PhD studentship on ATLAS BSM searches in multileptonic electroweak signatures (2020)

What you get

You will receive:

• fully funded tuition fees for 3.5 years (at the UK/EU rate)
• a tax-free bursary for living costs for 3.5 years. For 2019/20 this is £15,009 per annum.
• funds for computing, books, open access publishing, attendance at conferences and workshops.

You may also supplement your income with paid teaching (with your supervisor’s agreement).

Type of award

Post Graduate Research

PhD project

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/epp/

A studentship is available to work on a data intensive project to be conducted on the ATLAS experiment at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), under the supervision of Professor Antonella De Santo. The project is to search for new physics phenomena Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) of particle physics, exploring BSM scenarios that provide viable solutions to the origin of dark matter in our universe. Searches will be conducted using multileptonic electroweak signatures in ATLAS, including very challenging “compressed scenarios” (with small mass differences between particles involved in relevant decay chains), or in scenarios where long-lived new particles may be produced. Advanced analysis techniques (e.g. Machine Learning) will be considered to optimise the analysis strategy for relevant signals. Triggering is an important aspect of BSM searches and the new student will spend a fraction of their time working on the ATLAS trigger system, to characterise and further develop BSM triggering strategies for the LHC Run-3 data-taking period and in view of future luminosity upgrades (HL-LHC phase). 

Professor De Santo, the ATLAS-Sussex Principal Investigator, is a leading researcher in the search for new physics signals and has an established track-record as a successful supervisor and mentor of early-career researchers. The Sussex ATLAS team, which counts approximately twenty members, offers a dynamic and supportive environment where team members are enabled to thrive and realise their potential.

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Professor De Santo for further details. Applications from qualified candidates who are able to apply for their own funding from external sources are particularly encouraged to make contact.

Funding is available to UK and EU nationals for a September 2020 start.  Funded studentships cover a tax-free bursary (£15,009 per annum in 2018/19) and home/EU fees for 3.5 years. Additional financial support is provided to cover short-term and long-term travel. Interviews of shortlisted candidates will be held in February and March.

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

• be a UK/European Union (EU) student.
• have (or expect to achieve) a First or Upper Second Class Masters degree in Physics, or a related subject.
• Meet the English langugage requirement as detailed here: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/degrees/physics-phd 

• We also welcome applications from self-funded non-EU students interested in our experimental programme.

Deadline

29 February 2020 12:00

How to apply

Apply through the postgraduate application system and select the full time PhD in Physics with a September 2020 start date

Applications will be considered until the position has been filled.

When you apply, you should include:

• the supervisor’s name (Prof Antonella De Santo) in the ‘Suggested supervisor’ section
• 'PhD studentship on ATLAS BSM searches in multileptonic electroweak signatures' in the Award Detail Section
• a research proposal/personal statement which describes your suitability for the project
• 2 academic references
• your transcripts from any previously obtained degrees. If you have not yet completed your undergraduate degree, you can provide an interim transcript or record of any marks obtained so far.

The position will be filled as soon as a suitable candidate is found so you are encouraged to apply as soon as you are able to. 

Due to the high volume of applications received, you may only hear from us if your application is successful.

Contact us

_{Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Professor De Santo for further details.}

 

For practical questions about applications and/or eligibility for funding, please contact mpsresearchsupport@sussex.ac.uk

 

For academic questions please contact the coordinator of EPP PhD admissions, Dr. W. Clark Griffith: W.C.Griffith@sussex.ac.uk