The organization
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).
Nikhef participates in a wide range of research collaborations, including the ALICE, ATLAS and LHCb experiments at CERN, the KM3NeT neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean, the Virgo gravitational waves interferometer in Pisa, the Xenon-nT dark matter experiment in Gran Sasso, the Pierre Auger cosmic ray observatory in Argentina, and the eEDM research programme in Groningen. Nikhef furthermore has scientific groups on theoretical particle physics, physics data processing, and detector R&D, and has excellently equipped technical departments in mechanics, electronics, and computing. Nikhef hosts a LHC Tier-1 data processing center and offers substantial additional computing resources for end-user data analysis and simulation.
Embedding
The research will be embedded in both the Cosmic Ray and KM3NeT groups of Nikhef. The Cosmic Ray group, based in Nijmegen and Amsterdam, brings knowledge of cosmic-ray source identification, magnetic field deflections, air shower development, cosmic ray identification, as well as shared experience in hardware development and data analysis. The KM3NeT group is building the KM3NeT neutrino telescope on the Mediterranean seafloor, covering the full chain from detector construction and calibration to event reconstruction and physics analysis. Its science programme spans neutrino source searches with ARCA, mass ordering measurements with ORCA, and cosmic ray studies through atmospheric muon measurements.
The PhD candidate will benefit from the shared knowledge between both groups.
Job summary:
Ultra-high-energy cosmic rays are the highest energy particles measured at Earth, and yet their origin is still one of the major open questions in astroparticle physics. This is mainly because they are deflected by cosmic magnetic fields, making it difficult to identify their sources from the measured arrival directions. Neutrinos on the other hand travel on straight paths, which makes tracing their origin possible. While cosmic-ray acceleration and interactions are generally expected to generate high-energy neutrinos, it is still unclear if there is one common source class, or if different environments lead to either neutrino production of cosmic-ray escape.
The PhD candidate will address the possible common origin of neutrinos and cosmic rays by probing correlations between the ultra-high-energy cosmic rays measured by Auger, and the high-energy neutrinos measured by KM3Net. The consideration of magnetic field deflections and estimation of cosmic-ray charges and energies is important, as well as the selection of plausible source candidates. The development of machine-learning methods could enhance the sensitivity of this analysis.
The position
The successful candidate will be a full member of both the Pierre Auger Collaboration and the KM3Net Collaboration, giving them access to both data sets and they will be fully embedded in each of the two experimental groups.
The position will be based in Amsterdam, but the candidate is expected to be physically present in group meetings of the cosmic-ray group in Nijmegen at least every other week.
Our research community is friendly and supportive. Nikhef is committed to being an inclusive and diverse organisation. Applications from women and people belonging to minority and underrepresented groups are especially welcomed.
Offer
The candidate will be employed by the NWO-I foundation for a period of 1+3 years and will obtain the status of PhD candidate. They will receive a competitive salary. The conditions of employment are excellent and include extra months’’salary payment in May and December. The conditions of employment of the NWO-I foundation can be found at https://www.nwo-i.nl/en/employees/
Requirements
Excellent software and programming skills, in particular in Python, as well as prior expertise in the topics relevant for this position are specially encouraged. Applicants should have a MSc degree in (astro-)particle (or a closely related topic) by the time they start their appointment at Nikhef or shortly thereafter.
Further information and application
Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply by clicking the 'apply now' button below. Please be prepared to upload a curriculum vitae and a motivation letter and have the email addresses of at least two referents ready, who are willing to send a letter of recommendation on your behalf. The deadline for applications is Friday August 14th, 2026. The starting date will be set on mutual agreement, with September/October 2026 being preferred (a later start date can be negotiated). For further information, feel free to contact Dr. Teresa Bister ([email protected]), or Prof. Dr. Dorothea Samtleben ([email protected]).
