The ATLAS PhD Grant is a flagship programme of the CERN & Society Foundation. It was established in 2013 by former ATLAS spokespersons Fabiola Gianotti and Peter Jenni, using their award money from the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. In 2014, the first batch of students began their grant periods. Now in its eighth year, the ATLAS PhD Grant relies on private contributions through the CERN & Society Foundation to continue its legacy.

Due to the ongoing global pandemic, this year’s award ceremony was broadcast live on Facebook and LinkedIn, with CERN & Society donors and members of the CERN Management joining in remotely. The recipients of the 2021 ATLAS PhD Grant were announced as Ana Luisa Carvalho (LIP, Portugal) and Humphry Tlou (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa). These talented and motivated students will receive 1.5 years of funding for their studies at CERN, under the supervision and training of ATLAS collaboration experts.

“When Fabiola Gianotti and I received the Fundamental Physics Prize, it was clear to us that we wanted to give something back to ATLAS,” said Peter Jenni, speaking at the event. “We remembered our own time as students at CERN and wanted to give others the same opportunity. CERN is a great learning environment – not just for physics, but to experience working closely with people from different countries and cultures.”

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Ana Luisa Carvalho and Humphry Tlou each gave a short speech of thanks, extracts of which can be read in the full version of the article here. You can also watch a recording of the full ceremony or visit the CERN & Society website to learn more about the ATLAS PhD Grant.