Abstract
Particle accelerators have numerous applications across many fields including fundamental research, medicine, electronics, environment and energy.
In this Physics Matters colloquium, I will talk about some of the latest advances in accelerator science, including micro accelerators, antimatter studies, next generation medical applications, and a vision for the future of particle physics. I will also discuss how advances in accelerator research have been driving innovation across a wide range of sectors. Finally, I will speak about how accelerator science outreach activities have fascinated audiences around the world and helped create a better awareness of this key technology.
Biography
Carsten P Welsch is a Full Professor of Physics at the University of Liverpool, and a member of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Council. He is also the Head of Liverpool’s Accelerator Science cluster based at the Cockcroft Institute, Director of two STFC Centres for Doctoral Training in Data Intensive Science, LIV.DAT and LIV.INNO, and Coordinator of the pan-European EuPRAXIA Doctoral Network.
Professor Welsch studied physics and economics at UC Berkeley (US) and at Goethe University Frankfurt (Germany) where he completed his PhD in 2002. Following postdoctoral fellowships at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg and at CERN, he established his pan-European QUASAR Group in 2007. He was appointed as Reader at the University of Liverpool in 2008, promoted to Full Professor of Physics in 2011 and served as Head of the Physics Department between 2016 and 2023. Under his leadership, Liverpool Physics became one of the UK’s top physics departments, ranked joint 3rd in REF2021 for their overall activities that are either internationally excellent or world-leading.
Professor Welsch is specialized in the design and optimization of particle accelerators and light sources with a focus on the development of underpinning technologies, in particular beam diagnostics techniques and data science. His research includes studies into high energy colliders, antimatter research, medical applications, as well as investigations into novel high gradient accelerators. He has been a partner in numerous national and international research projects, and the coordinator of 10 EU projects, including a large number of multinational research networks. He has been a member of numerous international advisory and programme committees and is a frequent speaker at international workshops and conferences (AIMBE).