PhD Physicist or Engineer (all genders)

Scientific / postdoctoral posts

16.07.2026

GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt operates one of the leading particle accelerators for science. Currently, the new FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research) one of the world's largest research projects, will be built in international cooperation. GSI and FAIR offer the opportunity to work in this international environment with a team of employees committed to ensuring each day to conduct world-class science.

The department Detector Laboratory (DTL) is one of the major partners in supporting the instrumentation to conduct world-class science at the GSI and FAIR accelerator facilities. The department is continuously involved in building, operating and maintaining diamond-based detectors for GSI experiments, FAIR commissioning as well as in further developments of larger area detectors and similar or new, e.g., SiC-based, detectors to be operated in a harsh radiation environment at the facility FAIR.

The DTL Department is looking for a

PhD Physicist or Engineer (all genders)

Positing ID: 26.108-6530

with extended experience in the domain of particle detector design and technique, electronics or comparable fields of studies, to work on the development of the new Time of Flight (ToF) system of the Super-FRS, a separator for heavy ion and exotic nuclear beams at FAIR.

A multiplicity of particle detector systems will be employed in order to fulfil the various operation requirements of Super-FRS. The Time-of-Flight System is one of the three main systems, together with tracking and energy loss, required for the particle identification of the in-flight fragment beams produced at the separator.

Main tasks will be:

• Design and procurement of the detector system, within the DTL department and in collaboration with the Super-FRS planning system (SFS) and the GSI electronics (EEL) departments
• Mechanical-, electrical- and vacuum-integration as well as the test of the produced system in the lab
• In-beam tests of the produced detector system at the beginning of the FAIR commissioning and operations phases
• Optimization and adaptation of the detector system to the FAIR experimental needs.

Education and experience requirements:

• PhD in Physics or Engineer
• Excellent skills and experiences in the domain of detector technologies, especially radiation-hard detector technology
• Very good knowledge of associated front-end electronics as well as detector slow-control
• Good experience in vacuum detector integration
• Very good computation skills (e.g., C, C++ or equivalent scientific programming knowledge and experience to work in Unix and Windows environments) 
• Experience with CAD programs like CATIA V5, Inventor or AutoCAD is desirable
• Experience with nuclear or particle physics experiment facilities
• Data Acquisition and Data Analysis (ROOT knowledge)
• Fluent English and ability to work in a team.

We offer attractive working conditions in a versatile and interesting environment and with a young team. The position is limited for two years. Further education can be obtained in upgrade training courses. Future permanent employment for this position may be feasible.

Salary is equivalent to that for public employees as specified in the collective agreement for public employees (TVöD Bund).

Therefore, women are especially encouraged to apply for the position.

Handicapped persons will be preferentially considered when equally qualified.

Further information about FAIR and GSI is available at www.gsi.de and www.fair-center.eu.

If you find this position interesting and challenging and would like to work in an exceptional, international, strongly technical environment, please send your full application documents of your earliest possible starting date, quoting the Posting-ID 26.108-6530 by 14.08.2026 at the latest via our online portal:

 Online-Bewerbungsportal

GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH

ABTEILUNG PERSONAL

PLANCKSTRAßE 1

64291 DARMSTADT

This research center is part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. With more than 42,000 employees and an annual budget of over € 5 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany's largest scientific organisation.