ERC Starting Grant

I’m very proud to announce that I’ve been successful in this years ERC Starting Grant competition. I’ve been awarded funding to implement the project STAPLE.

In the ongoing quest to understand the fundamental nature of our universe, scientists rely on powerful instruments like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. By accelerating particles to nearly the speed of light and then colliding them, we can observe the debris and learn about the fundamental building blocks of everything we see. This strategy has been incredibly successful, leading to the development of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. This theory accurately describes the behaviour of three of the four fundamental forces of nature and all known elementary particles. Despite its remarkable success, the Standard Model isn’t the complete picture. It fails to explain some of the universe’s most profound mysteries, such as what constitutes dark matter, the reason there’s far more matter than antimatter, and the origin of particle mass. To solve these puzzles, scientists are collecting an enormous amount of new data at the LHC and are planning even more powerful particle accelerators for the future. The sheer volume of this data will allow them to push the Standard Model to its limits, potentially revealing cracks that could lead to a new, more comprehensive theory. The data can also be reinterpreted to search for new physics at energies far beyond the LHC’s direct reach, effectively turning it into a powerful magnifying glass for the universe’s hidden secrets. Making the most of these experiments requires an incredible level of precision, not only in the hardware but also in the theoretical predictions. It’s not enough to simply collect data; physicists need to know precisely what they’re looking for. These predictions come from highly complex calculations using Quantum Field Theory, a framework that combines quantum mechanics with special relativity. To match the precision of the experimental data, these theoretical calculations must be improved by including quantum corrections. The European particle physics community has recognized this challenge, emphasizing the need for advanced theoretical tools. The STAPLE project is a direct response to this need. It aims to combine recent breakthroughs in theoretical calculations with advanced computer simulations to create a new generation of precision event simulations. This powerful new tool will enable physicists to make accurate and precise predictions for what happens inside a particle collision, serving as a cornerstone of precision physics at the LHC and beyond. It is the crucial link between the experimental data we gather and the fundamental truths we seek to understand.