I am an experimental particle physicist working on the ATLAS Experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva. I am based at the University of Sussex where I work as a lecturer, and I am a staff scientist at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy, a UNESCO institute.
I have worked on the ATLAS Experiment since 2006 when I was doing my PhD at the University of Sheffield, UK. My work includes research into the Top Quark, which is the heaviest known fundamental particle, and research on the Higgs Boson, the recently discovered particle that allows fundamental particles to acquire their different masses. I also work on luminosity calibration and determination, and I worked on the commissioning of the Semi-Conductor Tracker (SCT), part of the inner detector of ATLAS.
I am interested in public engagement with physics, in particular to reach those who might have less access to science or are a minority in the field. I work with the widening participation team at the University of Sussex to run physics workshops for young people. I was also the outreach and communication co-coordinator for ATLAS 2014 – 2019. One of my key contributions has been the development of the ATLAS Open Data project.
In addition I have a strong passion for promoting physics in developing countries and working with ICTP and UNESCO. My key contribution has been the formation of the Physics Without Frontiers program which I continue to coordinate with my colleague Bobby Acharya. Over 5000 students have taken part in our programs, in 17 different countries, and over 65 students are being mentored and support into further study.