Dr Marcella Bona
Reader in Particle Physics
Email: m.bona@qmul.ac.uk
Telephone: 020 7882 6062
Room Number: G. O. Jones Building, Room 405
Twitter: @BonaMarcella
Profile
Qualifications
- Member of the Institute of Physics (MInstP)
- Fellow of the High Education Academy (FHEA)
- PhD in Particle Physics
- Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice.
Current Research Roles and Committees
- Member of the Heavy Flavour Averaging Group (HFLAV)
- CERN ATLAS Deputy Team Leader for QMUL
- ATLAS Level 1 Calorimeter Trigger and Upgrade Team Leader for QMUL
- Member and co-founder of the phenomenological collaboration UTfit.
- Founder of the SAPIENS project for air pollution and traffic modelling
- Member of the International Advisory Committee of Interplay of Particle and Astroparticle Physics (IPA) conference
- Member of the STFC Particle Physics Users Advisory Committee
Teaching and Administration Roles:
- Director of the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Science MSc Programme
- Organiser of the Research Project Module for the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Science MSc
- Module Organiser of Undergraduate Module of Practical Techniques in Data Science
Current CV
Teaching
Teaching and Teaching-related Roles
Roles for the School of Physical and Chemical Sciences:
Undergraduate teaching:
- Practical Techniques in Data Science - for second year undergraduate students
- Research Projects for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Science MSc programme
Special tutorials or lectures
- ROOT tutorials: targeted to third and fourth year students who have or plan to work on a particle physics project. ROOT is the CERN-developed analysis framework used by most high-energy physics experiments.
Past teaching:
- Flavour Physics and CP violation (2011-2019) for graduate students
- Graduate computing lectures for HEP (2011-2017) for graduate students
- Mathematical Techniques II (2012-2023) for first year students
- Has the LHC destroyed the world yet? A down-to-earth introduction to Particle Physics. (2018) - a summer module
- Elementary Particle Physics (2013-2017) for third year students
- Mathematical techniques I (2011-2012) for first years
- Statistical Physics (2009-2013) for third years
Current PhD Students:
- Valeria Legaria-Santiago, dual IPN-QMUL PhD project on pollution and traffic modelling in Mexico City
- Jocelyn Richardson, working on the SAPIENS project on pollution and traffic modelling
- Saashiv Valjee, working on Dark Matter searches in semi-visible jets topologies in ATLAS
Past students
- Dr Nathan Heatley, who worked on the measurement of R(K*) at ATLAS, now post-doctoral researcher in Paris on LHCb.
- Dr Joe Davies, with a project on applications of machine learning techniques to particle physics.
- Dr Eddie Thorpe, with a project titled "Dark Matter Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom quarks" in ATLAS, now Quantitative Credit Risk Analyst at ABN AMRO Bank.
- Dr Adelina D'Onofrio, with a project on top physics with Prof. Lucio Cerrito, now researcher in Naples University.
- Dr Dave Lewis, with a project titled "New Physics at the LHC: Direct and Indirect Probes", now a senior data scientist at esure Group.
- Dr Cristiano Alpigiani, with a project titled "Search for Rare B Decays into Two Muons with the ATLAS Detector", now in a senior research position with University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
- Dr Greg Fletcher, with a project titled "A Measurement of W+jets/Z+jets with the ATLAS Detector", now a Data Scientist for Deloitte Risk Analytics, London
Research
Research Interests:
Supervision
I can offer projects on a number of subjects and with different technical focus.
Flavour Physics: data from ATLAS and from the Belle 2 collaborations can be used for developing discriminating variable based on machine learning techniques and for extracting measurements of very rare particle decays.
In addition the phenomenological framework of the global flavour fit can be used to extract fundamental parameters of the Standard Model and obtain the best predictions on flavour observables. See utfit.org for the latest results.
Dark Matter Searches: data from ATLAS can be used to search for particle dark matter particles. I focus on previously unexplored experimental signatures of particle sprays made up of a mixture of known particles and dark matter ones. These signatures can be generated by new theoretical models which are being developed in collaboration with the wider community of theorists and experimentalists.
Current PhD offer:
Data from particle physics experiments can be explored exploiting cutting edge tools to extract unprecedented results. The main current quest is for new particles or new phenomena that could show us how to extend our understanding of particle physics in order to explain, e.g., the nature of Dark Matter or the unbalance between matter and antimatter. New particles can reveal themselves via new topologies distinguishing their signal from normal matter or by modifying the predicted rates of rare phenomena. In any case we as analysts need to employ machine learning algorithms to enhance the sensitivity of the searches of new or rare processes hidden in billions of collision events.
