PhD student in experimental nuclear physics with a focus on neutron-induced reactions

Are you interested in working with experimental nuclear physics, with the support of competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Are you looking for an employer that invests in sustainable employeeship and offers safe, favourable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a PhD position at Uppsala University.

The research conducted at the Department of Physics and Astronomy encompasses a wide range of physics topics, distributed over nine divisions. The department is located in the Ångström laboratory and employs nearly 400 people, 100 of whom are doctoral students. It offers a broad physics curriculum to undergraduate and graduate students, participation in nationally and internationally leading projects for researchers, and opportunities for partnership with industry and various outreach activities. Read more on www.uu.se/physics.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy, Division of Applied Nuclear Physics, at Uppsala University conducts research and education in applied nuclear physics. Its activities aim to deepen our understanding of the properties of atomic nuclei and apply this knowledge in areas such as energy and materials research.

The successful candidate will join a research group with a strong international profile and active collaborations at leading research facilities, including GANIL (France), JRC-Geel (Belgium), CERN n_TOF (Switzerland), GSI (Germany), and JYFL (Finland). The group’s research focuses on advancing our understanding of nuclear-reaction dynamics, with particular emphasis on neutron-induced reactions.

Through dedicated experiments, the research group produces high-precision nuclear data that extend beyond current experimental limits. These results contribute to the development of state-of-the-art nuclear-reaction models and evaluated nuclear-data libraries, supporting safe, reliable, and competitive technologies for both existing and future nuclear-energy systems, as well as societal applications in cancer treatment, radiation-tolerant microelectronics, and other radiation-based technologies.

Duties

The doctoral project will investigate the competition between different reaction mechanisms governing light-ion emission in neutron-induced reactions over a broad range of neutron energies. Particular attention will be given to the transition from compound-nucleus-dominated behaviour to pre-equilibrium and direct-reaction dynamics. The measurements will produce new high-precision nuclear data, including total production cross-sections and the energy and angular distributions of emitted light ions as functions of neutron energy. These results will advance the understanding and modelling of nuclear reactions and contribute to improving evaluated nuclear-data libraries.

The project also has important applications for structural materials used in nuclear installations and other irradiation environments. In future fusion devices and fast reactors, light-ion emission can lead to gas production and bubble formation, potentially affecting the mechanical properties and service life of structural materials.

As a doctoral student, you will conduct a substantial part of your experimental research at GANIL in Caen, France, one of the group’s principal international partner facilities. The project will focus on experiments at the Neutrons for Science facility, NFS, using its white-neutron beam to investigate light-ion emission in neutron-induced reactions.

A central part of your work will involve the Medley experimental setup, which was originally developed by the research group and is now permanently installed at GANIL. You will contribute to the simulation, preparation, optimisation, and further development of the experimental setup and its associated systems. You will also take an active role in preparing and carrying out measurement campaigns at GANIL, working closely with researchers and technical specialists at NFS.

Following the experiments, you will be responsible for analysing the collected data and interpreting the results using nuclear-reaction codes such as TALYS. By comparing the experimental findings with model calculations, you will assess the ability of current models to describe light-ion emission, particularly during the pre-equilibrium stage of the reaction. The results are expected to support the further development and validation of nuclear-reaction models.

The position requires extended research visits to GANIL and may include visits to other international facilities. You will communicate your research through scientific publications and presentations at national and international conferences.

Requirements

To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must

• hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree in physics, engineering physics, nuclear engineering, applied physics, or another area relevant to the project, or
• have completed at least 240 credits in higher education, with at least 60 credits at Master’s level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, or
• have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

The position also requires

• good knowledge of physics, including nuclear physics and radiation detection,
• some programming experience, for example in Python, C++, and an interest in further developing these skills,
• the ability to work independently and in a structured manner;
• good collaboration skills,
• good oral and written communication skills in English,
• availability and willingness to undertake research visits abroad, including extended stays and shorter trips, primarily to GANIL, and to attend scientific conferences.

Additional qualifications

Experience in one or more of the following areas is considered a merit:

• data analysis using ROOT,
• particle-transport simulations using Monte Carlo codes such as Geant4, FLUKA, or OpenMC,
• nuclear-reaction calculations using codes such as TALYS,
• practical experience with radiation detectors, detector electronics, or data-acquisition systems,
• theoretical modelling in nuclear physics,
• scientific computing involving large datasets from simulations or measurements, including the use of high-performance computing resources.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines .

About the employment

The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date 1st February 2027 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

Information about doctoral education, eligibility requirements and admission rules can be found on t he web site of the Faculty of Science and Technology .

For further information about the position, please contact:  Diego Tarrío, diego.tarrio@physics.uu.se

In this recruitment we have replaced the cover letter with questions that you are asked to answer when making your application. The answers will be used as a part of the selection process.

Please submit your application by 30 October 2026, UFV-PA 2026/2799.

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