[School of Natural Sciences PhD Scholarships] Accurate parton showers for collider physics

About the project

About the Project Collider physics has provided some of the biggest advances in our understanding of nature on a fundamental level, best exemplified by the discovery of the Higgs boson. The LHC is currently probing the highest energy scales ever reached in a collider context, by exploring the TeV domain in a search for new physics. This venture brings unprecedented challenges, notably on the theory side, in terms of developing precise calculations to match the precision of the experimental data. A significant part of the challenges arise from needing to simulate radiation in Quantum Chromodynamics, a non-Abelian gauge field theory which exhibits confinement, hence limiting the domain of applicability of perturbative calculations. One of the key theoretical methods for simulating high energy particle collisions is known as the QCD parton shower. Parton showers are based on our underlying knowledge of QCD radiation and in particular on our understanding of how one can resum certain (logarithmically) enhanced terms to all orders in perturbation theory. Till recently the accuracy of parton shower resummation had been limited to a basic level known as leading-logarithmic accuracy. Over the past few years there has been a revolution in the development of parton showers culminating in the development of so called next-to--leading logarithmic showers, led by the PanScales collaboration. The current project which is part of the PanScales program aims to push this frontier still further by proposing development of the world's first full next-to--next-to-leading logarithmic showers. Developing such theory methods will lead to a reduction in theory uncertainty from several tens of percent currently, down to just a few percent. This in turn will have widespread impact not just on the full LHC physics program but also on future colliders for decades to come. This project is expected to start in September 2027. Before you apply: We strongly recommend that you contact the supervisors for this project before you apply. How to apply: To be considered for this project you must complete a formal application through our online application portal. If you already have an applicant account this link will directly open an application for PhD School of Natural Sciences Scholarships . If you don’t already have an applicant account, please follow the instructions here . When applying, please specify the full title and supervisor/s of the project, details of your previous study, and names and contact details of two referees. You must also upload a Supporting Statement describing your motivation to apply to the project, your CV and transcripts of awarded and in-progress university qualifications . Please note late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Equality, diversity and inclusion are fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester and central to all our activities. A diverse research community strengthens creativity, productivity and quality, while increasing the societal and economic impact of our work. We welcome applicants from all career paths, backgrounds and sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation or transgender status. We welcome applications from candidates returning to study after a career break or experience in other roles. Flexible study arrangements may be available, including part-time study at 50%, 60% or 80%, subject to the requirements of the project and funder. Eligibility : The standard academic entry requirement for this PhD is an upper second-class (2:1) honours degree in a discipline directly relevant to the PhD (or international equivalent) OR any upper-second class (2:1) honours degree and a Master’s degree at merit in a discipline directly relevant to the PhD (or international equivalent). This project will remain open until filled. If your application is submitted by 1 st November 2026, you can expect a decision by 18 th December 2026. If your application is submitted by 15 th January 2027, you can expect a decision by 30 th March 2027. Self or externally funded students can also be considered for this project. FSESoNS

Research areas