PhD position in SRF cavity control for gravitational wave searches

For our location in Hamburg we are seeking:

PhD position in SRF cavity control for gravitational wave searches

Remuneration Group 13 | Limited: 3 years | Starting date: earliest possible | ID: FHDO008/2026 | Deadline: open until filled | Full-time/Part-time

DESY, with more than 2900 employees at its two locations in Hamburg and Zeuthen, is one of the world's leading research centres. Its research focuses on decoding the structure and function of matter, from the smallest particles of the universe to the building blocks of life. In this way, DESY contributes to solving the major questions and urgent challenges facing science, society and industry. With its ultramodern research infrastructure, its interdisciplinary research platforms and its international networks, DESY offers a highly attractive working environment in the fields of science, technology and administration as well as for the education of highly qualified young scientists.

In the MAGO project we will develop the detection and control of RF fields of a superconducting cavity to be used to search for high-frequency gravitational waves. This interdisciplinary project is carried out together in our particle physics group and the group which is responsible for the controls, feedback regulations and synchronization of the particle accelerators at DESY.

About your role:

• Further development of high-precision RF field control of superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities used in gravitational wave search experiments.
• Further development of carrier suppression interferometer (CSI)-based techniques and their integration into the low-level RF (LLRF) system
• Development, production, test and operation of state-of-the-art RF measurement devices, to be installed at our cavity test stands
• Development of algorithms to assess and automate the calibration of the RF control and measurement system
• Performing measurement studies using the developed system on SRF cavities with a very high quality-factor

About you:

• MSc. degree in Physics, Electrical Engineering or Computer Science or equivalent qualification
• Experience in RF design and measurements is beneficial
• Familiar with the theory of SRF cavities, interest in particle physics experiments
• Computer science skills e. g. Linux, Python, Matlab (competence in firmware and software is a plus)
• Strong motivation and pragmatism towards problem solving, teamwork as well as highly proficient English skills

Good reasons to join:

Look forward to a unique working environment on our international research campus. Respectful cooperation and the well-being of our DESY employees are particularly important to us. Gender equality is an important aspect for us. To support work life balance we offer flexible working hours, variable part-time, job-sharing models and participation in mobile work (up to 50 %). You will benefit from our family-friendly and collegial atmosphere, our established health management and occupational pension provision. As a public funded employer, we offer you a secure workplace and facilitate your individual career with our comprehensive training and development opportunities. Remuneration is according to the regulations of the TV‑AVH. DESY offers its employees a financial supplement for a German job ticket (Deutschland-Ticket) at both locations.

For further information please contact Krisztian Peters at +49 40 8998-3740
( [email protected] ).

DESY in Hamburg does not grant doctoral degrees directly but collaborates with the University of Hamburg. Candidates for thesis research will have to satisfy the terms of admission for doctoral theses of the University of Hamburg. PhD students receive a monthly salary of 67% of the payment of the remuneration group 13 TVöD (Federal Government).

Please submit your complete application documents (letter of motivation, CV, relevant certificates and two letters of references) via our application portal. Please use our online tool for the submission of the letters of reference: Additional application documents

We look forward to receiving your application via our application portal:

DESY promotes equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion . We therefore welcome applications from people of all dimensions of diversity. The professional development of women is very important to us and therefore we strongly encourage women to apply for the vacant position. Applications from severely disabled persons and those with equivalent status will be given preference if they are equally qualified ( sbv.desy.de ).

You can find further information here:

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
Human Resources Department | Notkestraße 85 | 22607 Hamburg
Phone: +49 40 8998‑3392