PhD student in applied nuclear physics

PhD student in applied nuclear physics

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University is one of the largest, boasting nearly 400 employees, including around 125 PhD students. Renowned for conducting world-class research and education in both theoretical and experimental physics, the department collaborates extensively with the outside world.

Uppsala University is committed to sustainable employeeship, providing safe and favorable working conditions. With a four-year appointment, you'll enjoy a competitive salary and social benefits within the supportive framework of Swedish society.

The collaborative work environment empowers employees to explore innovative ideas while maintaining a degree of autonomy. In our flat organizational structure, you'll closely collaborate with the group and the project leaders. By the end of your Ph.D. project, you'll have taken relevant courses, becoming an independent researcher ready to tackle new challenges. You will especially gain important insights into the field of nuclear fission process. Supervision will be offered from one main and a few co-supervisors, each with their specializations, along with collaboration partners from international parties such as the IAEA and NEA.

If you're ready to join us on our journey of research and growth in the field of nuclear physics, apply now and become a valuable member of our team of researchers at Uppsala University!

Duties
As a part of the Division of Applied Nuclear Physics, you'll be an integral member of a research group focused on nuclear data modeling and measurements, uncertainty quantification and propagation. The collaborative work environment encourages exploration of new ideas, with regular collaboration and supervision meetings. The group is growing and maintains strong national and international collaborations.

Our research group has a track record in nuclear fission modeling, uncertainty quantification of nuclear data and employing techniques such as the Total Monte Carlo method. Ongoing projects involve the development of fission fragment de-excitation methods, angular-momentum and excitation-energy population. Moreover, we apply alternative, faster techniques for uncertainty propagation, showcasing a commitment to precision and computational efficiency. We are frequent contributors to Nuclear Data evaluation libraries.

This Ph.D. project is a collaboration between Uppsala University and the nuclear data section at the IAEA. The project is part of the national Swedish initiative "gEN 4 Clean powEr pRoduction" (ENFORCER), aimed at generating scientific knowledge for the successful implementation of Generation IV reactors. The primary objective is to further develop a new methodology for fission data evaluations and uncertainty propagation focused around the TALYS reaction code. This initiative seeks to investigate fission model defects and benchmark critical assumptions in fission fragment mass yield distributions, excitation energies and angular momenta. Some of the specific tasks are:

• Investigate the multiplicities and energy spectra of prompt fission neutrons and gamma-rays.
• Explore different assumptions on the excitation energy sharing between the fission fragments and their impact on the fission observables.
• Study the influence of angular momentum population on the particle emission characteristics.
• Study the influence of level density models, nuclear-structure data and gamma-strength functions on the simulated fission data.

Finally, the project also aims to propagate the fission data uncertainties to assess the uncertainties in reactor-specific quantities such as the criticality, burn-up and spent nuclear fuel inventories.

Requirements
To meet the entry requirements for these doctoral studies, you must

• hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree in physics or mathematics or computer science or nuclear engineering, 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.

Additional qualifications
It is also desirable to meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Demonstrated strong problem-solving abilities, both in analytical and numerical contexts.
• Familiarity with nuclear physics and nuclear data, particularly in the field of nuclear fission.
• strong mathematical and statistical proficiency.
• experience with a high-level programming language, such as Python, MATLAB, or R.
• exceptional academic results and high-performance standard across all relevant subjects.
• Proven written and oral English communication proficiency, with strong collaborative skills in team environments.

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 3 February 2025 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact: Ali Al-Adili, Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor. +4618-471 59 66, ali.al-adili@physics.uu.se

Please submit your application by 18 December 2024, UFV-PA 2024/3861

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