The neutrino group at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) invites applications for a Postdoctoral Associate position in experimental neutrino physics to work on Project 8 and CUORE/CUPID experiments.

The successful candidate is expected to make significant contributions to the R&D of Project 8 and CUPID and to the data analysis of CUORE and Project 8. The postdoc will have the ability to choose topics based on their desire, needs, and future plans provided that they align with the group’s goals. There will also be opportunities to take on leadership roles in these collaborations.

Eligibility and Requirements:

•    A Ph.D. in experimental particle or nuclear physics or equivalent. Candidates expected to defend their thesis in the near future are encouraged to apply.

•    Preference will be given to candidates with past experience in instrumentation and detector R&D.

•    Experience in software development and data analysis will be highly favorable.

•    National and international travel for detector development, installation, and monitoring in addition to collaboration meetings and conferences is anticipated.

Application and Timeline:

The position is available immediately and applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.

Interested candidates should submit the following documents within this job posting through the Pitt Talent Center, join.pitt.edu

•    CV including publication record and expected date of graduation

•    A brief research statement

•    Arrange for three letters of reference to be sent to Prof. Pranava Teja Surukuchi (surukuchi@pitt.edu)

Inquiries should be addressed to Prof. Surukuchi (surukuchi@pitt.edu)

About the Department:

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Pitt has a vibrant research portfolio in the research areas of particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology, condensed matter physics, biological physics, and physics education research. Pittsburgh Particle Physics, Astrophysics, and Cosmology Center (PITT PACC), supported by the department, is well-known for strengthening research in the areas of particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology by bringing together theorists and experimentalists from these fields. The current efforts of the neutrino group at Pitt also include Nova, MicroBooNE, ICARUS, and DUNE in addition to Project 8 and CUORE/CUPID.

About the Experiments:

Project 8 is a direct neutrino mass measurement experiment with the aim of precisely measuring the neutrino mass. Employing cyclotron radiation emission spectroscopy, the collaboration has recently published the first neutrino mass limit. Intense R&D is ongoing towards significantly improving the experimental sensitivity. The Pittsburgh group will contribute to the detector design and reconstruction efforts of the experiment.

CUORE is a neutrinoless double beta decay experiment that uses the cryogenic calorimetric technique. The experiment has been taking data since 2017 and has published the most recent results in 2022, It is expected to continue data-taking at least until 2025. CUPID is the successor of CUORE with improved background reduction and is expected to improve the sensitivity to neutrinoless double beta decay by two orders of magnitude. The collaboration is ramping up efforts to finalize the detector design. The Pittsburgh group will contribute to the continued detector operations and data analysis on CUORE and R&D, assembly, and installation of CUPID.

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