Name: Antony Fray
Supervisor: Dr Eram Rizvi
Year of Study: End of 2nd year (updated August 2017)
PhD Topic: Higgs decays in the di-muon channel with the ATLAS detector
Where were you before you started your PhD @ QMUL?: Studying an MPhys degree at the University of Manchester
Brief description of your research: My long term goal is to complete a full analysis in the Higgs to di-muon channel with the full Run-2 (2015-2018) dataset recorded by ATLAS. I'm currently in the process of producing control plots with full systematics which accurately mirror those of the support note, as well as updating our (delightfully named) spurious signal systematic.
What is the best thing about doing a PhD?: You are right on the cutting-edge of your particular field of science. It is very interesting to watch how things are done from the inside.
What is the worst thing about doing a PhD?: For me, it took a while to adjust to the pressures you feel. There is always something to do for someone, you're never totally 'free' of work.
What do you like about studying at QMUL?: It's a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere. I've never felt unwelcome at any point.
Have you travelled much during your studies?: Loads! Probably more than the previous 4 years combined. There's always a conference or workshop to attend, and getting to spend a year working at CERN has been fantastic.
What do you plan to do after your PhD?: Have a rest! I definitely want to stay in science, but as for the type of work, I'm still not sure. Data science most likely.