Ph.D. student position - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Division of Applied Nuclear Physics conducts research in the areas of nuclear reactions, nuclear fuel diagnostics and safeguards, neutron diagnostics for fusion energy and interaction of high velocity ions in various materials. The Division of Applied Nuclear Physics offers training and expertise in instrumentation, numerical modeling and computer simulation of nuclear reactions and interactions as well as nuclear measurements techniques.

The fission group focuses on measurement techniques, instrumentation and analysis methods for the (fission) nuclear energy sector, for usage in nuclear fuel diagnostics and safeguards, and in future reactor concepts. We are developing techniques that utilize various radiation types to examine nuclear materials, e.g. neutron transmission tomography, gamma spectroscopy and tomography, Cherenkov imaging.

Description of the project: 

Recently, the technique of Gamma Emission Tomography (GET) has been applied with success in material test reactor in Halden, where it is used to study the behavior of nuclear fuels upon irradiation with neutrons. This technique offers nonintrusive measurements of the radioisotope distributions in the fuel. This enables data on nuclear fuel phenomena such as migration of fission products, burnup and power distributions, and dimensional changes of fuel and cladding in a timely manner.
In this project, enhancement of the GET technique is envisioned, by improving the ability to resolve small spatial features of the nuclear fuel, toward 100 μm. This will rquire adjustment of the existing instrument’s hardware. Such a tool may greatly aid in the development phase of enhanced-accident tolerant nuclear fuels (ATF), by providing non-destructive, high-resolution images of freshly irradiated test fuels in close vicinity to the reactor.
Our group maintains the necessary infrastructures for instrument development, such as a radiation laboratory facility with a GET prototype and a computer cluster for radiation transport simulations. In addition, through our collaborations, we have access to a reactor with irradiated nuclear fuels and a world-unique GET instrument for irradiated nuclear fuels.

Specific duties:

• The PhD student will take an active role in the research project, and in other activities of the group, such as seminars, workshops and mandatory courses.
• The PhD student is expected to have an interest in applied nuclear physics, radiation measurements and nuclear power. The ability to work independently and to take personal responsibility for the progression of the project is crucial.
• The PhD student is expected to identify conceptual alternatives for the measurement setup to be developed in the project and to evaluate the alternatives using relevant figures of merit, such as the time requirements and obtained spatial resolution of an interrogation.
• The PhD student will perform predictions of the instrument performance based on computer simulations, and assemble an experimental setup to perform experimental validation.
• The position is for a maximum of four years of full-time studies and can be extended up to five years when including departmental duties (typically teaching). The position is fully financed and the salary is paid according special rules for PhD positions.
• The PhD student is expected to have capacity for advanced academic work and participate in applications for scholarships for travel and research. The development of competence to initiate the design of and to carry out research projects is a critical expectation of the PhD program.

Requirements:

• The basic eligibility requirement for enrolment in the department’s Ph.D. study program is a second level physics or engineering degree within the Swedish system and completed courses amounting to 240 higher education credits, including second level courses amounting to at least 60 higher education credits. Persons having completed a corresponding program in some other country or have equivalent qualifications are also eligible.
• This PhD student position requires a Master of Science in a field that is relevant for conducting research in this project, such as (but not limited to) nuclear engineering, engineering physics, medical physics or energy systems physics.

Desirable qualifications and experience:

• Documented experience working in a physics-based research environment and practical laboratory experience (provide extent and type of experience). Previous experience in applied nuclear physics is an advantage.
• Documented experience with nuclear and/or particle physics instrumentation and radiation detectors, data acquisition systems and simulation environments.
• Proven programming skills, such as in MATLAB, Python, FORTRAN, C, C++.
• Excellent English writing and oral skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a mixed gender, multi-cultural environment and to promote team spirit.
• Willingness to work abroad for extended periods of time with our collaboration partners abroad.

The application should include the following documents:

1. Your Curriculum Vitae (maximum 2 pages) (mandatory)
2. A copy of your degree diploma along with a transcript of your grades (mandatory).
3. A copy of your undergraduate thesis or a draft and a detailed time plan for the rest of the work if it is not yet completed (mandatory).
4. A motivation letter (maximum 1 page) describing your reason for applying (mandatory).
5. Maximum three references and recommendation letters: at least one such letter must be written by your undergraduate thesis supervisor (mandatory); additional ones can be provided by co-supervisors and/or second-level cycle university teachers.
6. Personal circumstances that may be of positive relevance in merit evaluation should be mentioned in the CV.
7. List of publications (if any).
8. All other documents that you want us to consider.

Employment conditions:

Rules governing Ph.D. candidates are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala university's rules and guidelines http://regler.uu.se/search/?hits=30&languageId=1&search-language_en=English.

Uppsala University strives to be an inclusive workplace that promotes equal opportunities and attracts qualified candidates who can contribute to the University’s excellence and diversity. We welcome applications from all sections of the community and from people of all backgrounds.

Salary: According to local agreement for PhD students and teaching assistants.
Starting date: 01-10-2018, temporary position ending 30-09-2020.
Type of position: Full time position.

For further information about the position please contact: Peter Andersson, peter.andersson@physics.uu.se, phone +46 18 471 3042.

Please submit your application by 31 July 2018, UFV-PA 2018/1875.

Are you considering moving to Sweden to work at Uppsala University? If so, you will find a lot of information about working and living in Sweden at www.uu.se/joinus. You are also welcome to contact International Faculty and Staff Services at ifss@uadm.uu.se.