This position has a term length of 2 years.

Location - North campus. This role is in person

Working for the University of Alberta 

The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages and cultures of First Nations, Métis, Inuit and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.

The University of Alberta is teeming with change makers, community builders, and world shapers who lead with purpose each and every day. We are home to more than 40,000 students in 200+ undergraduate and 500+ graduate programs, over 13,000 faculty and staff, 260,000 alumni worldwide and have been recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for over a decade.

Your work will have a meaningful influence on a fascinating cross section of people—from our students and stakeholders, to our renowned researchers and innovators who are quite literally curing diseases, making discoveries and generating solutions that make the world healthier, safer, stronger, and more just.

Department summary

The PICO experiment is the result of the merger of the PICASSO and COUPP collaborations. PICO is currently operating a large bubble chamber at SNOLAB called PICO-40L. This data from this chamber will deliver another world leading result in the area of spin-depended dark matter searches.
The PICO collaboration is also in the process of designing and building a large-scale, super-heated dark matter detector at SNOLAB called PICO-500. The Alberta group on PICO has one faculty member, one research associate, one postdoctoral fellow and several graduate and undergraduate students. Our group is responsible for the optical data acquisition system of PICO-40L, for parts of the optical data reconstruction, for the thermal control system of PICO-500 and several other important subsystems of the new detector.

Position summary

The position will be based at the University of Alberta and will allow the successful candidate to get hands on experience at the SNOLAB facility in Sudbury (see http://www.snolab.ca. Experience in the field of experimental neutrino physics or dark matter searches is an asset. For fieldwork a driver’s license is highly desirable.

The successful candidate will have a recent PhD in experimental particle astrophysics, experimental nuclear or particle physics, or in a closely related field. The original appointment will be for two years, up to three years in special circumstances, subject to funding.

Duties

The duties of this position will include

• Designing,
• Modelling,
• Building,
• Testing and
• Commissioning ultra-low-background detectors, as well as
• Developing software for Monte Carlo simulations and
• Data analysis.

Minimum Qualification

• PhD in experimental particle physics or nuclear physics

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with data analysis
• Experience with GEANT based Monte Carlo simulations
• Experience with low background techniques and methods
• Experience with mentoring students
• Valid driver’s license for field work

How to Apply:

Applicants should submit a detailed CV, a brief statement of research interests online, Applicants should also arrange to have at least three letters of reference forwarded to: Prof. Carsten B. Krauss (carsten.krauss@ualberta.ca)

Centre for Particle Physics
Department of Physics CCIS 4-181
University of Alberta
Edmonton Alberta CANADA  T6G 2E1

The review of applications will begin on April 25th, 2023 and will continue until the position is filled.