Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Trigger Summer Placement

Science and Technology Facilities Council 
Salary: £23,493 per annum
Contract Type: Fixed Term – 8 weeks
Hours: Full-time
Location: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX
Closing date: 8^th March 2026 
Interview: Virtually via Microsoft Teams in April 2026
Start date: June 2026

The Particle Physics Department (PPD) in STFC, is one of the largest Particle Physics groups in the UK. We work with people across the world to understand and discover the fundamental building blocks of the Universe. We design, construct and operate some of the most sensitive scientific instruments in the world, collaborating with partners in academia, industry and international laboratories such as CERN. We currently work with the ATLAS, CMS, LHCb, DUNE, Hyper-K, T2K, MICE, Lux-Zeplin, DEAP-3600, CERN DRDs, Electron Ion Collider and AION collaborations.

The Level 1 trigger (L1T) is responsible for reducing the data generated by factor 50 under 12.5 micro-seconds, while maximising the physics capability of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment. As a summer placement student, you will join a dedicated team improving the efficiency of physics selection algorithms on Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), so called the L1T, for the upcoming 2026 upgrade of the CMS experiment. 

Summer Placements at STFC

STFC’s incredibly diverse range of placements allow you to work alongside world leading engineers, scientists, and technicians in highly collaborative environments. Whichever you choose, you will become a critical member of the team in which you will be exposed to exciting projects and challenges from the start. You will also be supported every step of the way by our dedicated Early Careers Development Team 

Key Duties & Responsibilities

This opportunity will be based in the Particle Physics Department at RAL. 

The below responsibilities will be conducted with the support and mentorship of your manager:

• Write and evaluate the performance of an alternative electron isolation algorithm for selecting events where a Z boson has decayed to two electrons.
• Present weekly to line manager on progress with the project.
• Create a report summarising the findings of the studies at the end of the project.

Person Specification

The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I).

In order to apply for the role, we are looking for the following:

Essential:

• You are in full time education at university, and will be returning to university/your studies to complete your undergraduate degree once the summer placement has concluded (S)
• You have the right to live and work in the UK for the duration of the placement (S)
• Basic knowledge of fundamental particle physics (S&I)
• Proficiency with Python or C++ (S&I)
• Experience of data visualisation tools (for graph plotting etc., e.g. ROOT, matplotlib) (S&I)
• An interest in working on algorithms on electronic chips. (S&I)
• Ability to work independently and in a team. (I)
• Ability to communicate personal work. (S&I)

Desirable: 

• Experience with Linux/MacOS environment. (S&I)
• Experience with hardware description languages e.g VHDL, HLS. (S)

Employee Benefits

We are offering a fixed term position with a whole host of benefits including:

• 30 days holiday pro rata
• Flexible working hours.
• Easily accessible public transport links/ free parking.
• Excellent learning and development opportunities.

Link to more benefits: https://stfccareers.co.uk/rewards-and-benefits/

As this job does not fulfil the UK Government minimum criterion for obtaining sponsored migrant worker status, we will be unable to apply for sponsorship for anyone not eligible to work in the UK. At interview, all shortlisted candidates are required to bring with them identification documents and original documents that prove they hold or can obtain the right to work in the UK.

You can check your eligibility here: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/y 

Application Guidance

Please note that we can only accept a maximum of 2 applications per candidate.

Part of our application process involves submitting your CV and a cover letter. Your cover letter should address your suitability for the opportunity based how you meet each essential criteria stated in this advert.

Please note that we hold the right to close this vacancy early if a sufficient number of applications have been received. 

We ask some of the biggest questions in the universe, to answer some of the biggest challenges in the world. Together, our scientists, technologists, engineers and business support team explore the unknown across every field you could think of. And they turn what they find into work that changes the world around us.

What could you achieve with the world-leading facilities and experts of one of Europe's largest research organisations by your side? Join us and discover what's possible!