Postdoctoral scholarship holder gravitational wave instrumentation, with a focus on ultra-high vacuum (UHV) technology for third-generation gravitational wave detectors

Departement: Departement Fysica
Regime Voltijds

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The Particle Physics Research group at the Department of Physics in the Faculty of Science is looking for a full-time (100%) postdoctoral scholarship holder in the field of gravitational wave instrumentation, with a focus on ultra-high vacuum (UHV) technology for third-generation gravitational wave detectors.

The Particle Physics group of the University of Antwerp is an active member of the Virgo, Einstein Telescope (ET), and ETpathfinder collaborations.

Position

You will contribute to the construction, commissioning, and scientific exploitation of a new UHV testing and cleanroom infrastructure at UAntwerp.
Third-generation observatories such as ET require residual gas pressures of ~10⁻¹⁰ mbar and exceptional cleanliness with respect to heavy hydrocarbons (partial pressures ~10⁻¹⁴ mbar for amu > 100) to reach their sensitivity targets. The new infrastructure — a class 7 cleanroom, including ultrasonic cleaning baths, dry oven, and a custom-made vacuum bake-out setup with Residual Gas Analysis (RGA) capability — will enable systematic studies of the outgassing behavior of materials, components, and small assemblies under      representative ET conditions. The results will improve the definition of certified UHV component lists and standardized cleaning procedures for ET. In addition, the facility will also support hardware qualification for ETpathfinder and experiments for the Advanced Virgo+ Phase 2 upgrade.

You will be expected to drive the scientific program of the lab in close collaboration with the PI: commissioning the setup, validating its performance against key performance indicators, and using it to qualify materials and components.

Mentoring and supervision of PhD students and of Master's and Bachelor's thesis projects is also included.

You will collaborate with partners at ETpathfinder, and Virgo.

The position is based in Antwerp, with funding available for travel to ETpathfinder, Virgo, and collaboration meetings.

Profile

You hold a PhD gravitational wave instrumentation physics, vacuum technology, or a closely related field by the start date and you have not resided or carried out any primary activity in Belgium for at least 12 months in the past 3 years.

You have a strong interest and background in background in ultra-high vacuum systems, vacuum instrumentation, and/or precision experimental techniques relevant to gravitational wave detectors.

Your demonstrated experience with ultra-high vacuum systems, residual gas analysis (RGA), cleanroom operation, materials outgassing measurements, or vacuum bake-out procedures is an advantage.

You have a good knowledge of English, both oral and written.

You are able to work both independently and within a large international collaborations.

Your research qualities are in line with the faculty and university research policies.

Your teaching competences are in line with the University of Antwerp’s educational vision.

You act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation.

What we offer

We offer a full-time appointment as a postdoctoral scholarship holder for a period of 2 years.

The planned start date is 1 November 2026 or as soon as possible after that date.

Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts for postdoctoral scholarship holders on the pay scales for Contract Research Staff (Dutch: Bijzonder Academisch Personeel, BAP).

You will receive ecocheques, Internet-connectivity allowance and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting.

You will do most of your work at Campus Groenenborger in a dynamic and stimulating working environment.

Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here.

Want to apply?

You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform up to and including 30 July 2026 (by midnight Brussels time). Click on the 'Apply' button and complete the online application form. Be sure to include the following attachments:  

a motivation letter

your academic CV, including a list of publications

a research statement (maximum two pages) describing past achievements in gravitational wave instrumentation and planned contributions, with emphasis on low-noise readout electronics and photodetector front-end design for gravitational wave detectors

the names and contact details of two referees, who should arrange for letters of recommendation to be sent separately

The selection committee reviews all applications as soon as possible after the application deadline. As soon as a decision is made, we will notify you. If you are still eligible after the pre-selection, you will be informed about the possible next step(s) in the selection procedure.

If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions or send an email to Voir email sur uantwerpen.be.

If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact:
Prof. Dr. Hans Van Haevermaet
Particle Physics Group
University of Antwerp 

Voir email sur uantwerpen.be

Letters of Reference should be sent to:Voir email sur uantwerpen.be

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversityand attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.