Position Overview

Faculty: Faculty of Science

Degree Required: Master's

Working Hours: 38 hours per week

Vacancy Number: 15364

Salary: €3,204 – €4,051 per month

Application Deadline: 31 August 2026

Are you interested in theoretical and experimental research in the fields of particle and astroparticle physics? Have you always wanted to work with the KM3NeT next-generation neutrino telescope and do you enjoy working in an interdisciplinary research setting? Nikhef is looking for one ambitious PhD candidate. Your research is part of the KM3NeT programme.

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Working at the UvA

Join us!

Nikhef is the national institute for subatomic physics in the Netherlands. At Nikhef, approximately 250 physicists and 80 technical staff work together in an open and international scientific environment. Together they perform theoretical and experimental research in particle and astroparticle physics.

KM3NeT is a next-generation neutrino telescope taking shape on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. Its primary scientific goals are to discover and study high-energy astrophysical neutrinos and their sources with the ARCA detector, and to investigate neutrino oscillations—including the determination of the neutrino mass ordering—with the ORCA detector. Both detectors also record enormous numbers of atmospheric muons from cosmic-ray air showers, and these muons carry information about particle interactions at energies far beyond the reach of any accelerator on Earth.

In this project you will turn that signal into cosmic-ray physics: measuring the muon content of air showers, confronting high-energy hadronic-interaction models and helping to solve the long-standing “muon puzzle”. You will carry out your research in the KM3NeT group at Nikhef, which initiated and coordinates the cosmic-ray activities within the international KM3NeT Collaboration, and you will work in a friendly, supportive and international team.

All about this vacancy

This is what you will do

As a PhD candidate you will develop new ways to extract cosmic-ray physics from KM3NeT data. You will design and characterise reconstruction methods—both machine-learning-based and traditional—for the bundles of muons that reach the detectors, and apply them to data and simulations to constrain cosmic-ray composition and hadronic-interaction models. We support you with a rich international collaboration, extensive computing resources and close day-to-day supervision within the group.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Develop reconstruction algorithms for the muon bundles recorded by KM3NeT.
• Extract air-shower observables such as muon multiplicity, lateral separation and energy.
• Use these observables to constrain cosmic-ray composition and high-energy hadronic-interaction models, including the atmospheric dependence of the muon flux.
• Publish your results in peer-reviewed journals and present them at international conferences.
• Contribute to the work of the KM3NeT Collaboration.
• Contribute to teaching at the University of Amsterdam, for example by assisting in bachelor's or master's courses.

What we ask of you

Your experience and profile

• MSc in Physics completed by the start of the appointment.
• A strong interest in astroparticle and cosmic-ray physics.
• Good programming skills.
• The ability and enthusiasm to work in a large international collaboration while advancing your own research.
• Good command of spoken and written English.

Experience with data analysis in astroparticle, particle or cosmic-ray physics is an advantage. Familiarity with machine learning may be useful, but is not expected.

This is what we offer you

We offer a temporary contract for 38 hours per week for a duration of 4 years. The initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and, after satisfactory evaluation, it will be extended to a total duration of 4 years.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week, ranges between €3,204 and €4,051 (Scale P). This does not include:

• 8% holiday allowance.
• 8.3% year-end allowance.

The UFO profile PhD candidate is applicable.

A favourable tax agreement, the 30% ruling, may apply to non-Dutch applicants.

The preferred starting date will be agreed with the successful candidate, but will be before December 2026.

This employment should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master's students.

The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

Your place at the UvA

You will work in this team

The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 8,000 and approximately 1,800 staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

The Institute of Physics (IoP) of the University of Amsterdam is located in the center of the Amsterdam Science Park. The IoP, as part of the Faculty of Science, is housed in a modern building with excellent laboratories and technical facilities. Surrounded by several national research institutes and, together with partners at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), the institute forms part of a strong international physics center.

Nikhef is the national institute for subatomic physics in the Netherlands. At Nikhef, approximately 220 physicists and 80 technical staff work together in an open and international scientific environment. Together they perform theoretical and experimental research in the fields of particle and astroparticle physics.

Nikhef is a partnership between six major Dutch universities and the NWO-I Foundation, the Institutes Organization of the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

Among the research collaborations Nikhef participates in are:

• ALICE at CERN.
• ATLAS at CERN.
• LHCb at CERN.
• KM3NeT neutrino telescope.
• Virgo gravitational-wave interferometer.
• Xenon-nT dark matter experiment.
• Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory.
• eEDM research programme.

There are also scientific groups on Theory, Physics Data Processing and Detector R&D. Nikhef has excellently equipped technical departments in mechanics, electronics and computing.

The research is carried out in the KM3NeT group at Nikhef, which covers the full chain from detector construction and calibration to reconstruction and physics analysis. The group contributes to KM3NeT's core neutrino programme: the search for high-energy astrophysical neutrinos and their sources with ARCA, and precision studies of neutrino oscillations and the neutrino mass ordering with ORCA.

It also initiated and coordinates the cosmic-ray physics activities within the international KM3NeT Collaboration, using the atmospheric muons recorded by KM3NeT to study air showers, hadronic interactions and the cosmic-ray flux—the research of which you will be part.

More about the UvA

The University of Amsterdam is ambitious, creative and committed. An inspiration to students since 1632, a vanguard player in international science and a partner in innovation.

The University of Amsterdam is the largest university in the Netherlands, with the broadest range of courses on offer. It is an intellectual hub with:

• 42,000 students.
• 6,000 staff.
• 3,000 PhD students.

Connected by a culture of curiosity.

Important to know

Your application & contact

If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application only through the Nikhef portal.

Applications are accepted until and including 31 August 2026.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact:

Dr. Ronald Bruijn
Email: [email protected]

Application documents

Applications should include the following information (all files besides your CV should be submitted in one single PDF file):

• A detailed CV including the start and finish months (not just years) for your education and work experience.
• A letter of motivation.
• A list of publications.
• The names and email addresses of two references who can provide letters of recommendation.

The UvA and Nikhef attach great importance to the contribution of female scientists in research and education. We particularly encourage women and candidates from other under-represented groups to apply. We value diversity and encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply, even if you do not meet every requirement.

A knowledge security check can be part of the selection procedure (for details: national knowledge security guidelines).

Only complete applications received within the response period via the Nikhef portal will be considered.

Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

As an employer, the UvA maintains an equal opportunities policy. We value diversity and are fully committed to being a place where everyone feels at home. We nurture inquisitive minds and perseverance and allow room for persistent questioning. With us, curiosity and creativity are the prevailing culture.

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Studies show that women and members of underrepresented groups only apply for jobs if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Do you meet the educational requirements but not yet all of the requested experience? The UvA encourages you to apply anyway.

In your application, please refer to Professorpositions.com