Position Description

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral project researcher position at the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU (WPI)), the University of Tokyo.

The successful candidate will work on all of the following items: (1) operation of the vertex detector installed in the Belle II experiment operated in KEK, Japan, (2) R&D of a new vertex detector for a Belle II upgrade scheduled around 2032, which includes work on the sensor and mechanics design and readout system R&D, and (3) Belle II data analysis. The successful candidate is expected to work closely with Takeo Higuchi, a faculty member at Kavli IPMU.

This position is funded by the KAKENHI project “Exploration of the particle physics frontier at the Super B-factory and cultivation of young researchers” (22K21347, PI: Toru Iijima, Nagoya University).

1. Position
   Postdoctoral project researcher

2. Applicant eligibility
   Applicants should have a Ph.D. degree in physics or related areas by the position’s starting date.

3. Research items
   The successful candidate belongs to Kavli IPMU and works on the vertex detector operation for the Belle II experiment, the vertex detector upgrade, and the Belle II data analysis.The successful candidate must conduct research at one of the predefined overseas institutes for more than six months during the term.

4. Date of the contract
   As soon as possible.

5. Employment conditions
   The postdoctoral project researcher’s contract is annual. The contract is renewable until March 31, 2029, depending on the review result of his/her research activity.

6. The postdoctoral project researcher's salary varies depending on his/her research record.

7. Selection procedure
   Screening based on the submitted documents and interview.

8. Documents to be submitted
   The application documents must be uploaded at Application Form <https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/31694/apply> on the Academic Jobs Online server (AcademicJobsOnline.org).

   • CV (including a Research Record)
   • Research Statement
   • Publication List
   • At least three letters of recommendation

9. Submission deadline
   March 27, 2026 (Fri) 4PM (JST)

10. Inquiries
    Email inquiries regarding the KAKENHI project should be forwarded to
    Toru Iijima (iijima_at_hepl.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp),
    and those regarding the research items at Kavli IPMU should be sent to
    Takeo Higuchi (takeo.higuchi_at_ipmu.jp).
    * please use @ instead of "_at_".

11. Note
    The postdoctoral project researcher can receive a startup budget if he/she obtains a permanent position (tenure-track position included) at a Japanese research institution by the end of this KAKENHI project (March 31, 2029).

    In addition to this call, other research positions funded by this KAKENHI grant and jointly offered by Osaka Metropolitan University, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Nagoya University, Nara Women's University, and Niigata University are also available. Further information is available at: https://kokusaisendou.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/public/pages/193658881/B-BRAVE (will be available soon)

Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study, has the ambitious goal to discover the fundamental laws of nature and to understand the universe from the synergetic perspectives of mathematics, theoretical and experimental physics, astronomy, and statistics. It is an international research institute with English as its official language, established in 2007. More than half of its full-time scientific members come from outside Japan.

We seek to build a diverse, highly interactive membership. Female and international applicants are strongly encouraged.

Personal information received through this application process will not be used for any other purposes.

Due to recent revisions of the Japanese government rules on protection of personal information and on foreign trade, we are required to include this link to this solicitation.