Curriculum Vitae for Dr. Conor Henderson
Associate Professor
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA.
Tel: (205) 348-5843
Email: conor.henderson@ua.edu
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA.
Tel: (205) 348-5843
Email: conor.henderson@ua.edu
Previous Positions
2011-2016: Assistant Professor
University of Alabama, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA.
2008 - 2010: CERN Fellow
CERN, PH Department
Geneva, CH-1211, Switzerland
2005 - 2008: Post-Doctoral Research Associate
Laboratory for Nuclear Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
University of Alabama, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA.
2008 - 2010: CERN Fellow
CERN, PH Department
Geneva, CH-1211, Switzerland
2005 - 2008: Post-Doctoral Research Associate
Laboratory for Nuclear Science
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Education
2005: PhD, Relativistic Heavy-Ion Physics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Thesis: Identified Particle Transverse Momentum Distributions from Au+Au Collisions at 62.4 GeV per Nucleon Pair
Advisor: Prof Gunther M Roland
1999: MSci, Physics and Applied Mathematics
Queen's University, Belfast, N Ireland.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Thesis: Identified Particle Transverse Momentum Distributions from Au+Au Collisions at 62.4 GeV per Nucleon Pair
Advisor: Prof Gunther M Roland
1999: MSci, Physics and Applied Mathematics
Queen's University, Belfast, N Ireland.
Research Activities
With the CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in CERN (2008 - present):
As a University of Alabama Collaborative Arts Initiative Faculty Fellow (2019-present):
With the CDF experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron collider (2005 - 2008):
- Co-Convener of Future New Physics working group for CMS Upgrade Performance Studies group, focusing on the CMS upgrade physics performance for HL-LHC
- Searches for physics beyond the Standard Model in multi-photon final states
- Co-Chair of Conference Committee for CMS Hadronic Calorimeter subsystem, 2018-present
- Chair, Language Editor and Member of several CMS internal analysis review committees for publications in Exotica, Higgs and Standard Model physics
- Co-convener of CMS working group on Exotica with High-pT Photons (2009 - 2010)
- Co-coordinator for CMS High-Level Trigger Offline Data Quality Monitoring (Jan 2011 - present); Participation in High-Level Trigger operations (2009)
As a University of Alabama Collaborative Arts Initiative Faculty Fellow (2019-present):
- Collaborations with other researchers and creators to explore the concepts and develop new representations of elementary particle physics in creative media, such as dance.
With the CDF experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron collider (2005 - 2008):
- Analysis of high-pT data from proton-antiproton collisions, for a model-independent search for new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. Unlike conventional new-physics searches, which focus on specific signatures of a particular models, this novel approach is the first attempt to make a global analysis of the CDF high-pT data, searching forany significant discrepancy with the Standard Model prediction.
- Co-convener of the CDF Working Group on Very Exotic Phenomena (Sept 2007 - Sept 2008). Responsible for facilitating and reviewing CDF analyses investigating Standard Model extensions other than supersymmetry
- Project Leader (May 2006-Aug 2008) for the CDF Event-Builder and Level 3 Trigger Hardware systems, the final stages in the CDF trigger and data acquisition system. Oversaw the final stages of the RunIIb Level3 upgrade, which expanded the computer network from 200 to 400 machines, for a total 2.4THz processing power. Increased data-taking efficiency through improved operating procedures and error-handling. Responsible for providing and coordinating 24/7 on-call support and expertise.
- Served on internal review committees for several CDF papers on Higgs and Beyond-Standard Model searches
- Linux system administrator for the MIT CDF computer cluster
- Analysis of pion, kaon and proton transverse momentum spectra from heavy-ion collisions at RHIC. Also contributed extensively to the analysis of unidentified charged hadron high-$p_T$ spectra and to measurements of antiparticle/particle ratios.
- Development and maintenance of algorithms for finding particle tracks in the PHOBOS silicon spectrometer; development of software for combining PHOBOS spectrometer tracks and Time-of-Flight information.
- Design and implementation of a high-level trigger system for selecting high-momentum tracks; VHDL programming for electronic logic devices.
