PhD Student Position in Particle Physics at Ruhr University of Bochum (LHCb Group)

The newly established LHCb group at Ruhr University of Bochum, Germany, focused on hadron spectroscopy, invites applications for a PhD student position in particle physics with LHCb experiment.

Research Focus:

Our projects are centered on the spectroscopy of hadrons, with a keen interest in the identification and study of exotic states. The successful candidate will engage in physics analysis using LHCb data, particularly:

• Investigations into the properties of tetraquarks and pentaquarks
• Spectroscopy of charm baryons
• Search for glueball candidates in central exclusive production

Additionally, our group is involved in the development of read-out electronics for the upgrade of the SciFi detector. This offers the candidate a remarkable opportunity to delve into the design of the readout chip, front-end board, and the test station for the next-generation read-out chain.

Our close collaboration with the leading theorists from the Joint Physics Analysis Center, JPAC, offers a platform to work on fronter of particle phenomenology, broaden the research horizon, hone analytical skills, and boost the publication rate.

Supervisor:

PhD students will be under the expert guidance of the group PI, Dr. M. Mikhasenko (GitHub profile).

Some previous works:

• Notable LHCb papers: Lc polarimetry, OmegacXX spectroscopy, Tcc discovery, Pentaquarks’ studies
• Other publications: Ambiguities, eta(’)pi Double Regge, KTMC, Jpsi3pi KT, Spin-parity of X->VV, a11420 COMPASS

Duration:

The position spans 3-4 years.

Funding:

The position is funded by NRW FAIR / BMBF and comes with a regular working contract. The remuneration is set at 66% of the TV-L13 pay grade.

Eligibility:

• A Master’s degree in particle physics
• Proficiency in programming, statistical methods, fitting/optimization
• Fluency in English (Non-EU candidates require a language certificate >=B2)

Application Process:

Interested candidates should forward their CV, a motivation letter (not exceeding 500 words).

• Applications should be sent to mikhail.mikhasenko@cern.ch with the subject line “PhD LHCb-RUB <candidate family name>”.
• The reference letter should be sent to mikhail.mikhasenko@cern.ch with the subject line “Reference letter, <candidate family name>”.

The deadline for submission is September 15th.

Selection:

The selection will be conducted in two phases:

• Review of applications
• An interview based on an exercise/survey sheet that will be communicated to the successful candidates.

Start Date:

The position is available from Octeber. The starting date should not be later than January 2024.

Collaborations:

The candidate will benefit from our collaborations with:

• Experimental LHCb and theory JPAC collaborations
• Regular trips to CERN, Switzerland
• Meetings and mutual visits with our partners from University of Messina (IT), University of Valencia (SP), University of Barcelona (SP), and Jefferson Lab (US) for phenomenology projects
• Close cooperation with German groups from Bonn, Heidelberg, and Dortmund, as well as other LHCb groups in hadron spectroscopy from Marseille (FR), Syracuse (US), Tsinghua University (China), and University of Bari (IT)

Professional Development:

• Active involvement in the LHCb experiment at CERN
• International exposure at conferences and workshops
• Participation in summer/winter schools

Contact:

For further inquiries, please reach out to mikhail.mikhasenko@cern.ch.

Equal Opportunity:

We are committed to fostering diversity in our group. Female students and students with non-traditional physics backgrounds are especially encouraged to apply.