This is an opportunity to develop innovative research strategies that requires lateral thinking and the skills that are key for any data scientist.
Dr Bona is a leading expert in particle physics experiments and phenomenology. She is developing analyses to search for Dark Matter and to measure rare processes. The PhD student will be trained in the fundamentals of particle physics and in Machine Learning for big data modelling and classification and Dr Bona will support them towards the development of original data analysis work.
QMUL is a leading research institute on the ATLAS experiment taking data at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, Switzerland and on the Belle II experiment taking data at the KEK accelerator in Japan. Hence it is an ideal environment to do this work given the expertise and capabilities of its researchers. The group's links with the Digital Environment Research Institute (DERI) and with the Alan Turing Institute will ensure that this PhD student will engage with data science experts and benefit from the local data science research environment.
Contact Dr Marcella Bona m.bona@qmul.ac.uk for any inquiry.
Public Engagement
Outreach
I have a long standing interest in public engagement in many different forms and have over the years built up an extended expertise in talking in layman terms about particle physics. Here below are some of my recent talks and qualifications
- Official CERN guide since 2007: to visit CERN have a look at the Visit CERN page
- December 2024, organised the PsiStar visit at CERN
- May 2019, Pint of Science talk in a London pub, titled "I spy with my little eye… a zoo of particles"
- February 2017, organised the PsiStar visit at CERN
- September 2016, public lecture at the Odiham District University of Third Age titled "The world of elementary particles"
- November 2015, public talk as a "scientific aperitif" at the Caffe Boglione, Bra, Italy
- May 2015, Pint of Science talk in a London pub, titled "Has the large hadron collider destroyed the world yet?"
- My scientific photography portfolio
Diversity Engagements
From 2012 to 2016, I have been a leading member of the SPA Juno Committee. In 2012-2013 I chaired the committee and led the successful submission that gave SPA the Juno Practitioner status (2013). In 2013-2016 I have been deputy chair and my active participation contributed in successfully obtaining the Juno Champion and Athena Silver status (2015). I have been Juno and SPA representative at the Athena SWAN/SAT committees.
I organise and participate to workshops and events regarding diversity studies:
- In February 2023, I have been invited as plenary speaker at the 2023 Womxn in Physics Conference in King's College London.
- In March 2017, I have been invited as plenary speaker at the 2017 Women in Physics Conference in King's College London.
- In November 2016, I have been invited by the Diversity and Inclusion committee of the Institute of Physics as speaker at the event “Taking control of your career as a female physicist”, where I gave a talk reviewing my personal path and experience.
- In August 2016, I represented the Institute of Physics and Project Juno at the High-Energy-Physics conference ICHEP 2016 witth a panel contribution and a poster
- In March 2016, I organised the International Women Day event at SPA
Performance
Invited talks in national and international conferences
2024
- M. Bona, "Global fits of the Unitarity Triangle within the Standard Model. Updates from the UTfit collaboration", at the 42th International Conference on High Energy Physics, Prague, Czech Republic. July 2024
- M. Bona, "B Physics at Belle II: Status and Prospects", at "The Flavour Path to New Physics" workshop, held in Zurich, Switzerland. June 2024
- M. Bona, "Unitarity Triangle fitting: 25 years and counting", at "35 Years swinging in flavour physics: from b→sℓℓ transitions to nonleptonic decays and back" symposium, held in Rome, Italy. May 2024
2023
- M. Bona, "A summary of the UTFit latest results, with the inclusion of D-Dbar mixing observables, with both SM and NP fits/predictions", at the 12th International Workshop on the CKM Unitarity Triangle, Santiago de Compostela, Spain. September 2023.
- M. Bona, "Results on exotic hadronic resonances with the ATLAS detector", at “21st Conference on Flavour Physics and CP Violation (FPCP 2023)”, Lyon, France, May 2023
2022
- M. Bona, "ATLAS results on charmonium and B meson production and decays" and "Update on the Unitarity Triangle global fits by the UTfit Collaboration", at the 41st International Conference on High Energy Physics (ICHEP 2022), Bologna, Italy. July 2022.
