Open Positions

New PhD position

The High Energy Physics Laboratory [1] of EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, invites applications for a PhD student position in experimental particle physics. The successful candidate will join the LHCb collaboration in which the lab is strongly involved. LHCb [2] is a particle-physics experiment running at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider and dedicated to flavour physics.
 
The lab’s LHCb activities have been expanded through an SNSF-funded programme focused on charm physics very recently. The successful candidate will join this programme, and contribute to measurements using the data of the upgraded LHCb detector, closely collaborating in a team of another PhD student, two postdocs and the PI. The candidate will focus on measurements of properties of charm hadrons, with a focus on CP violation in challenging decays involving pi0 mesons. This work includes the study of experimental biases in the reconstruction of charged particles and the development of techniques that can be applied in Run 4 of the LHC, when the experiment’s PID detectors have been upgraded. There is also an option to engage in studies related to the event reconstruction for upgrades of the LHCb experiment in the far future (Run 5 and beyond).
 
The position, which also involves teaching responsibilities at the bachelor’s or master’s level, becomes available on September 1st, 2026. A delayed start is possible, but not later than October 1st, 2026. Once selected, the PhD student will need to enrol in the Physics program (EDPY) of the EPFL doctoral school [3]. The employment runs up to a total of four years. Doctoral school information and employment conditions at EPFL may be consulted online [3-5]. Applicants are expected to hold a master’s degree (or equivalent) in physics at the start of employment. The candidate should have a strong motivation for fundamental research, and received education in Particle Physics. Experience with data analysis, computer programming and/or track reconstruction is an advantage, especially in the context of high-energy particle physics.
 
Applicants should prepare:
  • a motivation letter;
  • their CV;
  • scans of the higher-institution grade records;
  • contact information of at least two references willing to write a recommendation. Providing one additional reference is possible, but optional. 
Please note that the letters of recommendation should be submitted by the references within 7 days following the deadline of the application.
 
The application should be submitted online at
by the deadline of April 30th, 2026.
 
More information can be obtained from Prof. Laurent Dufour ([email protected]).
 
Contact: