Professor Eram Rizvi
Professor in Physics
Email: e.rizvi@qmul.ac.uk
Telephone: 020 7882 6548
Room Number: G. O. Jones Building, Room 409
Teaching
Teaching
My teaching covers a variety of courses and topics which I have given since 2004 including:
- Graduate Lectures in High Energy Physics Analysis Methods
- Graduate Lectures in Parton Density Functions
- Graduate Tutorials at the Rutherford High Energy Physics Summer School
- Undergraduate 2nd year Module in Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics
- Undergraduate 3rd year Tutorials in general physics
- Undergraduate 1st year Module in Experimental Techniques
Analysis Methods in High Energy Physics
This course aims to provide general background to experimental techniques often used in particle physics analyses. Detailed statistical techniques are not covered since there are many lectures covering these topics. Instead the lectures introduce the student to Monte Carlo simulations, what they are and their limitations. Event signatures are discussed as well as reweighting techniques and an introduction to acceptance corrections and bin purity. These lectures form part of the University of London Intercollegiate Lectures in Elementary Particle Physics. The lecture notes for this course are available here.
Graduate Lectures in Parton Density Functions
This was an invited lecture at a graduate school on the partond density functions of the proton as part of the Helmholtz Alliance graduate lecture series in Berlin 2008. The lecture notes for this lecture are available here.
Rutherford Summer School in High Energy Physics
The Rutherford Summer School on Experimental High Energy Physics runs in September each year for all 1st year graduate students and is a 2 week intensive residential school. I have participated in the school as a tutor in 2005-7.
Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics
The main part of my undergraduate teaching is a module on nuclear physics and astrophysics. This is a core 2nd year module and covers basic nuclear structure, decays, fusion, fisson, nucleosynthesis and cosmology. The module details are given here where a full set of lecture notes, and additional material is available. I have produced a series of podcasts and video for revision which is available for viewing and download.
Undergraduate Tutorials in Synoptic Physics
I have taken on tutorials for this compulsory final year module aimed at giving students an overview of the complete physics syllabus and how to apply physics principles in general situations. The module details are available online.
Undergraduate Lectures in Experimental Technique
I run the 1st year undergraduate lab course - Scientific Measurement. The module consists of 8-10 lectures on experimental technique followed by 2 lab sessions per week. The emphasis of the module was to foster good lab practice and the estimation of experimental uncertainties, statistical and systemtatic. The lecture notes are available here:
- Lecture 1 - Introduction
- Lecture 2 - Graph Plotting
- Lecture 3 - Errors and Uncertainties
- Lecture 4 - Error Propagation
- Lecture 5 - Probability Distributions I
- Lecture 6 - Probability Distributions II
- Lecture 7 - Fitting Data
- Lecture 8 - Examples
Undergraduate Teaching
- DISCnet Centre for Doctoral Training: Director of Training, 2017−
Six core modules at level 8, equivalent to 45 credits: 150 hours total, 25 PhD students
Assessment: formative assessments in each session
Director of Training and Skills for DISCnet CDT in Data Intensive Science - consortium of five universities. Designed training programme of six modules delivered as 3-day residential events. The modules are taught by 12 academics across the consortium. Excellent student feedback.
- SPA5250 Physics of Energy and the Environment: module organiser, 2017−20
- SPA6300 Synoptic Physics: module organiser, 2015−18
Level 5 elective module, 15 credits: 3 lectures / week , 40 students
Assessment: in-session assessments, coursework, final project essay
Module lead responsible for design and delivery. Introduced a new policy and ethics element to the module receiving outstanding feedback.
Level 6 core module: 1 tutorial/week (8 students/group), 120 students
Assessment: oral summative assessments in each session
Module lead managing 10 academics delivering weekly general physics problems.
- SPA6309 Radiation Detectors: module organiser since 2013−15
- SPA5302 Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics: 2005-14
Level 6 core module, 15 credits: 3 lectures/week, 35 students
Assessment: in-session assessments, coursework, 2½ exam
Module lead. Core module for Particle Physics BSc/MSci programmes.
Level 5 core module, 15 credits: 3 lectures/week, 120 students
Assessment: in-session assessments, coursework, 2½ exam
Module lead. Core module for all Physics BSc and MSci programmes. Early adopter of new pedagogies including flipped / blended learning. Awarded Innovative Teaching Prize 2012.
- SPA6913 / 6776 / 7016U / 7015U Undergraduate Projects: project supervisor since 2004
Level 6/7 core module, 15-45 credits, typically 3-6 students annually, weekly supervision
Assessment: oral exam (30 minutes), final oral presentation and final written report
In 2010 I innovated using external contacts to jointly supervise projects giving students access to expertise outside QMUL including KCL Department of War Studies, and the Royal United Services Institute – defence policy think-tank.