Starting soon
Muons for science and society — bridging discovery and application
Muoniverse is a new Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR), a major initiative that uses muons (heavy cousins of electrons) to explore the hidden structures of materials in completely non-destructive ways.
Building on the world-leading muon facility at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, the project unites universities, industry, and museums to push advances in fields ranging from quantum technologies and renewable energy to archaeology and cultural heritage.
By connecting science, engineering, and the arts, Muoniverse will develop new methods, train the next generation of researchers, and create unique opportunities for the public to engage with cutting-edge research.
Stay tuned as we open the door to this new "Muoniverse"!
Job openings
Opportunities for students, postdoctoral fellows and other job offerings will regularly appear here.
Once a position is open for applications, the corresponding "Apply" button will become active.
| Role | Location | Main PI(s) | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PhD Student | Paul Scherrer Institute PSI | Giovanni Pizzi (PSI), Nicola Spaldin (ETHZ) | Quantum-mechanical simulations of muons in materials | Opening soon |
| PhD Student | Empa | Arndt Remhof | Muon spectroscopy for battery applications | Opening soon |
| Postdoc | University of Fribourg | Christian Bernhard | Low-energy muon spin rotation studies of magnetic and superconducting oxide heterostructures | Info & apply |
| PhD Student | Paul Scherrer Institute PSI | Zaher Salman | Hybrid interfaces of quantum materials | Opening soon |
| PhD Student | Paul Scherrer Institute PSI | Zaher Salman | Advanced muon spin spectroscopy | Opening soon |
| PhD Student | University of Zurich | Laura Baudis (UZH), Andreas Knecht (PSI) | Ordinary muon capture for neutrinoless double beta decay | Info & apply |
| PhD Student | Paul Scherrer Institute PSI | Angela Papa (PSI) | Hunting for rare muon observables with the muEDM and Mu3e apparatus | Opening soon |
| Postdoc | Paul Scherrer Institute PSI | H. Luetkens (PSI), M. Janoschek (PSI,UZH), R. Khansanov (PSI) | Development of μSR pressure cells for quantum materials research | Opening soon |
| PhD Student | Paul Scherrer Institute PSI | Zurab Guguchia (PSI) | Uniaxial and hydrostatic pressure studies on quantum materials | Opening soon |
| PhD Student | EPFL | T. Pieloni (EPFL), A. Lombardi (CERN), M. Seidel (PSI,EPFL) | Acceleration of an ultra-low-emittance mu+ beam | Info & apply |
| PhD Student | ETHZ | U. Grossner | Defect characterization for advanced power semiconductor devices | Opening soon |
| Postdoc | University of Geneva | M. Kowalska (CERN) | Upgrades to the polarisation beamline at ISOLDE-CERN for material science and magnetisation radii studies | Opening soon |
| PhD Student | Paul Scherrer Institute PSI | Zurab Guguchia | Establishing Muon Spin Fingerprints of Intrinsic Time-Reversal Symmetry-Breaking Superconducting and Normal States | Opening soon |
| PhD Student | University of Geneva | Fabian von Rohr | Advanced Synthesis Methods of Quantum Materials | Opening soon |
| PhD Student | University of Zürich | Fabian Naterrer | Hunting for hints for time-reversal symmetry-breaking superconductivity in Josephosn Junction STM | Opening soon |
| PhD Student | Paul Scherrer Institute PSI | Aldo Antognini | Development of a micro-beam of positive muons for particle, atomic and solid state physics | Opening soon |
| Postdoc | Paul Scherrer Institute PSI | Aldo Antognini | Development of a micro-beam of positive muons for particle, atomic and solid state physics | Opening soon |
| Postdoc | Paul Scherrer Institute PSI | Aldo Antognini (PSI), Anna Soter (ETHZ) | Development of a laser system (thin-disk laser followed by OPO) for pump and probe muSR studies | Opening soon |
| PhD Student | Paul Scherrer Institut PSI / SNM | Michael Heiss | Non-destructive elemental analysis of archaeological and cultural heritage artefacts | Opening soon |
| Postdoc | Swiss National Museum SNM / PSI | Katharina Schmidt-Ott | Non-destructive elemental analysis of archaeological and cultural heritage artefacts | Opening soon |
| Postdoc | Paul Scherrer Institute PSI | Klaus Kirch | Muon beams and fundamental atomic, nuclear and particle physics | Opening soon |
| Postdoc/Software Engineer | Paul Scherrer Institute PSI | Giovanni Pizzi | Design of a secure data sharing portal for muon data | Opening soon |
| PhD Student | ETHZ | Paolo Crivelli | Muonium spectroscopy | Opening soon |
| PhD Student | Paul Scherrer Institute PSI | Peter Stoffer (PSI and UZH) | Advancing the theoretical framework for rare muon observables | Opening soon |
| Postdoc | Paul Scherrer Institute PSI | Angela Papa (PSI) | Cryogenic detector to accurately track positrons from muon decays | Opening soon |
What muons are
Muoniverse is all about exploiting the powers of muons
What are muons?
Muons (μ+, μ-) are similar to electrons but ~200 times more massive
Are muons stable?
Muons are unstable and decay with 2 μs lifetime
How are they produced?
Muons are produced naturally, as well as artificially to probe properties of materials
Where are they produced?
Switzerland operates one of the world-leading muon beam facilities at PSI, Switzerland
Muoniverse: key takeaways
What we use
Muons are powerful and established probes of advanced materials and for high-precision particle physics
What we deliver
Technological developments within Muoniverse will drive a step-change in muon science
What we enable
This step-change will open up the power of muons to new scientific domains and applications
Overarching goal
Muoniverse will drive a coherent, multi-disciplinary, cutting-edge muon science programme across a sustainable network of communities
What we are building
Research
Cutting-edge discoveries powered by muons
Advancing fundamental and applied science, from quantum materials to cultural heritage, using Switzerland's world-leading muon capabilities
Technology
New tools, methods, and open data for everyone
Developing advanced instruments, shared datasets, and analysis platforms that expand what muon science can achieve
Community
Uniting scientists, engineers, and museums
Building a vibrant network across disciplines and institutions in Switzerland and around the world
Engagement
Training, education, and public outreach
Empowering the next generation and bringing the wonders of muon science to schools, museums, and society
Muoniverse research programme
Research Area Technology
Developing next-generation muon instruments and theory, from microbeams and advanced detectors to high-pressure environments and predictive simulations, pushing the technological limits to enable entirely new muon experiments
Research Area Fundamental
Uncover the hidden magnetic, electronic, and subatomic structure of matter, exploring how nature works, from exotic quantum states to the limits of the Standard Model
Research Area Application
Using muons as non-destructive probes to drive advances in semiconductors, batteries, archaeology, and large-scale structure monitoring, opening muon science to new communities and applications
Theory Network
Bringing leading theorists to Switzerland to support Muoniverse projects through long-term visits that strengthen research, collaboration and training across the entire programme
Building a comprehensive ecosystem
Muoniverse is creating a vibrant ecosystem that connects science with society through innovation, collaboration, and accessibility
Our partners