- M. Bona," ATLAS flavour physics: recent results and prospects", at the 8th Workshop on Theory, Phenomenology and Experiments in Flavour Physics (FPCapri2022), Anacapri, Italy. June 2022.
- M. Bona, "Flavour Physics as a test of the Standard Model and a Probe of New Physics", at "Future Flavours: Prospects for Beauty, Charm and Tau Physics" doctorate school, held virtually, May 2022.
- M. Bona, "Status of the unitarity triangle" at 10th Annual Large Hadron Collider Physics (LHCP2022), held virtually, May 2022.
2021
- M. Bona, "ATLAS measurements of CP violation and rare decays processes with beauty mesons", at TeV Particle Astrophysics 2021 (TeVPA 2021) conference, Chengdu, China, October 2021.
- M. Bona, "B Physics and Anomalies with the ATLAS detector", at the “Anomalies and Precision in the Belle II Era” workshop, Vienna, Austria, September 2021.
- M. Bona, Updates in the Unitarity Triangle fits with UTfit, at the European Physical Society Conference on High Energy
Physics (EPS21), held virtually, July 2021.
- M. Bona, "CP violation and rare decays processes with beauty mesons at ATLAS", at the 19th Flavour Physics and CP Violation Conference (FPCP 2021), held virtually, June 2021
2020
- M. Bona, "Updates in the Unitarity Triangle fits with UTfit", at the 40th International Conference on High Energy Physics (ICHEP20), held virtually, July 2020
- M. Bona, "Discovery potential in flavour physics", invited talk at "The 26th Nordic Particle Physics Meeting (Spaatind 2020)", held in Skeikampen, Norway, January 2020
2019
- M. Bona, "Current Status and Future of Flavour Physics", invited talk at "The Future of Particle Physics in the Post-Higgs Landscape" conference, held in Southampton, UK, April 2019
- M. Bona, "ATLAS+CMS prospects for rare decays", invited talk at "Towards the Ultimate Precision in Flavour Physics" workshop, held in Durham, UK, April 2019
2018
- M. Bona, "Status of global CKM fits", plenary talk at 10th International Workshop on the CKM Unitarity Triangle (CKM18), held in Heidelberg, Germany, September 2018
- M. Bona (on behalf of the UTfit Collaboration), "UTfitter Report: Updates on unitarity triangle analysis in and beyond the SM", 10th International Workshop on the CKM Unitarity Triangle (CKM18), held in Heidelberg, Germany, September 2018
- M. Bona (on behalf of the UTfit Collaboration), "Updates on unitarity triangle analysis in and beyond the SM", 16th Conference on Flavor Physics and CP Violation (FPCP18), held in Hyderabad, India, July 2018
2017
- M. Bona (on behalf of the ATLAS Collaboration), "Indirect searches for new physics at ATLAS", UK Flavour 2017 workshop, September 2017
- M. Bona (on behalf of the UTfit Collaboration), "Unitarity Triangle Analysis and D meson mixing in the Standard Model and Beyond", International Europhysics Conference on High-Energy Physics 2017" (EPS17), held in Venice, Italy, July 2017
- M. Bona (on behalf of the ATLAS Collaboration), "Study of b->s ll decays at ATLAS", the fifth Annual Large Hadron Collider Physics conference (LHCP17), Shanghai, China, May 2017
- M. Bona (on behalf of the UTfit Collaboration), "Theory of heavy meson mixing & CKM-SM", the fifth Annual Large Hadron Collider Physics conference (LHCP17), Shanghai, China, May 2017
2016
- M. Bona (on behalf of the UTfit Collaboration), "Latest results from UTfit" and "Neutral charm mixing results from the UTfit collaboration", 9th International Workshop on the CKM Unitarity Triangle (CKM16), Mumbai, India, December 2016
- M. Bona (on behalf of the UTfit Collaboration), "Unitarity Triangle analysis in the Standard Model and beyond from UTfit", 2nd Conference Interplay between Particle and Astroparticle Physics (IPA 2016), Paris, France, September 2016
- M. Bona (on behalf of the IoP), "Project Juno: Advancing Gender Equality In Physics Careers In Higher Education In The UK", panel session and poster, 38th International Conference of High Energy Physics (ICHEP16), Chicago, USA, August 2016
- M. Bona (on behalf of the UTfit Collaboration), Updates from UTfit on the Unitarity Triangle and D mixing analyses and The Unitarity Triangle analysis beyond the Standard Model: updates from UTfit, 38th International Conference of High Energy Physics (ICHEP16), Chicago, USA, August 2016
