Company Description

At CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter - fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on https://home.cern.

Diversity has been an integral part of CERN's mission since its foundation and is an established value of the Organization.

Job Description

Are you passionate about engaging students in science and inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers?

Would you like to become a crucial part of a physics outreach project?

Do you have a solid background in experimental physics, computer science, or electronics?

Join the CERN Education team as a support scientist for the Beamline for Schools competition and as an Educator at CERN Science Gateway’s new accelerator ELISA at the same time (time sharing between both activities)!

CERN has an opening for a Project Graduate in the Teacher & Student Programmes (TSP) Section in the Education, Communication and Outreach (ECO) group in the International Relations (IR) sector.

We are looking for a support scientist for the BL4S competition (more info here: https://cern.ch/bl4s). The successful candidate will be integrated in the Beamline for Schools team and will work together with the project manager, the technical coordinator and other supporters from CERN and DESY.

The main role of the BL4S support scientist is assisting the winning teams when planning, preparing and executing their experiments. The overall tasks include:

• Answering technical questions from teams interested in preparing a proposal for the competition and taking part in the selection process that leads to the nomination of the winners.
• Turning the proposals of the winning teams into experiments that can be executed within the constraints of the beamline, detectors, and devices available for BL4S.
• Training the winners (once they are on-site at CERN) on how to run the experiment as well as helping the winners with the analysis and interpretation of their data and the writing of a report, paper or article.
• The winning teams usually stay at CERN for two weeks in September/October. The support scientists will be fully responsible for the execution of their experiments. In particular, the tasks to prepare the experiments and ensure a smooth run include:
• Setting up of the TDAQ system of the experiments based on the software that has been developed for BL4S and, if needed, developing compatible additional S/W, as well as developing code for the data analysis (typically in Root, C or Python).
• Testing and calibrating the detectors, integrating the detectors with the S/W, and testing the overall system, installing the detectors, electronics, and computers in the beamline, debugging and commissioning the system.

The CERN Science Gateway (https://sciencegateway.cern/) is a new education and outreach facility with the aim to enable people of all ages and backgrounds to engage in the discoveries, the science and the technologies of CERN. ELISA is a proton accelerator with a final energy of 2 MeV and capable of producing a current of up to 50 nA. It is installed at the CERN Science Gateway and is used for demonstrations for the public with a real proton beam and for surface analyses in the context of scientific collaborations. The candidate will be involved in the development of the accelerator for physics demonstrations and for surface analysis.

As an ELISA Educator you will participate in:

• Studies and tests of new experiments involving the use of gas flows, magnets or different detectors used to illustrate physical phenomena.
• Developments of surface analysis methods (PIXE, RBS or PIGE), studies of sample and detector supports, implantations of different particle, X-ray or gamma-ray detectors, etc.
• The further development of the machine (proton source, analysis vacuum chamber, pumping system, beam window, etc.).
• The improvement of the safety systems and in term the training of operators and guides.

Qualifications/skills required
Eligibility criteria:

• You are a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State.
• You have a Master’s degree and between 2 and 6 years’ experience or PhD with up to 3 years of relevant experience in science education, STEM or other related fields.
• Kindly note that experience prior to the latest obtained degree will not be taken into account for the calculation of your overall years of experience.
• You should have a working knowledge of English or French.

Essential skills and experience:

• Experience in experimental physics, computing science or electronics.
• Experience in accelerators and beamlines is an asset.
• Basic skills in software development, detector construction, project management.
• Experience with small scale experiments would be an advantage.
• Knowledge of detector electronics (amplifiers, MCA, DPP, etc.) will be appreciated.
• A high interest in being part of an outreach project.
• Strong communication skills.
• Experience in communicating science to diverse audiences including young learners aged 5-19 years.
• Desire and ability to work in a team within a large international organisation.
• Fast learner capable of rapidly and effectively grasping new concepts.

This vacancy is within the CERN Graduate Programme – Project Graduates (Quest).

The expected start date of the post is 01.04.2025.

For further details and to submit your application, please, go to the CERN Graduate Programme pages.