contact details of two referees.

The closing date for applications and references is Monday 27 September 2021.

Any questions about this vacancy or the application process can be directed to the HR Co-ordinator at rutherford.hr@phy.cam.ac.uk. Informal enquiries about the position can be addressed to Dr Oleg Brandt, obrandt@hep.phy.cam.ac.uk.

Please quote reference KA27950 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.