Postdoctoral position (f/m/d) | ATLAS Higgs data analysis

1000scholars; Garching bei München; On-site; EUR 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Max Planck Institute for Physics in Garching bei München seeks a postdoctoral researcher in experimental particle physics to lead Higgs data analyses within the ATLAS Muon Group. The role focuses on off-shell Higgs production in ZZ decays or Higgs to tau decays, with potential involvement in FPGA-based trigger hardware development.

The candidate should have a PhD in particle physics and substantial data-analysis experience, plus programming and modern ML skills.

Qualifications

• PhD in particle physics with substantial data-analysis experience.
• Strong programming skills and experience with ML techniques.
• Familiarity with fitting methods and analysis tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead ATLAS Higgs boson analyses with Run 3 data.
• Work on Higgs data analysis within the ATLAS Muon Group.
• Optional participation in hardware activities related to trigger processors.

Skills

PhD in particle physics

Data analysis

Programming skills

Machine learning techniques

Education

PhD in particle physics

Tools

FPGAs

Fitting methods

Job description

Postdoctoral position (f/m/d) | ATLAS Higgs data analysis
Scientist
Garching

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Particle, Plasma and Quantum Physics

Job Offer from September 01, 2026

The
Max-Planck-Institute for Physics
(MPP) is engaged in fundamental research in particle and astroparticle physics from both experimental and theoretical perspectives. One main research activity is participation in the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN.

We invite applications for a
postdoctoral position
in experimental particle physics to work on
Higgs data analysis
within our ATLAS Muon Group. Our long-standing analysis program focuses on exploring the properties of the Higgs boson and searching for physics phenomena beyond the Standard Model. In parallel, the group is engaged in hardware activities related to the development and implementation of new FPGA-based trigger processors, both for the operation of the ATLAS muon spectrometer during the high-luminosity phase of the LHC and for future collider experiments.

The successful candidate (m/f/d) is expected to play a leading role in ATLAS Higgs boson physics analyses with Run 3 data, with a primary focus on either off-shell Higgs boson production in decays to Z-boson pairs or Higgs decays into tau-lepton pairs, including the corresponding advancement of hadronic-tau reconstruction. Work on other ATLAS physics topics may also be considered depending on the candidate’s expertise.

A PhD in particle physics and substantial experience in data analysis are required. Additional valuable assets include strong programming skills, experience with modern machine-learning techniques such as neural simulation-based inference or transformer architectures, and familiarity with fitting methods and tools. Participation in the hardware activities of the group is optional but appreciated.

Salary and benefits are according to the German public service pay scale (TVöD Bund). The contract is initially limited to two years and can be extended in accordance with German law and available funding.

The Max Planck Society strives for gender equality and diversity. The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply.

For questions concerning the position, please contact Dr. Sandra Kortner ([e-mail]).

Max Planck Institute for Physics (Werner Heisenberg Institute)

Human Resources

Boltzmannstraße 8

85748 Garching bei München

Germany

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