Job Description

Your responsibilities

In preparation for the ALICE detectors upgrade for LHC Run 5, the ALICE CERN Team and the Electronic Systems for Experiments (EP-ESE) group are conducting advanced R&D to develop Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS) using CMOS technology. These sensors will be crucial for the tracking detection layers, meeting diverse requirements for spatial resolution, particle rate handling, and material thickness based on their radial distance from the interaction point.

As an Electronics System Designer, this role focuses on developing a flexible sensor architecture capable of meeting these needs through a unified design approach. Key tasks include optimizing architectures through modeling and stochastic analysis, supported by metadata from Monte Carlo simulations and particle propagation studies with the Geant package.

Responsibilities:

• Architecting the next generation of electronic systems for high-energy physics detectors.
• Developing and refining models and simulations for complex electronic architectures, ensuring accuracy and reliability.
• Defining system partitioning, analyzing trade-offs, and delivering precise device specifications.
• Implementing validation and verification procedures to ensure model-hardware alignment.
• Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to integrate sensor architecture into the detector readout, considering power distribution, cooling, reliability, and performance.
• Contributing to ASIC implementation, including circuit design, simulation, and layout.
• Providing system-level expertise to guide roadmaps, features, and architecture choices.

You will bridge R&D with hands-on ASIC development, guiding the sensor architecture from concept to implementation for the ALICE upgrade.

Your profile

Skills

• Experience in ASIC design, with a focus on architecture and/or system engineering.
• Advanced programming skills in C++ and Python.
• Proficiency in version control systems, particularly Git.
• Background in the design and implementation of microelectronic systems is a plus.
• Familiarity with High Energy Physics (HEP) detector architecture is a plus.
• Good communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey technical information within the team and to external collaborators.
• Detail-oriented with excellent problem-solving skills, effective time management, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and engage effectively with a variety of stakeholders, often outside the direct reporting hierarchy.

Eligibility criteria:

• You are a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State.
• You have a professional background in M.Sc/PhD degree (or a related field) and have either:
  • a Master’s degree with 2 to 6 years of post-graduation professional experience;
  • or a PhD with no more than 3 years of post-graduation professional experience.
• You have never had a CERN fellow or graduate contract before.

Additional Information

Job closing date: 16.01.2025 at 23:59 hrs CET.

Contract duration: 24 months, with a possible extension up to 36 months maximum.

Working hours: 40 hours per week

Target start date: 01-February-2025

This position involves:

• Work during nights, Sundays and official holidays, when required by the needs of the Organization.

Job reference: EP-AID-DT-2024-192-GRAP

Field of work: Electrical or Electronics Engineering

What we offer

• A monthly stipend ranging between 6212 and 6828 Swiss Francs per month (net of tax).
• Coverage by CERN’s comprehensive health scheme (for yourself, your spouse and children), and membership of the CERN Pension Fund.
• Depending on your individual circumstances: installation grant; family, child and infant allowances; payment of travel expenses at the beginning and end of contract.
• 30 days of paid leave per year.
• On-the-job and formal training at CERN as well as in-house language courses for English and/or French.

About us

At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter – fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on http://home.cern.

We are on a Quest. A Journey into discovery like no other. Bring your expertise to our unique work and develop your knowledge and skills at pace. Join world-class subject matter experts on unique projects, in a Quest for greater knowledge and deeper understanding.

Begin your CERN Quest. Take Part!

Diversity has been an integral part of CERN’s mission since its foundation and is an established value of the Organization. Employing a diverse workforce is central to our success.