Teaching
Courses taught (since 2011):
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation committee memberships:
MS Thesis committee member:
MS Examination committees:
Undergraduate research supervision at UA since 2011:
Undergraduate students supervised as part of the CERN Summer Student programme (8-12 weeks each):
- Introductory General Physics with Calculus I (PH 105)
- Introductory General Physics with Algebra I (PH 101)
- Classical Mechanics (PH 301/2)
- Nuclear and Particle Physics (graduate course PH 561)
- Introduction to Nuclear and Particle Physics for Undergraduates (PH 461)
- Unsolved Mysteries in Physics (PH 482)
- Independent Study courses in Elementary Particle Physics
- Uzziel Perez, 2017-present, “Measurement of Triphoton Production with the CMS detector at the Large Hadron Collider’
- Andrew Buccilli, 2013 - 2018, “Search for Signatures of Large Extra Dimensions in High-Mass Diphoton Events from Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt(s)=13 TeV with CMS", CERN-THESIS-2018-380, (awarded prize for Outstanding PhD Dissertation by the UA Department of Physics & Astronomy)
Graduate Thesis and Dissertation committee memberships:
- PhD Dissertation committee member:
- Ongoing: C. Cartwright, S. Talei, R. Koirala, E. Zolghadr, A. Srivastava
- Completed:
- J.W. Hue (2020),
- D. Villalba, "A tale of two standard model extensions", 2019;
- C. Hoang "Sparse technology in weighted harmonic analysis", Mathematics, 2017;
- J. Pepper, "Gravitino Dark Matter Decay from the Galactic Halo with IceCube-86", 2016;
- N. Papapietro, "Minimal Supersymmetric B-L and Left-Right Models", 2016;
- J. Yu, "Exploring The Magnetic Phases In Dysprosium By Neutron Scattering Techniques", 2014;
- A. Singh, "Multi-Layer Magnetism And Thermal Stability In Perpendicular Magnetic Tunnel Junctions", 2014
MS Thesis committee member:
- M. Larson, "Simulation and Identification of Non-Poissonian Noise Triggers in the IceCube Neutrino Detector", 2013
- Z Burell, "Radiative Symmetry Breaking in the Supersymmetric Minimal B-L Extended Standard Model", 2011
- C. Cartwright, Fall 2019; S. Talei, Spring 2019; R. Koirala, Fall 2017; E. Zolghadr, Fall 2017; A. Srivastava, Spring 2018; D. Villalba, December 2016; J.W. Hue, December 2016; S. Hou, April 2014; A. Chaney, April 2014; N. Papapietro, May 2013; L. Lu, May 2013; A. Singh, May 2013; J. Pepper, November 2012
MS Examination committees:
- A. Daniels, Summer 2018; Y. Chang, Spring 2018; M. Zhu, Spring 2017; S. Dhirwani, Spring 2017
Undergraduate research supervision at UA since 2011:
- Sarah Deutsch (2017-20), awarded UA’s Catherine J. Randall prize for outstanding senior based on academic performance and scholarly activity, and an NSF Graduate Fellowship for PhD study at Cornell; Shaun Hogan (2014-17), PhD program at Cornell; Jacob Morrison (2015), PhD from Michigan State; Jason Britchkow (2015); Alison Marsh (2013-14); Justin Brooks (2012-13); Ann-Kathryn Rockwell (2012); Joseph Murray (2011)
Undergraduate students supervised as part of the CERN Summer Student programme (8-12 weeks each):
- 2010: D Hill, `Search for High-Mass Diphoton resonances with CMS Detector'
- 2010: M Ross-Lonergan, `Search for Technicolor in the Three Photon Final State with the CMS Detector'
- 2009: M Peruzzi, `Search for Randall-Sundrum Gravitons in the Diphoton Final State with the CMS Detector'
Outreach Activities
"Inside the Atom: from Quarks and Leptons to the Higgs Boson", Public lecture on elementary particle physics to New Horizons retiree group, 8 April 2015, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Organized Physics Dept colloquium by Dr. Albert De Roeck (CERN), a leader of the CMS Higgs working group, on the discovery of the Higgs Boson at the Large Hadron Collider, 28 August 2013.
UA Public Night lecture, "Hunting the Higgs Boson at the Large Hadron Collider", UA Physics Dept Public Lecture series, 24 January 2013
Organizing committee for annual UA High School Physics Contest, 2012-15.
Talks with high-school physics students at Lismore Comprehensive School, Craigavon, Northern Ireland (May 2008, September 2009)
Interview with local newspaper (Lurgan Mail, 1 October 2009)
Interviewed for Northern Ireland schools documentary films on CERN, and a career as a physicist (2010)
"Putting the Fizz Back Into Physics", article in Physics World magazine, September 1998.
