PhD student in experimental nuclear physics
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 focused on increasing our understanding of nuclear reaction dynamics, with a particular emphasis on neutron-induced reactions.
Through specially 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 beneficial societal applications in cancer treatment, radiation-hardened microelectronics, and other radiation-based technologies.
Tasks
The doctoral project will investigate the competition between different reaction mechanisms that govern the emission of light ions in neutron-induced reactions over a wide range of neutron energies. Particular attention will be paid to the transition from behavior dominated by the formation of a compound nucleus to pre-equilibrium 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 for emitted light ions as a function of neutron energy. These results will increase the understanding and modeling of nuclear reactions and contribute to improving evaluated nuclear data libraries.
The project also has important applications for construction 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 can potentially affect the mechanical properties and lifetime of construction 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 primary international partners among research facilities. The project will focus on experiments at the Neutrons for Science, NFS, facility, 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, which was originally developed by the research group and is now permanently installed at GANIL. You will contribute to the simulation, preparation, optimization, and further development of the experimental setup and its associated systems. You will also play an active role in the preparation and execution of measurement campaigns at GANIL and work closely with researchers and technical specialists at NFS.
After the experiments, you will be responsible for analyzing collected data and interpreting the results using nuclear reaction codes such as TALYS. By comparing experimental results with model calculations, you will assess the ability of current models to describe the emission of light ions, especially during the pre-equilibrium phase of the reaction. The results are expected to support the continued development and validation of nuclear reaction models.
The employment 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.
Qualification requirements
Eligible for doctoral studies is the person who has
completed a degree at the advanced level in physics, engineering physics, nuclear engineering, applied physics, or another area relevant to the project, or completed at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 credits are at the advanced level including an independent project of at least 15 credits, or otherwise acquired substantially equivalent knowledge.
The employment also requires:
good knowledge of physics, including nuclear physics and radiation detection, some experience in programming, for example in Python or C++, as well as an interest in further developing these skills, the 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 undertake research stays abroad, including longer stays and shorter trips, primarily to GANIL, as well as to participate in scientific conferences.
Other desirable/meritorious 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 within nuclear physics, scientific computations involving large datasets from simulations or measurements, including the use of high-performance computing resources.
Provisions for doctoral students can be found in the Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 5, Sections 1-7, as well as in the university's rules and guidelines.
About the employment
The employment is fixed-term, according to HF Chapter 5, Section 7. The scope is full-time. Commencement on February 1, 2027, or as agreed. Location: Uppsala
Information about doctoral education, eligibility requirements, and admission rules can be found on the website of the Faculty of Science and Technology.
Inquiries about the employment are provided by: Diego Tarrío, diego.tarrio@physics.uu.se
In this recruitment, we have replaced the personal letter with questions that you answer in connection with your application. The answers will be used as part of the selection process.
Welcome with your application no later than October 30, 2026, UFV-PA 2026/2799.
Please note that only the Swedish version of the advertisement is shown on Platsbanken, therefore only editing is required in the Swedish version of the title if it needs to be shortened.