people | Caterina Doglioni

Savanna Shaw

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Focus and expertise: [add info here]

Publications:

Publication Title

Tobias Fitschen

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Focus and expertise: Real-time analysis and trigger systems in ATLAS; dark matter mediator searches; software sustainability. Tobias leads the dijet Trigger Level Analysis (TLA) and is the main maintainer of the software framework used for this and many other analyses in the ATLAS exotics group. He implemented FAIR/sustainable software principles into the analysis framework, and contributed to commissioning the new real-time data streams in Run 3. He also co-authored a phenomenology study of a novel dark matter model using trigger and data analysis strategies.

Key contributions:

Led the dijet TLA analysis (contact person) and maintained its software framework
Implemented jet calibration and jet energy scale uncertainty strategies for real-time reconstructed jets (with Amerl)
Co-authored a phenomenology study of an unexplored dark matter model using TLA-style strategies
Deployed the Trigger Level Analysis streams used for WP3 data analysis in Run 3

Sukanya Sinha

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Focus and expertise: Dark sector searches; dark QCD and semi-visible jet phenomenology; dark matter model benchmarks. Sukanya conducted the first search for semi-visible jets in ATLAS in the t-channel (non-resonant) mode. She is actively refining and recommending dark matter model benchmarks within the cross-experiments LHC Dark Matter Working Group, and organises workshops with theory colleagues to advance this work.

Key contributions:

First ATLAS search for semi-visible jets in the t-channel (non-resonant) mode
Refinement of dark shower model benchmarks in the LHC Dark Matter Working Group
Contribution to pile-up jet discrimination using machine learning algorithms

James Smith

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Focus and expertise:

ATLAS real-time analysis (trigger) system; Machine learning for data compression; dark matter mediator searches; software for particle physics.

Between 2023 and 2025, James led the development of the Baler open-source lossy compression tool — an interdisciplinary project spanning particle physics, neutrino physics, fluid dynamics, and computer science. As project lead for Baler, he has supervised students and interns and focused on testing the tool with ATLAS Open Data.

Since 2025, he is the convenor of the ATLAS jet trigger sub-group, responsible for the data taking of the experiment for hadronic jets signatures.

He has developed the algorithms to reconstruct and test the performance of data collected using the Partial Event Building technique, He also works on searches for dark sector particles in signatures with displaced tracks, jets and photons.

Papers and key contributions:

Project lead for the Baler ML-based data compression software
Displaced tracks search

Michael Sparks

Senior Research Software Engineer

Focus and expertise: [add info here]

Publications:

Publication Title

Maximilian Amerl

PhD Student

Focus and expertise: Dark matter mediator searches; jet calibration for real-time analysis. Max leads the search for dark matter mediators decaying into two jets produced in association with a photon (contact person). He also devised and implemented the jet calibration and jet energy scale uncertainty strategies for jets reconstructed in real-time in the ATLAS trigger system, in collaboration with Tobias Fitschen.

Key contributions:

Contact person for the dijet + photon dark matter mediator search
Jet calibration and energy scale uncertainty strategy for real-time reconstructed jets (with Fitschen)

Danielle Wilson-Edwards

PhD Student

Focus and expertise: Dark QCD searches; pile-up jet discrimination using machine learning. Danielle conducted the first search for prompt dark QCD jets in ATLAS using the full Run-2 dataset. She also improved discrimination between jets from primary and secondary proton-proton collisions (pile-up) using machine learning algorithms, improving performance for real-time analysis.

Key contributions: