Technical Studentships - Applied Physics

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.

Diversity has been an integral part of CERN's mission since its foundation and is an established value of the Organization.

One of CERN’s key missions is education. Our professionals very much enjoy sharing their knowledge and expertise with students who are committed and passionate about their chosen field.

Imagine getting involved in work that is changing the world and imagine doing it before you’ve left university.

Imagine working in an international environment and having a great quality of life.

Put all these ingredients together to make this imagination a reality.

There’s no better way to learn than on-the-job. When that job happens to be in a world-famous organisation and centre of scientific excellence, even better. 

Take part in CERN’s Technical Student Programme! 

If your university or institute requires or encourages you to acquire work experience through an internship, imagine doing this at CERN in Geneva. It’s more than work experience. In fact, it’s a student programme like nowhere else on Earth and an impressive addition to your CV!

If you are a student looking to complete practical training in domains related to Applied Physics, you will have the opportunity to work at the cutting edge of technology, contribute and broaden your knowledge in disciplines as varied as particle detector physics and their applications, analysis and simulation, data processing, radiation studies, beam instrumentation, optics, lasers, cryogenics, vacuum or thermodynamics to name but a few.

The following link provides examples of Technical student projects (http://careers.cern/tech-projects) with numbers to identify them. If any of these are of specific interest for you, you will be asked to provide their corresponding number during the application process. Please note this is not mandatory, nor a guarantee that these projects will be the ones for which you are selected: you may be selected on another project that matches your profile.

Please note that students specialising in theoretical or experimental particle physics are not eligible to apply for this programme.

A panel of CERN experts meets twice a year in December and May to review all applications, and on each occasion, typically 120 students are selected to join the programme.

In order to qualify for a place on the programme you will need to meet the following requirements:

• You are a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State (home.cern/about/member-states).
• You have completed at least 18 months of your undergraduate studies (Bachelor or Master’s) at the time of the next student selection taking place in December 2019. PhD students are not eligible for this programme.
• You can stay for at least 4 and at most 12 months remaining registered as a full-time student.
  • We advise you to opt for the longest period possible to make the most of it and increase your chances of being selected!
• You have a good knowledge of English OR French.

CERN would very much like to benefit from your expertise, commitment and passion. 

In return, CERN will provide you with:

• A contract of association from 4 to 12 months.
• An allowance of 3305 Swiss Francs per month (net of tax).
• A travel allowance.
• Depending on your personal circumstances, a supplement if you are married and/or have children.
• Coverage by CERN’s comprehensive Health Insurance scheme (the contribution will be automatically deducted from your allowance).
• 2,5 days of paid leave per month.

This is how you can apply. Here are few tips to start you off:

• The top one is: don't rush it!
• Ensure your CV is complete with all skills and experience that make you stand out as a candidate.
• Be as clear and specific as possible in the application fields “Education” and “Experience” in order to increase your chances of being selected. Also include in this section all the specific skills (e.g. programming languages, hardware, databases etc.) that you have acquired that will support your application. 
• If you apply to more than one job, you will need to upload the documents for each application you submit.
• And last but not least, make good use of the ‘Motivation’ section to tell us why you’re a great candidate for CERN!

The process also comprises a number of questions, which we recommend you answer with due care. We notably encourage you to pay particular attention to the motivation and education/experience field. 

Required documentation:

You will need the following documents, clearly labelled (e.g. “CV”, “Motivation letter”, “Academic transcript”, etc.) and in PDF format to complete your application:

• A CV.
• A copy of your most recent academic transcript giving an overview of your marks (if you download it from your university portal please make sure there is no protection so that we can open it).
• A reference letter from your University Professor is mandatory. Should you have a letter of reference from a previous internship you may add this as a second reference.
  • You can upload these letters at the time of application if you have them to hand. You will also be provided with a link as soon as you have submitted your application to forward to your referees to upload their letters confidentially.
  • Note: this must be done before the closing date.

Make sure you have all the documents needed to hand as you start your application, as once it is submitted, you will not be able to upload any documents or edit your application further. 

Your application along with all supporting documents should reach us no later than 21 October 2019. Please note that your application may also be shared during the process with a panel of national experts for evaluation purposes. Ultimately, it will be reviewed by a panel of CERN experts who will meet in December 2019.