Speaker
Prof.
Albert De Roeck
Description
Professor Dr. Albert De Roeck is a senior research scientist and staff member at CERN and a professor at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. He obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Antwerp and then spent ten years at the German particle physics laboratory, DESY, where he and his team made very precise measurements of the quark and gluon structure of the proton, and performed precise tests of the strong force. To pursue his interest in discovering new physics at particle colliders, in particular supersymmetry and extra dimensions, he returned to CERN. During the last ten years, he has played a significant role in the preparation of one of the experiments at the LHC: the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS). De Roeck is one of the leaders in the CMS physics program and was the deputy spokesperson of the experiment in 2010 and 2011. He was the convener of the Higgs search physics group during the Higgs discovery. His is now the leader of the CERN experimental neutrino group.
https://www.dunescience.org/facesofdune/albert-de-roeck/
"I was the Higgs convener when the Higgs was discovered, meaning I was one of the first people that saw we had a discovery. How to describe it… it’s sensational. I imagine it’s like what people feel when they go to climb Mount Everest and reach the top. I’ve never done that, so I can’t be sure it’s the same. My drive is to search for new things. And with neutrinos, what attracts me is that it’s such an enigmatic particle. It’s the particle we understand the least. It’s full of surprises. I like the mystery. One of my other interests is in Egyptology, and I like the mystery of the pyramids, the Sphinx. For the past few years I have been teaching physics in Cairo and had some spare time to pursue my hobby."