- M. Bona, "Unitarity Triangle analysis in the SM and beyond from UTfit", Heavy Flavour 2016: Quo Vadis?, Islay, UK, July 2016
- M. Bona (on behalf of the ATLAS Collaboration), "Study of rare B decays at ATLAS", Rare B decays, Theory and Experiment Workshop 2016, Barcelona, Spain, April 2016
- M. Bona (on behalf of the ATLAS and CMS Collaboration), Spectroscopy and QCD in ATLAS and CMS, 11th Franco-Italian Meeting on B Physics, Paris, France, April 2016
- M. Bona (on behalf of the ATLAS Collaboration), "Bs to mumu result from ATLAS", Institute of Physics joint annual HEPP and APP conference, Brighton, UK, March 2016
2015
- M. Bona (on behalf of the ATLAS Collaboration), "Recent B-physics results from ATLAS", 30th Lake Louise Winter Institute (LLWI 2015), Chateau Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada, Feb 2015
2014
- M. Bona (on behalf of the UTfit Collaboration), "Updates from UTfit" ,8th International Workshop on the CKM Unitarity Triangle (CKM'14), Vienna, Austria, Sep 2014
2013
- M. Bona (on behalf of the ATLAS Collaboration), "New physics searches with flavour in ATLAS", 21st International Conference on Supersymmetry and Unification of Fundamental Interactions (SUSY13), Italy, Aug 2013
- M. Bona (on behalf of the UTfit Collaboration), "Updates from UTfit within and beyond the Standard Model", 21st International Conference on Supersymmetry and Unification of Fundamental Interactions (SUSY13), Italy, Aug 2013
- M. Bona (on behalf of the UTfit Collaboration), "Status of the CKM picture in the light of recent results", Workshop on CP Violation in Elementary Particles and Composite Systems, India, Feb 2013
2012
- M. Bona (on behalf of the UTfit Collaboration), UTfit analysis with a focus on new physics, talk given at the "Rencontres du Vietnam, Beyond the standard model in particle physics", held in Quy Nhon, Vietnam, July 19, 2012
- M. Bona (on behalf of the ATLAS Collaboration), Recent Heavy Flavour Results from ATLAS, talk given at the "Rencontres du Vietnam, Heavy Ion Collisions in the LHC Era", held in Quy Nhon, Vietnam, July 19, 2012
- M. Bona (on behalf of the UTfit Collaboration), Standard Model updates and new physics analysis with the Unitarity Triangle fit, talk given at the "Fourth Workshop on Theory, Phenomenology and Experiments in Flavour Physics", held in Anacapri, Italy, June 11, 2012
- M. Bona (on behalf of the ATLAS Collaboration), Flavour Physics Results from ATLAS, talk given at the "Fourth Workshop on Theory, Phenomenology and Experiments in Flavour Physics", held in Anacapri, Italy, June 11, 2012
2011
- M. Bona (on behalf of the UTfit Collaboration), "Standard Model updates and new physics analysis with the Unitarity Triangle fit", talk given at the "International Europhysics Conference on High-Energy Physics 2011" (EPS11), held in Grenoble, France, July 22, 2011
- M. Bona (on behalf of the UTfit Collaboration), "Flavour physics as a test of the standard model and a probe of new physics", talk given at the "First NExT PhD Workshop, held in Abingdon, UK, July 19, 2011
2010
- M. Bona (on behalf of the UTfit Collaboration), Standard Model updates and new physics analysis with the Unitarity Triangle fit, talk given at the "Flavor Physics & CP Violation 2010" (FPCP 2010) conference, held in Torino, Italy, May 25-29, 2010
Conference organisation
- May 2023: Organiser and Session Chair of the “21st Conference on Flavor Physics and CP Violation (FPCP 2023)”, in Lyon, France.
- October 2021: Organiser of the Flavour Anomalies workshop held at CERN, with the patronage and attendance of the CERN General Director, Fabiola Gianotti. 584 registered attendees in in-person and online hybrid format.
- May 2019: Heavy Flavour session convener for the 7th Annual Large Hadron Collider Physics (LHCP2019) conference.
- Co-founder and co-organiser of the conference series Interplay between Particle and Astroparticle Physics (IPA): IPA2014, IPA2016
- September 2015: co-organiser of the conference QCD@LHC
- July 2014: co-organiser of the conference 50 years of CP violation