Postdoc in gravitational wave analysis/Machine Learning, Amsterdam, Netherlands

More info:  external link
Deadline:  2021-12-11

Location:  Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Nikhef organization
Nikhef is the national institute for subatomic physics in The Netherlands. Utrecht University is one of the six major Dutch universities that constitute the institute together with the Dutch Foundation for Scientific Research (NWO). At Nikhef, approximately 175 physicists and 75 technical staff members work together in an open and international scientific environment. Together, they perform theoretical and experimental research in the fields of particle and astroparticle physics.

The position
The Institute for Gravitational and Subatomic Physics (GRASP) at Utrecht University and Nikhef, the national institute for subatomic physics in The Netherlands, are looking to recruit a postdoctoral researcher to explore and develop search algorithms and mock data sets for the third-generation of gravitational-wave detectors. The successful candidate will be embedded in the gravitational waves (GW) group of Dr. Sarah Caudill and Professor Chris Van Den Broeck and will be a member of the Virgo Collaboration, which together with the LIGO Scientific Collaboration jointly analyses all GW data from the LIGO and Virgo interferometers.

The successful candidate will work within the OPZuid stimulus program, which aims to fund innovation by promoting crossovers between industry and academia. The successful applicant will collaborate with the financial trading company Boosting Alpha B.V. and Open University of the Netherlands to develop machine-learning-based anomaly detection algorithms and realistic mock data sets for the next generation of gravitational-wave detectors such as the Einstein Telescope.

Qualifications
* holds a PhD degree in Physics, Astronomy, Computer Science or a related field;
* has a background in programming and machine learning and preferably some research experience;
* has scientific writing skills;
* has English collaboration and communication skills;
* has the motivation to work in a multidisciplinary, international research team.

It will be beneficial for the candidate to have some experience with gravitational-wave data analysis. The candidate will be based at Nikhef in Amsterdam and may also spend a few days a week at Utrecht University. Additionally, the candidate will be encouraged to visit collaborators in other parts of the Netherlands.

Offer
Nikhef is a unique and inspiring place to work. You will be employed by the NWO-I Foundation for a period of 2 years. The remuneration is between 3570 and 4235 EUR based on full-time employment and depending on education and experience. Furthermore, NWO-I offers a fixed 13th month and more than 8 weeks of paid holiday leave per year. The terms of employment of the NWO-I Foundation are excellent and can be found at: www.nwo-i.nl.

Questions and applications
If you have any questions about this position, please contact dr. Sarah Caudill (s.caudill[AT]nikhef.nl). More information about Nikhef can be found at: www.nikhef.nl.