PhD Student in Experimental Nuclear Physics

Uppsala Universitet · plný úvazek

Box 256, Uppsala, Švédsko

The successful candidate will join a research group with a strong international profile and active collaborations at leading research facilities, including GANIL (France), JRC-Geel (Belgium), CERN n_TOF (Switzerland), GSI (Germany), and JYFL (Finland). The group's research is aimed at advancing our understanding of nuclear reaction dynamics, with special emphasis on neutron-induced reactions. Through carefully designed experiments, the research group produces high-precision nuclear data that extends beyond current experimental limitations. These results contribute to the development of advanced nuclear reaction models and evaluated nuclear data libraries, supporting safe, reliable, and competitive technologies for both existing and future nuclear energy systems, as well as societal applications in cancer treatment, radiation-hard microelectronics, and other radiation-based technologies. Duties The PhD project will investigate the competition between different reaction mechanisms governing the emission of light ions in neutron-induced reactions over a broad range of neutron energies. Special attention will be given to the transition from behavior dominated by compound nucleus formation to preequilibrium and direct reaction dynamics. The measurements will produce new high-precision nuclear data, including total production cross sections as well as energy and angular distributions of emitted light ions as a function of neutron energy. These results will advance the understanding and modeling of nuclear reactions and contribute to improving evaluated nuclear data libraries. The project also has important applications for structural materials used in nuclear facilities and other radiation environments. In future fusion facilities and fast reactors, the emission of light ions can lead to gas production and bubble formation, which could potentially affect the mechanical properties and lifetime of structural materials. As a PhD student, you will conduct a significant portion of your experimental research at GANIL in Caen, France, one of the group's leading international collaborating research facilities. The project will focus on experiments at the Neutrons for Science facility, NFS, where its white neutron spectrum is used to investigate the emission of light ions in neutron-induced reactions. A central part of your work will involve the Medley experimental setup, originally developed by the research group and now permanently installed at GANIL. You will contribute to simulation, preparation, optimization, and further development of the experimental setup and its associated systems. You will also play an active role in preparations and execution of measurement campaigns at GANIL and work closely with researchers and technical specialists at NFS. Following the experiments, you will be responsible for analyzing collected data and interpreting results using nuclear reaction codes such as TALYS. By comparing experimental results with model calculations, you will assess the current models' ability to describe the emission of light ions, particularly during the preequilibrium phase of the reaction. The results are expected to support the continued development and validation of nuclear reaction models. The position requires extended research stays at GANIL and may also include visits to other international facilities. You will present your research through scientific publications and presentations at national and international conferences. Qualifications To be eligible for doctoral-level studies, you must have: completed an advanced degree in physics, engineering physics, nuclear engineering, applied physics, or another field relevant to the project, or completed at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 credits at advanced level including an independent project of at least 15 credits, or acquired essentially equivalent knowledge in some other way. The position also requires: strong knowledge of physics, including nuclear physics and radiation detection, some programming experience, for example in Python or C++, and interest in further developing these skills, ability to work independently and in a structured manner, good collaborative skills, good ability to communicate orally and in writing in English, availability and willingness to conduct research stays abroad, including extended stays and shorter trips, primarily to GANIL, and to participate in scientific conferences. Desirable/Meritorious Additional Qualifications Experience in one or more of the following areas is meritorious: data analysis with ROOT, particle transport simulations with Monte Carlo codes such as Geant4, FLUKA, or OpenMC, nuclear reaction calculations with codes such as TALYS, practical experience working with radiation detectors, detector electronics, or data acquisition systems, theoretical modeling in nuclear physics, scientific computing involving large data sets from simulations or measurements, including use of high-performance computing resources. Provisions for PhD students are found in the Higher Education Ordinance 5 ch. §§ 1-7 and in the university's rules and guidelines. About the Position The position is limited-term, according to HF 5 ch. § 7. Full-time employment. Start date: February 1, 2027, or by agreement. Location: Uppsala Information about doctoral education, eligibility requirements, and admission rules can be found on the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences website. For information about the position, contact: Diego Tarrío, [email protected] In this recruitment, we have replaced the cover letter with questions that you answer as part of your application. The answers will be used as part of the selection process. Welcome to apply by October 30, 2026, UFV-PA 2026/2799. Please note that only the Swedish version of the advertisement is displayed on Platsbanken; therefore, editing should only be done in the Swedish version of the title if it needs to be shortened.