Postdoctoral research associate position on Experimental Astroparticle Physics (Data Analysis, Calibration) at IBS, Korea

□ Job Description

The center for underground physics (CUP, https://cupweb.ibs.re.kr) at Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in Korea invites applications for a Postdoctoral research associate position to work on the project "Direct and indirect detection searches of sub-GeV dark matter signal in the Super-Kamiokande and future Water Cherenkov Detectors" (FY 2021~2026), funded with Young Scientist Fellowship program in IBS. The position is full-time, for an initial duration of 24 months, with the possibility of extension for 12 months. The annual salary starts from 50M KRW before taxation, based on the skills and experience of the applicant.

Super-Kamiokande (SK) is the world-largest (50 kton total volume) Water Cherenkov Detector built in Kamioka, Japan. It has been leading a wide range of physics over 20 years, including Nobel Prize awarded discovery of atmospheric neutrino oscillation and the most stringent limit on dark matter-nucleon spin-dependent interaction for dark matter masses below O(10) GeV. Recently, a rare-earth element, gadolinium has been introduced into the SK water, starting a new period of observations (SK-Gd).

Our group is particularly interested in using the SK detector to search for sub-GeV dark matter signal, via dark matter-electron and dark matter-nucleus scattering inside the detector, as well as neutrino flux produced via dark matter annihilation. With its huge volume, SK is expected to lead sub-GeV rare signal searches. Identification of sub-GeV dark matter-nucleus scattering signal and mitigation of background is important.

A Successful candidate is expected to take a leading role in the development and subsequent application of analysis methods to various dark matter searches. The main tasks include identification of recoiled proton and other dark matter signals using neural network technique, modeling of dark matter scattering using Geant4 simulation. The candidate will also contribute to calibration and R&D efforts for SK and future Water Cherenkov Detectors such as WCTE. In particular, the candidate is expected to design and lead an ex-situ experiment to measure optical properties of materials used in the SK, and improve the detector simulation accordingly. Frequent travels to ICRR’s Kamioka Observatory is foreseen (after pandemic).

□ Personal Qualification

Candidates should have a Ph.D. in the past 5 years. Programming skills and good communication skills in English are necessary. Experiences with low-energy neutrino experiment, statistical methods, data analysis and Monte Carlo simulations, particularly experiences with the ROOT and GEANT4, will be advantageous. Applicants from underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply.

□ Application

The expected employment date is November 1, 2021.

Applicants should send a CV (including a list of publications), a brief research statement, the consent form attached, and arrange for two letters of reference to be mailed to recruit1@ibs.re.kr. Inquiries about the position should be directed to Dr. Koun Choi (koun@ibs.re.kr).

For the full consideration, the application and letters should be submitted by August 13, 2021 while the application is opened until the positions are filled.

* Institute for Basic Science (IBS), located in Daejeon, South Korea, is a government-funded research institute that conducts basic science research and relevant pure basic research. It was established in November 2011 and has been making significant results in basic science researches since then. The CUP also hosts dark matter and neutrino physics experiments such as AMORE and COSINE-100, also participates in several other experiments.