Postdoctoral Research Associate on the ATLAS experiment

UCL; London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading university in London is seeking an exceptional particle physicist to contribute to the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. The role involves leading the Higgs pair production programme and optimizing the ATLAS Trigger. Candidates should possess a PhD in particle physics, demonstrate strong research originality, and have experience in machine learning. The position offers a competitive salary and generous benefits including extensive holiday and a pension scheme.

Benefits

41 Days holiday

Defined benefit pension scheme

Cycle to work scheme

On-site gym

Employee assistance programme

Qualifications

• PhD in particle physics or about to submit.
• Strong publication record in research.
• Experience with ATLAS Trigger preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead role in Higgs pair production programme.
• Optimize ATLAS Run-3 Trigger strategy.
• Calibrate and optimize b-jet trigger.

Skills

Particle physics research

Machine learning applications

Excellent communication skills

Team leadership potential

Education

PhD in particle physics

Job description

About us

UCL is one of the world's top universities based in the heart of London. It is a modern, outward-looking institution. UCL's staff and former students have included 32 Nobel prize-winners. It is a truly international community: more than one-third of our student body - more than 50,000 strong - come from 150 countries and nearly one-third of staff are from outside the UK.

The UCL High Energy Physics (HEP) Group is one of the largest groups in the country (~100 members, including around 20 academics and 40 PhD students), with a programme covering a broad range of the HEP field, including the exploration of the energy frontier (ATLAS), Neutrinos, Dark Matter, flavour physics and phenomenology, as well as Accelerator R&D and applications such as Proton Beam Therapy. Our ATLAS team has key involvements in the exploration of electroweak symmetry breaking, including leadership in the search for Higgs boson pair production in the HH->4b final state, as well as in a multitude of searches for physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM), and in key Standard Model measurements and their interpretation in the context of BSM theories. UCL ATLAS has been at the heart of pioneering work in developing cutting-edge Machine Learning (ML) algorithms for tracking and flavour tagging, as well as for ultrafast applications in the Global Hardware Trigger of ATLAS for HL-LHC. We also have a leading role in UCL's Centre for Data Intensive Science and Industry (and the corresponding PhD training programme), a unique interdisciplinary platform for developing and applying novel ML techniques within academia and in industry.

About the role

We are looking for an outstanding particle physicist to work on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. The successful candidate will be expected to take a leading role in the Higgs pair production programme of ATLAS. In terms of technical responsibilities, the post holder will have the opportunity to make key contributions to the ATLAS Run-3 Trigger strategy and operations, particularly in terms of porting and optimizing the latest ATLAS offline b-tagging algorithms in the b-jet trigger signature, calibrating the b-jet trigger, and optimizing tracking in the Trigger, with focus on the b-jet and tau trigger signatures. After the end of Run-3, the focus will shift to preparations for Run-4.

Funding for this post is available up to 30 September 2027 in the first instance.

About you

The successful candidate will have (or be about to submit) a PhD in particle physics, and a strong record of originality in research, demonstrated by a good publication record, commensurate with the applicant's career stage. They will have excellent written and verbal communication skills, and will have shown evidence of future leadership potential. Desirable attributes include experience in the ATLAS Trigger and in developing cutting-edge machine learning models for applications in experimental HEP and beyond.

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Additional 5 days' annual leave purchase scheme
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Immigration loan Relocation scheme for certain posts
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women. Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our long-term commitment and 'beacon' status in advancing gender equality. You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: the department maintains ongoing work in this area.