Join Us

Michelson Center for Physics / Trigger electronics on campus / ATLAS dijet event / ATLAS detector on location / CERN Globe

Science thrives when pursued together. This is the collaborative spirit of UChicago ATLAS.

We look for inquisitive, creative and ambitious individuals from diverse backgrounds to drive our science and advance their careers. Our group prides itself in training the next generation of laboratory scientists and leaders in a supportive community where everyone can succeed.

Join us as an undergraduate, graduate or postdoctoral researcher on our exciting endeavors.

Undergraduate

Prospective undergraduates who desire curiosity-driven academic enquiry in the vibrant metropolis of Chicago should apply via College Admissions, which admits on a need-blind basis with generous financial aid and scholarships for US and international applicants.

Our group has a long tradition of welcoming undergraduate physics majors to research with us, introducing particle physics to the next generation.

Academic quarters

A variety of projects are usually available during academic quarters for current Chicago physics majors. Students typically work with a faculty advisor together with a graduate student and/or postdoctoral researcher.

Our students experience cutting-edge particle physics, bringing new ideas to exciting research problems using modern machine learning, programming, big data, modeling, and detector techniques sought-after in further study and industry careers.

Summer opportunities

The Department of Physics runs summer internship programs for undergraduates including those interested in high energy physics. We especially encourage undergraduates who identify as women or under-represented minorities to apply for:

Tile Calorimeter program at CERN

Each year, we also run the TileCal detector technician program for two Chicago undergraduates to spend one year after they graduate based at CERN.

A highly successful program unique to Chicago running for over a decade, there are opportunities to conduct valuable hands-on work essential on the TileCal.

See Hadar Lazar and Tres Reid (2016-17 program) featured by official UChicago social media on location at CERN. Together with Hazal Goksu and Ryan Bouabid (2017-18 program), they are co-authors of the paper arXiv:2102.04088.

Graduate

Apply via Graduate Admissions

We welcome enthusiastic and self-motivated graduate students interested in experimental research and data analysis on ATLAS, particularly those under-represented in the physical sciences, to apply via Physics Graduate Admissions.

Doctoral training

Our PhD students enjoy a vibrant program of graduate training in experimental physics at Chicago with unique opportunities to reside long-term at CERN for their thesis research. The quality of our students' research is widely recognized by the international community.

Admitted and current graduate students interested in experimental physics in ATLAS should contact a faculty member to discuss potential projects.

Each PhD is unique, and previous Chicago ATLAS theses illustrate the broad topics and accomplishments of our graduate students during their time in our group.

Support and community

Relocation to CERN is an exciting experience made easier by the US LHC Users Association (LUA), cost-of-living and travel financial support, together with our Geneva-based group members to warmly welcome you to CERN.

Our graduate students lead several campus initiatives to foster community support and belonging, including the well-established Women and Gender Minorities in Physics group and GradInfluences mentoring program supported by the Department of Physics.

We encourage prospective and admitted students to apply to external graduate fellowships and awards they are eligible for:

See Emily Smith highlighted by the Physical Sciences Division in 2019 on her Chicago experiences and graduate fellowships.

Postdoctoral

Apply via Postdoctoral Fellowships

Our postdoctoral researchers bring their creative expertise from diverse backgrounds to lead physics and technical roles in ATLAS based at CERN or Chicago.

We support our postdoctoral researchers with significant intellectual autonomy and laboratory resources to advance their pioneering research and individual careers.

Current and former postdoctoral members of our group can be found here, with our alumni becoming internationally recognized leaders in the field and beyond.

Our postdoctoral researchers additionally enjoy mentoring junior scientists in close-knit supportive teams to become independent experts themselves.

There are two main ways join us, which are open to all nationalities:

Apply directly to our group

From time to time, we advertise openings for postdoctoral positions to work directly in our group at the ATLAS Jobs page.

Apply to university fellowships

Each year at the end of Summer, the university opens applications to numerous postdoctoral fellowships generously supported by private foundations.

The fellowships are deliberately interdisciplinary to bring original perspectives to Chicago, foster novel intellectual ideas, and attract applicants from wide-ranging backgrounds.

We encourage final-year graduate students and recent PhD recipients with broad research interests to join our group by applying for both the following:

We have enjoyed welcoming several generations of Fermi, McCormick, and Grainger fellows to realize their research in collaboration with us. Our group usually supports extensions beyond the nominal fellowship period.

Our values

We embrace the inherently multicultural, international and collaborative nature of scientific enquiry in particle physics. We support and advance diversity and inclusion efforts in the Department of Physics, Physical Sciences Divsion, ATLAS Collaboration, and CERN.

By taking care of ourselves and being excellent to one another, we can accomplish world-leading science we cannot do alone. We are committed to a core set of community values:

Welcoming environment

We were all once newcomers, and we are always learning.

In our meetings and laboratories, we believe everyone at all career stages contributes valuable scientific ideas, where we offer the chance for equitable participation and create an environment of constructive feedback that promotes intellectual growth.

Intellectually supportive

We mentor and uplift our junior colleagues as they become new leaders.

We provide the resources for our group members to take intellectual ownership and leadership over their work, collaborating in close-knit teams within large ATLAS groups to share expertise while ensuring recognition for individual achievements.

Respectful discourse

We adhere to the highest standards of civil, courteous, and collegial interactions.

We value the plurality of our colleagues' diverse social and cultural backgrounds as a unique asset of international particle physics, and stand against all forms of discrimination, harassment, and behaviour inconsistent with a positive research community.

Health and wellbeing

We value the mental and physiological health of our group and collaborators.

Our transatlantic research means we show consideration for our colleagues’ work hours and time zones, support the importance of regular breaks for academic productivity, as well as flexibility in leave for health, care-giving, grief and other personal circumstances.