As the New Year begins, CERN welcomes the new Director-General, Fabiola Gianotti as she begins her 5-year term. Gianotti took the reins on 1 January alongside several incoming directors who complete the new CERN structure.

“Over the next five years, we have challenges to face. We need to ensure excellent performance of the LHC accelerator, detectors and computing, in order to deliver exciting science at the energy frontier,” says Gianotti. “We need to maintain a diverse and compelling scientific programme. And we need to start building the long-term future of our field.”

The LHC is currently in its traditional winter technical stop, with powering tests and beam recommissioning planned for March. Last year saw the start of season 2 of the LHC, 2016 marks the start of a voyage towards precision, the year of true post-Higgs physics exploration.