The John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science is training the next generation of physicists to build and run the world’s most powerful particle accelerators, from the Large Hadron Collider to next-generation cancer therapy machines. Accelerator science underpins much of modern physics, but the UK faces a shortage of skilled researchers who can design, build, and operate these increasingly complex machines. Without a steady pipeline of trained experts, the country risks falling behind in both fundamental research and practical applications. This programme addresses that gap directly, by embedding PhD students and early-career researchers in real projects at major facilities such as Diamond Light Source, ISIS, CERN, and the UK’s CLARA test facility. If successful, it will produce a cohort of scientists who can keep the UK’s accelerators running, help design future colliders, and transfer their skills into industry. The practical impact is concrete: better radiotherapy machines that target tumours more precisely, brighter X-ray sources for imaging materials and drugs, and the expertise needed to build the next generation of particle colliders that could reveal new physics.
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The John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science (JAI) is a centre of excellence for advanced accelerator science and technology. We perform R&D and training, provide expertise, and promote accelerator applications in science and society. The JAI currently comprises 20 faculty, 23 staff, and 38 PhD students from the Physics Departments of Oxford University (UOXF), Royal Holloway University of London (RHUL), and Imperial College London (ICL). An additional 33 staff from the UK's national laboratories and CERN are affiliated with our research and teaching programmes. We have six guiding principles: a) Develop, support and engagement of accelerator science facilities and R&D programmes of strategic importance for the UK; b) Develop worldwide collaborations that enhance the capabilities available to us; c) Develop novel acceleration and compact light source techniques and their applications; d) Deliver a world leading training programme to develop the next generation of leaders in the field; e) Communicate developments in the field to the public and decision makers; f) Strengthen the links among the partner universities to deliver a programme that is greater than the sum of its parts. For the period 2021-2025, we have focused on research areas that have the greatest benefit to national priorities: Low-emittance, high-brightness electron beams, including next-generation electron-positron colliders (ILC, CLIC), the Diamond Light Source (DLS) and its upgrade, and a future UK FEL. High-energy/high-intensity hadron beams, including current and future energy-frontier proton colliders (LHC, HL-LHC, FCC), and ISIS and its upgrade. Advanced acceleration techniques, including laser- and beam-driven plasma-wakefield acceleration. Particle-beam therapy applications using electron, proton and ion beams. Through this programme we are supporting the UK's accelerator strategy by taking lead roles in both our national and overseas facilities including: DLS, ISIS and CLF at STFC/RAL, CLARA at STFC/DL, LHC, HL-LHC, CLIC, FCC and AWAKE at CERN, FLASHforward at DESY, and ATF/ATF2 at KEK. These themes position us optimally to support our core goals of supporting major national and international accelerator developments; motivating our researchers and giving them skills in state-of-the-art technologies; and being able to transfer our knowledge to major collaborative developments and to industry.
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