Company Description

At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter – fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on http://home.cern.ch

Diversity has been an integral part of CERN’s mission since its foundation and is an established value of the Organization.

Job Description

This fellowship is designed to offer a small number of post-doctoral research positions in the field of applied physics and engineering. It is targeted at applied physicists and engineers who intend to make a career in research or academia and are often expected to take a leading role in their project. The successful candidates will be working in the Experimental Physics (EP) department of CERN on the design, development, deployment and operation of particle physics experiments. In particular, we are looking for expertise in the areas of:

• detector technologies,
• material science,
• mechanical engineering,
• electronics,
• computing.

You are applying to a programme and not to a specific job, at this stage. The information that you will provide in your application is important to identify specific projects to which you may contribute. If your profile is retained, the project(s) for which you have been chosen will be discussed and tuned with you.

Candidates holding or about to hold a PhD, whose specific field of interest is purely experimental or theoretical physics, should consider applying for the ‘Research Fellowship: Experimental Physics’ or ‘Research Fellowship: Theoretical Physics’, respectively.

Qualifications

In order to qualify for a place on the programme you will need to meet the following requirements:

• You are a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State. A limited number of positions are also available to candidates from Non-Member States.
• Your PhD is in the fields of applied physics and engineering,
• You have completed your PhD, or your PhD defence is already scheduled, and you expect to complete at most 6 months after the closing date for application to this position. In all cases, you must have the PhD degree by the time you take up your appointment at CERN.
• You should have a maximum of 3 years of research experience after the PhD, measured up to the closing date for application to this position. Candidates with between 3 and 6 years of experience may be considered in exceptional cases.
• Please note that CERN Staff members are not eligible to apply for this Fellowship.

Additional Information

CERN would very much like to benefit from your expertise, commitment and passion. In return, CERN will provide you with:

• An employment contract for in principle 24 months, with a possible extension up to 36 months.
• A stipend of 6,911 Swiss francs per month (net of tax).
• Coverage by CERN’s comprehensive health scheme (for yourself, your spouse and children), and membership of the CERN Pension Fund.
• Depending on your individual circumstances: an installation grant, family, child and infant allowances as well as travel expenses to and from Geneva.
• 2.5 days of paid leave per month.

Your future Life @CERN

Get a glimpse of what it’s like to work at CERN: https://careers.cern/benefits and https://careers.cern/our-people

This is how you can apply:

You will need the following documents (in PDF format, as separate files) to complete your application:

• A curriculum vitae.
• Your most recent relevant qualification.
• A statement of your interests in research and development, based on your experience and showing how you would want to contribute to areas of applied physics and engineering essential to CERN (maximum one page)
• Three recent letters of recommendation (not older than a year at the time of the deadline for applications) giving an overview of your academic and/or professional achievements.
  • You will be provided with a link as soon as you have submitted your application to forward to your referees to upload their letters confidentially. Please note this must be done before the closing date. You can also upload these letters at the time of application if you have them to hand, but this is discouraged.

All applications should reach us no later than 10 March 2025 at midnight (23:59 PM CET).

The results will be approved at the selection committee meeting of 21st May 2025, and candidates will be notified shortly after. It is expected that selected candidates start their contract within six months following the notification.

Please note that all the documents you upload will remain attached to your Smartrecruiters profile. You do not need to upload them again for other applications you might submit.