Trigger System Developer (EP-CMD-2024-134-GRAP)

Your responsibilities

Are you a passionate firmware and software engineer with a keen interest in trigger systems? Or an applied physicist with great firmware and software skills? Do you enjoy working with the latest technologies? Then come join us in the EP-CMD group where we are developing the new Global Trigger for the upgrade of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment, one of the major detectors at the LHC. Based on high-precision trigger objects found by upstream systems, this FPGA-based system will evaluate a menu of up to 1000 trigger algorithms to select collisions that contain interesting physics processes for further analysis.

As a member of an international team, you will play a leading role in delivering the new Global Trigger system. You will:

• complete the existing VHDL firmware prototype, covering additional object collections from upstream systems, interfaces to external triggers, to DAQ and to the trigger control system;
• contribute to the testing and commissioning of an ATCA Rear Transition Module that provides interfaces to external triggers and the trigger control system;
• study advanced trigger algorithms and enhance the firmware prototype with them; - develop offline software emulating the Global Trigger firmware;
• develop online software for the Global Trigger and integrate it into the CMS online environment;
• test the system in a dedicated integration setup and operate a prototype in parallel to Run-3;
• contribute to the installation and commissioning of the final system;
• supervise students contributing to the project.

Your profile

Skills and/or knowledge

• Experience with trigger systems of high energy physics experiments
• Proven experience with firmware development in VHDL, in particular for Xilinx FPGAs
• Proven experience with software development in Python and C++
• Initial experience in custom electronics board development and/or testing
• Initial experience with supervision

Eligibility criteria:

• You are a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State.
• You have a professional background in Applied Physics or related field (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.

Job closing date: August 13 at 23:59 hrs CEST.

Job reference: EP-CMD-2024-134-GRAP

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

Target start date: 01-November-2024

This position requires:

• Participation in a regular stand-by duty, including nights, Sundays and official holidays.
• Work during nights, Sundays and official holidays.
• Interventions in underground installations.

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.

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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.