Postdoctoral position in superconducting accelerator technology Full-time

Postdoctoral Position In Superconducting Accelerator Technology

Are you passionate about working with superconducting accelerator technology alongside skilled and supportive colleagues in an international environment? Are you looking for an employer that invests in sustainable employments and offers safe, favorable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a postdoctoral position at Uppsala University.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy is hiring a postdoc to work with particle accelerator development. The Department is one of the largest at Uppsala University, with around 400 employees, and is located in the Ångström Laboratory in Uppsala. The FREIA Laboratory, which is part of the department, focuses on the research and development of particle accelerators and related instrumentation. FREIA collaborates with major research facilities, such as ESS in Lund and CERN in Switzerland, and is at the forefront of scientific advancements in particle accelerator physics and technology. Among the capabilities of FREIA is to test superconducting magnets in a vertical cryostat and test accelerator cavities and cryomodules in a horizontal cryostat, both available in the laboratory. FREIA is furthermore involved in research and development in superconducting magnets and their instrumentation, having recently completed a prototype canted cosine-theta magnet in collaboration with Swedish industry. We are now looking into expanding our activities from low-temperature superconductors (LTS) to high-temperature superconductors (HTS). The successful candidate will play the leading role in the development of these activities, from cold-testing of superconducting magnets to design of magnets and their instrumentation.

Applicants are offered to work in an exciting, modern research environment and will have the possibility to collaborate with top experimental and theoretical physics groups both locally and internationally. In order to acquire the competence required to push the superconducting magnet activity forward at FREIA, it is foreseen that the candidate at the beginning of the contract will spend a period at CERN working with one or more teams engaged in superconducting magnet technology.

Duties

• Lead the cold tests of superconducting magnets using FREIA's vertical cryostat system, with assistance from experts at CERN and local technical support.
• Plan and prepare the testing of magnets and/or magnet instrumentation, monitor measurements and troubleshoot experiment setups.
• Participate in the design and construction of superconducting magnets.
• Maintain contact with and coordinate the activities of collaboration partners.
• Report on and document the activities.

In addition to the magnet-related activities, the candidate will have the opportunity to contribute to the characterization of superconducting radiofrequency cavities and cryomodules, as well as to the overall development and evaluation of instrumentation and experiments at the FREIA Laboratory. An active contribution to outreach activities and to the supervision of students is expected. The work will involve domestic and international travel.

Requirements

• A PhD degree in physics or engineering, or a foreign degree equivalent to a PhD degree in physics or engineering, is required. The degree needs to be obtained by the time of the employment decision.
• Knowledge of and experience from applied superconductivity.
• Knowledge of and experience from electromagnets.
• Knowledge of particle accelerator physics and technology.
• Ability to communicate well, both technically and at a general scientific level.
• Ability to produce good written reports and articles.
• Good oral and written proficiency in English.
• Experience from scientific experiments and measurements.
• Ability to work both independently and in a project group.

Additional merits

• Experience from working with HTS.
• Experience with cold tests of superconducting magnets.
• Experience with magnetic field measurements.
• Skills in using computer software for finite element method computations, such as COMSOL.
• Experience with magnet design tools, such as Roxie, RAT or Opera.

About the employment

The employment is a temporary position of 2 years according to central collective agreement. Full time position. Starting date: May 1st, 2026 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala.

For further information about the position, please contact: Maja Olvegård, tel +46729999627, maja.olvegard@physics.uu.se

Please submit your application by 30 April 2026, UFV PA 2026/1044.