Plan, execute and analyze Nuclear Physics and Particle Physics experiments.

The Nuclear and Particle Physics Group at the University of New Hampshire has an immediate
opening for a post-doctoral research associate,
who will be expected to take a leading role in the Heavy Photon Search (HPS) experiment in Hall-B at Jefferson Lab. The HPS is a current experiment designed to look for a new, heavy, gauge boson (the heavy photon, or dark photon) in the mass range 20-200~MeV that couples to electrons through kinetic mixing with couplings $\alpha’/\alpha$ in the range 10$^{-5}$ to 10$^{-10}$. The HPS will search for the $e^+e^-$ decay of the heavy photon, possibly with a displaced vertex, using a new compact forward spectrometer. The collaboration is currently analyzing the results of two long physics runs and is expected to take more data in 2026 or 2027.
The successful candidate will have a PhD in nuclear or particle physics and will be expected to strongly contribute to the ongoing program, but is also encouraged to propose and initiate new experiments. Strong skills in data analysis and software development will be a plus. Depending on preference, the position can be located at UNH or at JLab.

The group’s efforts are supported by the US Department of Energy under grant DE-FG02-88ER4041. The position is available immediately and will remain open until filled.


Applicants should send a resume (CV) and a summary of relevant experience/research plan, as well as arrange for 3 letters of recommendation to be send, to Maurik.Holtrop@unh.edu. Inquiries may be sent to the same address.

Doctorate or equivalent professional degree, with research leading to Doctorate degree which is closely related to project work.

Good programming skills, good data analysis skills.

Salary is complemented by a comprehensive benefits package which includes medical, dental, retirement, tuition, and paid time off.

The University of New Hampshire is an R1 Carnegie classification research institution providing comprehensive, high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs of distinction. UNH is located in Durham on a 188-acre campus, 60 miles north of Boston and 8 miles from the Atlantic coast and is convenient to New Hampshire’s lakes and mountains. There is a student enrollment of 13,000 students, with a full-time faculty of over 600, offering 90 undergraduate and more than 70 graduate programs. The University actively promotes a dynamic learning environment in which qualified individuals of differing perspectives, life experiences, and cultural backgrounds pursue academic goals with mutual respect and shared inquiry.

The UNH Diversity Resource Guide with information and programming available in the seacoast area, New Hampshire, and the region can be found here: https://www.unh.edu/hr/diversity-resource-guide