Dr Josh McFayden at the Large Hadron Collider, CERN, Switzerland

Dr Josh McFayden

Experimental particle physicist Dr Josh McFayden, has been awarded a major new research grant to explore some of the biggest unanswered questions in the Universe — from why matter exists, to what dark matter is made of, to whether our Universe is ultimately stable. 

Awarded by the Royal Society, the grant worth over £800k, will support Dr McFayden’s cutting-edge research using data from CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, to search for new physics beyond the current framework that describes all known fundamental particles and forces.

Dr McFayden will lead work on two major LHC experiments: ATLAS, one of the largest and most complex detectors ever built, and FASER, a groundbreaking new experiment designed to detect elusive particles such as neutrinos and potential dark matter candidates.

Through precise studies of the Higgs boson and top quark — two of the heaviest known particles — the research aims to shed light on why the Universe contains more matter than antimatter, how stable our cosmic vacuum really is, and whether hidden particles or forces could be influencing the cosmos.

A key focus of the project is developing state-of-the-art global analyses that combine multiple experimental results to maximise sensitivity to new physics. By doing so, Dr McFayden and his team will push the boundaries of what can be measured at the LHC today.

“We know the Standard Model can’t be the whole story,” said Dr McFayden.

“This grant will allow me and our group to pursue some of the most profound questions in physics — why we exist, what the Universe is made of, and what its ultimate fate might be.”

This ambitious programme cements the University of Sussex’s leadership in the global search for new physics, advancing our understanding of the fundamental laws that govern the Universe at the quantum level.