Organized Physics Dept colloquium by Dr. Albert De Roeck (CERN), a leader of the CMS Higgs working group, on the discovery of the Higgs Boson at the Large Hadron Collider, 28 August 2013.
UA Public Night lecture, "Hunting the Higgs Boson at the Large Hadron Collider", UA Physics Dept Public Lecture series, 24 January 2013
Organizing committee for annual UA High School Physics Contest, 2012-15.
Talks with high-school physics students at Lismore Comprehensive School, Craigavon, Northern Ireland (May 2008, September 2009)
Interview with local newspaper (Lurgan Mail, 1 October 2009)
Interviewed for Northern Ireland schools documentary films on CERN, and a career as a physicist (2010)
"Putting the Fizz Back Into Physics", article in Physics World magazine, September 1998.
Awards and Honors
2008-2010 CERN Research Fellowship
1999-2000 John F Kennedy Memorial Scholar at MIT
1999 John Geddes Prize for best Queen's University undergraduate physics research project
1999 Irish Physics Students Association Conference, Chairman and chief organizer
1998 Physics Society President, Queen's University, Belfast
1999-2000 John F Kennedy Memorial Scholar at MIT
1999 John Geddes Prize for best Queen's University undergraduate physics research project
1999 Irish Physics Students Association Conference, Chairman and chief organizer
1998 Physics Society President, Queen's University, Belfast
Professional Organizations
Member, American Physical Society
Member, American Association of Physics Teachers
Associate Member, Institute of Physics (UK)
Member, American Association of Physics Teachers
Associate Member, Institute of Physics (UK)
High Energy Physics Community Activities
Funding proposal panel reviewer for US Dept of Energy Energy Frontier, and Early Career Award
Invited reviewer for:
Invited participant in workshop Les Houches Physics at TeV Colliders: Beyond the Standard Model, 17-26 June 2009, Les Houches, France.
Invited reviewer for:
- Physics Letters B: Nuclear and Particle Physics
- Physical Review D
Invited participant in workshop Les Houches Physics at TeV Colliders: Beyond the Standard Model, 17-26 June 2009, Les Houches, France.
Academic and Institutional Service (Selected)
- Director of Graduate Studies, University of Alabama Department of Physics & Astronomy, 2017-19
- UA College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Selection Committee member, 2019-20
- UA Faculty Senate member, 2019-20 (member of Research & Service Committee)
Departmental Colloquia
Searching for Extra Dimensions at the Large Hadron Collider with the CMS Experiment
University of South Alabama Physics Department, 6 February 2020.
Discovery of the Higgs Boson at the Large Hadron Collider
University of Alabama-Birmingham Physics Department, 21 September 2012.
Searching for Physics beyond the Standard Model at the Large Hadron Collider
University of Alabama-Huntsville Physics Department, 11 October 2011.
Searching for New Physics at the Large Hadron Collider
University of Alabama Physics Department, 29 March 2010
University of South Alabama Physics Department, 6 February 2020.
Discovery of the Higgs Boson at the Large Hadron Collider
University of Alabama-Birmingham Physics Department, 21 September 2012.
Searching for Physics beyond the Standard Model at the Large Hadron Collider
University of Alabama-Huntsville Physics Department, 11 October 2011.
Searching for New Physics at the Large Hadron Collider
University of Alabama Physics Department, 29 March 2010
Research Seminars
The Search for Extra Dimensions at the LHC with CMS
The Ohio State University, 15 October 2018
Recent Results from CMS
University of Alabama, 8 April 2011
Searching for New Physics with Photons at the Large Hadron Collider
University of Bristol, 29 July 2010
Global Search for Physics Beyond the Standard Model
Glasgow University Physics Department, 7 January 2009
Results of a Global Search for New Physics with 2 fb^-1 at CDF
Penn State University, 15 November 2006
The Ohio State University, 15 October 2018
Recent Results from CMS
University of Alabama, 8 April 2011
Searching for New Physics with Photons at the Large Hadron Collider
University of Bristol, 29 July 2010
Global Search for Physics Beyond the Standard Model
Glasgow University Physics Department, 7 January 2009
Results of a Global Search for New Physics with 2 fb^-1 at CDF
- Fermilab `Wine and Cheese' Seminar, 30 May 2008
- MIT Laboratory for Nuclear Science, 13 May 2008
- Harvard University, 30 April 2008
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 14 April 2008
- Argonne National Laboratory, 5 December 2007
- University of Pennsylvania, 13 November 2007
- Duke University, 30 October 2007
- University of Wisconsin, Madison, 22 October 2007
Penn State University, 15 November 2006
Conference Talks
Recent Higgs Boson Physics Results from CMS
Invited Talk at SESAPS 2019, 7-9 November 2019, Wrightsville Beach, NC, USA.
