Born in 1970 in Terrassa (Barcelona). Graduated in physics in 1993 at the Univ. Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). Obtained PhD in experimental particle physics in 1998 at the Institut de Física d'Altes Energies (IFAE) at the UAB, studying electron-positron collisions in the ALEPH experiment at the LEP Collider at CERN. Moved to Chicago (USA) in 1998, to study proton-antiproton collisions at the energy frontier in the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider, first as a Research Associate (1998-2002), then as a Wilson Fellow (tenure-track position, 2002-2006) and eventually as staff scientist (2006-2009). At D0 held a number of leadership positions in physics (convener of Top and Higgs groups), algorithms (convener of Jet Energy Scale and Jet Energy Resolution groups) and upper management (physics coordinator). Since November 2009, ICREA Research Professor at IFAE, studying proton-proton collisions with the ATLAS experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
Research interests
My research is focused on accelerator-based experimental particle physics, aiming at achieving an understanding on how Nature operates at the most fundamental level. At the LHC I am carrying out studies on the heaviest known elementary particle, the top quark, as well as on the Higgs boson, seeking connections in the dynamics that govern both particles. I am also searching for new phenomena, such as supersymmetric partners of Standard Model particles, exotic heavy quarks appearing in composite Higgs models or models with extra spatial dimensions, or additional Higgs bosons revealing an extended Higgs sector. Since 2016, I lead a team of over 20 scientists from IFAE that analyzes the data from the ATLAS experiment. Between October 2020 and September 2022 I was convener of the ATLAS Exotics working group, leading a team of about 600 scientists pursuing a broad program of new phenomena searches at the energy frontier.
Selected publications
- ATLAS Collab, et al. 2023, 'Search for ttH/A→tttt production in the multilepton final state in proton-proton collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector', Journal of High Energy Physics, 2023, 203.
- ATLAS Collab, et al. 2023, 'Search for supersymmetry in final states with missing transverse momentum and three or more b-jets in 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector', The European Physical Journal C, 83, 561.
- ATLAS Collab, et al. 2023, 'Search for a new scalar resonance in flavour-changing neutral-current top-quark decays t→qX (q=u,c), with X→bb, in proton-proton collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector', Journal of High Energy Physics, 07, 199.
- ATLAS Collab, et al. 2023, 'Search for single production of vector-like T quarks decaying into Ht or Zt in pp collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector', Journal of High Energy Physics, 08, 153.
- ATLAS Collab, et al. 2023, 'Search for a light charged Higgs boson in t→H±b decays, with H±→cb, in the lepton+jets final state in proton-proton collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector', Journal of High Energy Physics, 09, 004.
Selected research activities
- Principal investigator of the ATLAS group at IFAE (22 members).
- Chair of the ATLAS Publication Committee.
- External expert for the RGC (Hong Kong) and CFMA/FONCyT (República Argentina).
- Supervisor of 1 PhD thesis and 5 Master theses.
- Lectures at the UAB/IFAE/ICE Master program.
Plenary addresses:
- 57th Rencontres de Moriond: Electroweak Interactions & Unified Theories, La Thuile, Italy, Mar 18-25, 2023.
- Beyond the Flavour Anomalies IV, Barcelona, Spain, Apr 19-21, 2023.
- 7th Red LHC Workshop, IFT, Madrid, Spain, May 10-12, 2023.
- ATLAS HDBS and Exotics Workshop, UAB, Bellaterra, Spain, Oct 9-13, 2023.
Workshop organization:
- The LHC Precision Program, CCBPP, Benasque, Spain, Oct 1-7, 2023.
- ATLAS HBDS and Exotics Workshop, UAB, Bellaterra, Spain, Oct 9-13, 2023.