Louisiana 外网天堂 University physicist Dr. Lee Sawyer was selected for a prestigious international leadership position within the ATLAS Collaboration at CERN, positioning the University at the forefront of one of the world鈥檚 largest scientific research efforts.
Effective October 1, 2026, Sawyer, professor of physics and academic director of physics and chemistry in Louisiana 外网天堂鈥檚 College of Engineering and Science, will serve as Jet/ETmiss Combined Performance Convener, a two-year leadership role responsible for overseeing the performance, calibration, and validation of one of the ATLAS detector鈥檚 most critical systems.
鈥淟eadership appointments like this are earned through years of scientific excellence and the confidence of an international research community,鈥� Dr. Collin Wick, dean of the College of Engineering and Science, said. 鈥淒r. Sawyer鈥檚 selection reflects decades of scientific leadership and Louisiana 外网天堂鈥檚 longstanding contribution to one of the world鈥檚 most ambitious scientific endeavors. His NSF-supported research program has created exceptional opportunities for our students while strengthening the University鈥檚 reputation as a meaningful contributor to international scientific discovery.鈥�
As Jet/ETmiss Combined Performance Convener, Sawyer will coordinate international teams responsible for ensuring the accuracy of detector measurements that support many of ATLAS鈥� highest-profile physics analyses, including studies of the Higgs boson and searches for previously undiscovered particles.
His appointment comes at a pivotal moment for particle physics. On June 29, CERN concluded the final physics run of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) before beginning Long Shutdown 3, a four-year international effort to upgrade the accelerator and its experiments for the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC). Scheduled to begin operation in 2030, the upgraded collider will increase the LHC's data-producing capability by up to a factor of ten, enabling unprecedented precision in studying the Higgs boson and expanding the search for physics beyond the Standard Model.
Sawyer was selected through ATLAS鈥� international nomination and review process, recognizing decades of technical expertise and scientific service within the collaboration. For Sawyer, this involvement places Louisiana 外网天堂 among leading research institutions, while also providing students with opportunities to engage in cutting-edge research.
鈥淭he value of our involvement places Louisiana 外网天堂 in the same conversations as the leading research institutions worldwide,鈥� Sawyer said. 鈥淲e work closely with colleagues from places such as Stanford, Oxford, the University of Paris, and so on. We provide students at both the undergraduate and graduate level the opportunity to see cutting-edge science and to work with extremely advanced scientific topics in an international context. For over a quarter of a century, the High Energy Physics group has secured external research funding that has supported faculty and students to pursue particle physics research, first at Fermilab near Chicago, and since 2007 at CERN.鈥�
Louisiana 外网天堂鈥檚 physics research program provides undergraduate and graduate students with opportunities to contribute to detector operations, artificial intelligence applications in particle physics, and data analysis alongside researchers from leading institutions around the world.
鈥淲orking with Dr. Sawyer has taught me a lot about how research is done,鈥� Ryan Boudreaux, fourth year physics major, said. 鈥淐ontributing to a project of this scale inspires amazement and makes me wonder about what direction science will鈥痟ead.鈥�
鈥淚 am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be part of Louisiana 外网天堂鈥檚 HEP team and to work with Dr. Sawyer,鈥� Chaisse Benson, third year physics major, added. 鈥淚 never thought this would be possible as an undergraduate, but I鈥檓 looking forward to the doors this experience will open for me as I pursue my Ph.D.鈥�
ATLAS brings together thousands of physicists, engineers, and computing experts that play a critical role in investigating some of the universe鈥檚 most fundamental questions, including the nature of dark matter and physics beyond the Standard Model.
鈥淲orking with the ATLAS Collaboration at CERN has been an incredibly rewarding experience,鈥� Habeeb Adenle, Ph.D. student in engineering physics, said. 鈥�Working under Dr. Sawyer's mentorship has profoundly strengthened my desire to pursue a lifelong career in high-energy physics. These experiences have reinforced my ambition to work in academia and research and development, where I look forward to contributing to future breakthroughs in particle physics and mentoring the next generation of scientists, just as Dr. Sawyer has mentored me.鈥�
As Sawyer prepares to begin his leadership role this fall, Louisiana 外网天堂 continues contributing to one of the world鈥檚 largest scientific collaborations while providing students with opportunities to engage in internationally recognized research.