Sebastian Grinstein

Sebastian Grinstein

Institut de Física d'Altes Energies

Experimental Sciences & Mathematics

I completed my MSc at the University of Buenos Aires in 1998 working on the measurement of the production cross section of direct photons at the D0 experiment (Fermilab, USA). I worked in Sweden as a member of the Astroparticle Group of the Royal Institute of Technology studying cosmic rays before starting my PhD (2003, University of Buenos Aires) measuring the properties of quarks and gluons in high energy collisions at D0. In 2003 I became a postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University where I worked mainly at the CDF experiment (Fermilab) on top-quark physics and detector operations. In 2008 I joined the IFAE (Institut de Física d'Altes Energies) LHC-ATLAS experiment group as an ICREA Researcher. In 2012 I became an ICREA Research Professor. I am currently leading the ATLAS Detector upgrade effort at IFAE.  

Research interests

My research has been focused on high-energy experimental particle physics: understanding which are the fundamental constituents of nature and how they interact. At the Fermilab Tevatron accelerator I have performed studies of QCD and the properties of the top quark. At the LHC accelerator at CERN I conducted searches for new physics in the top sector. I am now leading a coordinated project to develop semiconductor tracking and timing detectors for the ATLAS experiment. During the first stage of this project, 3D pixel silicon sensors designed and produced at Barcelona were included in the innermost detector layer of ATLAS. Currently, we are fabricating 3D pixel module prototypes for the coming high luminosity LHC era. I am also the deputy Project Leader of the ATLAS High Granularity Timing Detector. My group aims to produce about 10% of the modules for this detector in-house. I am also co-leading a project investigating silicon sensors for medical applications. 

Selected publications

- Agapopoulou C., et al. 2023, 'Performance of a front-end prototype ASIC for the ATLAS High Granularity timing detector', Journal Of Instrumentation, 18, 8, P08019.
- Yan, Z.; et. al. 2023, 'Readout electronics for the CEPC vertex detector prototype and beam telescope', Journal Of Instrumentation, 18, 7, P07036.
- Wang W, et al. 2023, 'Characterization of a CMOS Pixel Sensor prototype for the CEPC vertex detector', Nuclear Instruments & Methods In Physics Research Section A-accelerators Spectrometers Detectors And Associated Equipment, 1056, 168601.

Selected research activities

  • Principal investigator of the ATLAS-Upgrade group at IFAE (MICINN, Spain).
  • Coordinator of the AIDAInnova activities at IFAE and WP5 co-coordinator (H2020, EU).
  • Deputy Project Leader of the ATLAS High Granularity Timing Detector (since 2021).
  • HGTD Module Assembly co-convener (since 2018).
  • Member of the Project Management Office sub-committee for the ATLAS Muon System (since 2021).
  • Member of the Institutional Boards of AFP, HGTD, ITk (all ATLAS projects) and RD50 (CERN).
  • Referee for publications in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, A, Proceedings of Science (PoS), JINST and Frontiers.
  • Referee for funding programs in Spain (ANEP), UK (STFC) and Argentina (ANPCYT).
  • Currently directing five PhD students.