Post-doctoral fellow in Experimental Particle Physics on the ATLAS Experiment and ACTS Track Reconstruction (PA2023/2808)

Post-doctoral fellow in Experimental Particle Physics on the ATLAS Experiment and ACTS Track Reconstruction

 The ATLAS Group at Lund University seeks a skilled and motivated post-doctoral fellow with a speciality in Track Reconstruction and Combined Performance to join our research team.

Subject description
The Division of Particle and Nuclear Physics (https://www.particle-nuclear.lu.se/) has 26 senior researchers and about 60 employees. The scope of the research at the Division covers experimental particle and nuclear physics as well as theoretical physics. Experimental Particle Physics at Lund University probes these phenomena with the ATLAS and ALICE Experiments at CERN, the planned Light Dark Matter eXperiment (LDMX) at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, and planned experiments at the European Spallation Source (ESS). These experiments rely on tracking detectors sensitive to laboratory-produced charged particles, so track reconstruction is a high-priority research area for the Division. The Lund ATLAS group has a long tradition with tracking detectors, having built part of the ATLAS Transistion Radiation Tracker (TRT) and contributed to the Inner Detector’s operation. Now, we are involved in the construction of the new Inner Tracker for the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). Tracking at Lund complements this detector physics investment.

The successful candidate would invest about half of their time on track alignment development within the ACTS (A Common Tracking Software) framework. The other half of the working time is available for a research line within ATLAS of the candidates choosing. ATLAS expects to move track reconstruction entirely to the ACTS framework to cope with the intense environment of the HL-LHC. The candidate would co-supervise one PhD student already working on the ACTS Combinatorial Kalman Filter and possibly another PhD student on the ACTS graphical neural network for alignment. The successful candidate would also have the opportunity to supervise masters and bachelors projects. The research activities are located at the Department of Physics at Lund University, with regular travel to CERN and ACTS Collaboration workshops expected. 

The Lund ATLAS Group
The Lund ATLAS group currently has six faculty members (Vincent Hedberg, Hannah Herde, Else Lytken, Ruth Pöttgen, Oxana Smirnova, and Torsten Åkesson) and three PhD students. Our active research areas include physics data analysis, reconstruction and combined performance, instrumentation development, and high-performance computing.

Work duties
The main duties involved in a post-doctoral position is to conduct research. Teaching may also be included, but up to no more than 20% of working hours. The position shall include the opportunity for three weeks of training in higher education teaching and learning.

• Track reconstruction research: Conduct research in the field of track reconstruction for the ATLAS Experiment using the ACTS framework, focusing on the development and implementation of innovative algorithms and techniques to accurately reconstruct particle trajectories in HL-LHC conditions.
• Related research line: Pursue a related ATLAS research line of the candidate’s choosing.
• Collaboration and teamwork: Work collaboratively within international research environments.
• Communication: Clear and thoughtful communication, both within the scientific community and with the public.
• Mentorship and training: Provide guidance and mentorship for junior researchers, fostering a collaborative and knowledge-sharing environment.
• Documentation and reporting: Maintain detailed records of research activities, prepare documentation for future users, and follow ATLAS and ACTS requirements for contributing to documentation of algorithms and analysis techniques developed during the research.
• Possibility to seek external research funding for conference travel or small projects.
• Administration related to work duties listed above.

 Qualification requirements
Appointment to a post-doctoral position requires that the applicant has a PhD, or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD, within the subject of the position, completed no more than three years before the date of employment decision. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier.

Candidates who expect to defend their dissertations within the next six months are invited to apply. The candidate must have completed their doctoral degree before the position may begin.

Requirements:

• Prior experience with detector and analysis work in particle physics or similar.
• Collaborative skills in order to work in a large, international collaboration.
• Strong programming skills in C++ and Python.
• Scholarly proficiency, for example demonstrated through published papers and/or the quality of their PhD dissertation.
• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.

Highly desirable qualifications:

• Prior experience with ACTS and/or track reconstruction/combined performance.
• Experience supervising or guiding junior researchers in their projects.

Assessment criteria and other qualifications
This is a career development position primarily focused on research. The position is intended as an initial step in a career, and the assessment of the applicants will primarily be based on their research qualifications and potential as researchers.

Particular emphasis will be placed on research skills within the subject.

For appointments to a post-doctoral position, the following shall form the assessment criteria:

• A good ability to develop and conduct high quality research.
• Teaching skills.

Additional assessment criteria:
Relevance and viability of past and future research interests. Proficiency in programming languages such as C++ and Python and working within large software frameworks. Experience with ACTS and/or track reconstruction explicitly is considered a merit. Experience working in an international collaboration. Interest and experience guiding others, particularly students, in their projects.

Evaluation of the applicants will take their experience, knowledge, and other personal qualities into consideration.

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant’s experience and skills complement and strengthen ongoing research within the department, and how they stand to contribute to its future development.

Terms of employment
This is a full-time, fixed-term employment of two years with the possibility of a one-year extension. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor” (“Agreement on fixed-term employment as a post-doctoral fellow”) between Lund University, SACO-S and OFR/S, dated 1st February 2022.

Instructions on how to apply
Applications shall be written in English and be compiled into a PDF-file containing:

 Contact: Hannah Herde,[email protected]