Hi-phi, May 2010, issue number 190

In this issue...

1. Advanced fellowships
2. PPAP community meeting
3. 4th UniverseNet School
4. Opportunities at CERN
5. Review of STFC grant funding mechanisms

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1. Advanced fellowships

The successful particle physics and nuclear physics applicants to STFC's advanced fellowships scheme are listed below:

• Dr S Ask, particle physics experiment, Cambridge University
• Dr N Drukker, particle physics theory, Imperial College
• Dr B P Kay, nuclear physics experiment, York University
• Dr M D Needham, particle physics experiment, Edinburgh University

2. PPAP community meeting

Dear colleagues,

The Particle Physics Advisory Panel (PPAP) has met several times since the STFC town meeting at University College London to reflect on the current UK Particle Physics (PP) programme.

After consultation with grant-holders and group leaders, we think it would be useful to hold a 1-day community meeting within the next couple of months to:

• take stock of where we are with 'managed withdrawal' from relevant projects
• update ourselves on global project/facility status and developments
• provide our input into STFC's 'science roadmap'
• discuss our future strategy given possibly tight funding scenarios

We suggest having a few short update talks, with an emphasis on discussion time.

The meeting will be held on Monday July 5th in the Physics Department at Birmingham University, starting around 10.00 and ending no later than 18.00. We will send practical details soon. Please note the date and plan to attend if possible. We are grateful to our Birmingham colleagues for agreeing to host us.

Best wishes,
Phil (PPAP Chair)

3. 4th UniverseNet School

The 4th UniverseNet School - "Frontiers of Particle Cosmology" - will be held at Officine Cantelmo, Universita del Salento, Lecce, Italy, from Monday 13th to Friday 17th September, 2010.

View further details (link opens in a new window).

There is no registration fee and the school is open to all graduate students and postdocs.

A nominal charge will be made for the social event (excursion and dinner on Wednesday).

All participants must register before 31st July.

The following lectures have been arranged for the morning sessions:

• The Standard Model and beyond - Riccardo Barbieri (Pisa)
• Dark matter: indirect detection - Gianfranco Bertone (Paris)
• Inflation and fundamental physics - Cliff Burgess (Waterloo)
• Dark matter: direct detection - Nicolao Fornengo (Torino)
• Standard cosmology and the CMB - Andrew Jaffe (London)
• Big Bang nucleosynthesis and new physics - Kazunori Kohri (Tohoku)
• Neutrino physics and cosmology - Eligio Lisi (Bari)
• The origin of space-time - Soo-Jong Rey (Seoul)
• Statistical methods for cosmology - Roberto Trotta (London)
• Testing dark energy and alternatives - Luca Amendola (Heidelberg)

In the afternoons there will be short talks by the participants, to be selected from the Abstracts submitted. Young researchers will be given priority.

Please download the poster and put it up on your notice board. We hope there will be many participants and this will be a memorable school ... a fitting end to our successful network activities over the past 4 years!

Organisers: Claudio Coriano, Antonio Masiero & Subir Sarkar Scientific Secretaries: Roberta Armillis & Antonio Mariano.

4. Opportunities at CERN

Why not spend your university training period in an exciting international and multidisciplinary environment at the forefront of engineering, technology and physics? The LHC (Large Hadron Collider) is up and running - CERN is the place to be!

Applicants from UK universities performed well at the most recent meeting of the Technical and Doctoral student programme : 12 out of 73 Technical Student applicants from UK universities in physics, computing, engineering and technology were offered places, as was 1 of the 2 Doctoral Student applicants. These programmes are paid placements and are a great opportunity to experience the LHC buzz at CERN.

Forthcoming application deadlines:

• Technical Students (4 to 12 months): 2 August
• Doctoral Students (12 to 36 months): 2 August
• Fellows: 7 September

Use the recruitment web site (link opens in a new window) to apply where you will also find details of each of the programmes.

For your diary:

• 24 June 2010 from 14.00 to 16.00: careers event - CERN at the Institute of Physics, Portland Place, London. View further information and enrolment (link opens in a new window).

Are you on Facebook? Join Jobs at CERN!

CERN. Take part.

5. Review of STFC grant funding mechanisms

STFC has decided to review how its delivers its support for the exploitation of facilities and experiments in the particle physics, astronomy, space and nuclear physics areas (including associated theoretical activity) in universities and other research groups. The review is a response to the need to ensure that our grant funding and delivery mechanisms are fit for purpose given the likely continued pressure on funding and the need to balance support for long term programmes with the need to retain funding flexibility.

The review Panel's remit is to consider and recommend the most appropriate funding mechanisms to ensure that support aligns with STFC's strategic goals, recognises and rewards science excellence, maintains critical mass and impact, meets the desire to exploit current and past investment in facilities and experiments, has the flexibility to respond to different needs and does not impose an undue administrative burden on the STFC or its community.

The Panel will be Chaired by Professor James Stirling of University of Cambridge. As it works, the Panel will maintain close cooperation with the STFC Grants Panels on the developing options and resulting recommendations. There will also be an opportunity for the community to make an input at an appropriate point. The Panel is expected to deliver its report to the STFC Executive in the Autumn 2010.

Panel membership

• Chair - Professor James Stirling FRS, University of Cambridge
• Professor Mark Lancaster, University College London
• Professor Brian Fulton, University of York
• Professor Michael Bode, Liverpool John Moores University
• Professor Michael Merrifield, University of Nottingham
• Deborah Miller, STFC - Project Manager