PhD in Physics

PhD Studentship on the ATLAS experiment: measuring the properties of the top quark and the Higgs boson (2025)

What you get

• Fully-paid tuition fees for three and a half years.
• A tax-free bursary for living costs for three and a half years (£19,237 per annum in 24/25).
• Additional financial support is provided to cover short-term and long-term
  travel.
• If you are not a UK national, nor an EU national with UK settled/pre-settled
  status, you will need to apply for a student study visa before admission.

Type of award

Postgraduate Research

PhD project

Probing the Higgs boson, the most recently discovered fundamental particle, and one unlike anything else in the SM, is a critical priority in the search for new physics at the LHC. The Higgs boson is responsible for giving fundamental particles their mass and has the strongest interaction with the largest mass particles. The top quark is the heaviest fundamental particle in the SM and therefore has the strongest coupling to the Higgs. This makes LHC collisions where a Higgs is produced with a top-quark pair (ttH) one of the most exciting places to look for signs of new physics.

The candidate will play a leading role in new measurements of ttH in the H->leptons decay mode using the Run 3 data. This will provide fresh sensitivity to the top quark-Higgs interaction and the Higgs boson’s interaction with itself that will lead to world-leading sensitivity to new physics. The importance of this work goes beyond understanding the Higgs boson. The interplay between the strength of the top-Higgs interaction and the Higgs self-interaction is directly related to the stability of the Universe at a quantum level and the exact (CP) nature of the top-Higgs interaction could hold the answer to why we exist at all - why the Universe is matter-dominated. Efforts are ongoing to combine measurements of ttH with those of ttW, ttZ and more which all share a similar final state. The candidate will also be involved in such efforts including searching for new physics via effective field theory (EFT) techniques.

The ATLAS-Sussex group has made significant contributions to measurements of ttH, ttW and ttll production in multi-lepton final states performed so far in ATLAS: profiting from this experience in the group, the candidate will be ideally positioned to make large impact in this sector, also through close contact with CERN-based experts. 

Eligibility

Applicants must hold, or expect to hold, at least a UK upper second-class degree (or non-UK equivalent qualification) in Physics or a closely-related area, or else a lower second-class degree followed by a relevant Master's degree.

This award is open to UK and International students.

Deadline

28 February 2025 23:45

How to apply

Apply through the University of Sussex on-line system. 

https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/apply/log-into-account

Select the PhD in Physics/Mathematics, with an entry date of September 2025.

In the Finance & Fees section, state that you wish to be considered for studentship no EPP/2025/03.

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

Contact us

If you have practical questions about the progress of your on-line application or your eligibility, contact mps-pgrsupport@sussex.ac.uk.

For academic questions about the project, contact Dr Josh McFayden at J.A.Mcfayden@sussex.ac.uk.

Timetable

Deadline - 28th February 2025.

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