PhD in dark matter research with quantum sensors

Candidates: We seek excellent and motivated candidates with good University qualifications in a physics degree or similar, ready to embark in a doctoral program (master or equivalent level). We will value previous experience in particle or astroparticle physics experiments, RF, cryogenics, or quantum sensors as well as interest and expertise in instrumental developments and software knowledge. Position: The PhD position is a four-year contract compatible with standard UNIZAR pre-doctoral positions. Salary complements are foreseen if the candidate is successful in competitive public pre-doctoral fellowship calls. The candidates will enjoy a lively research environment at CAPA as well as in the IAXO and RADES international collaborations. As part of the doctoral program, they will have the opportunity to perform stays in other collaborating institutions as well as to attend schools and conferences. The Universidad de Zaragoza is committed to the “European Charter for Researchers” and the “Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers”, and has been recognized by the European Commission with the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R) award. https://hrs4r.unizar.es/en Application: Interested candidates should send: CV, a letter of motivation and the certificate of University qualifications to: iaxorecruitment@unizar.es. Deadline: The starting time of the contracts can be negotiated with the selected candidates. The selection process is expected to take place by 1st July 2026, although candidacies may be accepted at any time, also after that date, until satisfactory candidates are selected. About us: CAPA The Centro de Astropartículas y Física de Altas Energías (CAPA) is a research institute of the University of Zaragoza, devoted to fundamental questions in astroparticle physics, cosmology and high-energy physics. CAPA hosts a dynamic and interdisciplinary research environment, with strong activity in both theory and experiment. Its scientific program addresses key open problems such as the nature of dark matter, cosmology, and physics beyond the Standard Model, with significant contributions in theoretical cosmology, astrophysics, and gravitational physics, alongside the development of advanced detection technologies in dark matter and axions searches. A defining feature of the institute is its close interplay between theory, phenomenology and experimental development, together with active participation in large-scale international collaborations. CAPA is strongly connected to frontier infrastructures such as the Laboratorio Subterráneo de Canfranc (LSC), leading European research centres and state-of-the-art detector development facilities The host group of the position plays a leading role in the RADES project and in the recently awarded DarkQuantum ERC Synergy Grant, which will constitute the main framework of the PhD. These efforts focus on the development of novel axion haloscope concepts and, in particular, on the implementation of quantum sensing techniques that could surpass the sensitivity of conventional approaches and open new parameter space in the search for dark matter axions. In parallel, the group is also active in more established haloscope strategies, incorporating quantum-limited amplifiers and other innovations to enhance performance, especially in the low-frequency regime. Part of the RADES program will be integrated within the BabyIAXO (IAXO) infrastructure, currently under construction at DESY (Hamburg), providing a unique experimental platform. In addition, the candidate will have opportunities to participate in data-taking activities at CERN. Some of the quantum sensors developed within DarkQuantum are also expected to be deployed underground at the Laboratorio Subterráneo de Canfranc (LSC). The project is embedded in a broad international collaboration, with strong connections to leading institutions in quantum technologies such as ENS Paris, Aalto University and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Contact: Irastorza, Igor Garcia (Igor.Irastorza@cern.ch); Segui, Laura (lsegui@unizar.es) Letters of Reference should be sent to: iaxorecruitment@unizar.es