Searches for Nonresonant New Phenomena in Final States with Photons, Leptons and Jets at CMS
Parallel Talk at Pheno 2018, 7-9 May 2018, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Search for high mass resonances in diphoton final states in CMS
Parallel talk at SUSY 2015, 23-29 August 2015, UC Davis/Lake Tahoe, CA, USA.
Recent Exotic Search Results from CMS
Plenary talk at Les Recontres de Physique de la Vallee d'Aoste (LaThuile 2015), 1-7 March 2015, La Thuile, Italy.
Global Search for New Physics at CDF
Plenary talk at Moriond QCD 2008, 8-15 March 2008, La Thuile, Italy.
Sleuth: Results of a Quasi-Model-Independent Search for New Physics in 1 fb-1 at CDF
Parallel talk at PHENO 2007, 7 May 2007, Madison, WI.
Vista: A New Method for an Inclusive Search of Tevatron RunII Data
Parallel talk at PHENO 2006, 15 May 2006, Madison, WI.
Charged Hadron p_T Spectra from Au+Au Collisions at 62.4 GeV
Parallel talk at APS Division of Nuclear Physics Meeting, 29 October 2004, Chicago, IL.
Charged Hadron pT Spectra from PHOBOS
Participant presentation at the 16th Summer School in Nuclear Physics, 13-25 June 2004, College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME.
Strangeness Production in PHOBOS
Plenary talk at RHIC/AGS Users' Meeting 'Workshop on Strangeness and Exotica at RHIC', 14 May 2004, Brookhaven National Laboratory, NY.
Charged Hadron Transverse Momentum Distributions at High pT in Au+Au Collisions at 200 GeV
Parallel talk at APS Division of Nuclear Physics Meeting, 10 October 2002, Lansing, MI.
Measurement of Charged Antiparticle to Particle Ratios by the PHOBOS Detector
Parallel talk at American Physical Society April Meeting, 30 April 2001, Washington DC.
Invited Talk at SESAPS 2019, 7-9 November 2019, Wrightsville Beach, NC, USA.
Searches for Nonresonant New Phenomena in Final States with Photons, Leptons and Jets at CMS
Parallel Talk at Pheno 2018, 7-9 May 2018, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Search for high mass resonances in diphoton final states in CMS
Parallel talk at SUSY 2015, 23-29 August 2015, UC Davis/Lake Tahoe, CA, USA.
Recent Exotic Search Results from CMS
Plenary talk at Les Recontres de Physique de la Vallee d'Aoste (LaThuile 2015), 1-7 March 2015, La Thuile, Italy.
Global Search for New Physics at CDF
Plenary talk at Moriond QCD 2008, 8-15 March 2008, La Thuile, Italy.
Sleuth: Results of a Quasi-Model-Independent Search for New Physics in 1 fb-1 at CDF
Parallel talk at PHENO 2007, 7 May 2007, Madison, WI.
Vista: A New Method for an Inclusive Search of Tevatron RunII Data
Parallel talk at PHENO 2006, 15 May 2006, Madison, WI.
Charged Hadron p_T Spectra from Au+Au Collisions at 62.4 GeV
Parallel talk at APS Division of Nuclear Physics Meeting, 29 October 2004, Chicago, IL.
Charged Hadron pT Spectra from PHOBOS
Participant presentation at the 16th Summer School in Nuclear Physics, 13-25 June 2004, College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME.
Strangeness Production in PHOBOS
Plenary talk at RHIC/AGS Users' Meeting 'Workshop on Strangeness and Exotica at RHIC', 14 May 2004, Brookhaven National Laboratory, NY.
Charged Hadron Transverse Momentum Distributions at High pT in Au+Au Collisions at 200 GeV
Parallel talk at APS Division of Nuclear Physics Meeting, 10 October 2002, Lansing, MI.
Measurement of Charged Antiparticle to Particle Ratios by the PHOBOS Detector
Parallel talk at American Physical Society April Meeting, 30 April 2001, Washington DC.
Publications as a Primary Author
"Search for physics beyond the standard model in high-mass diphoton events from proton-proton collisions at s√= 13 TeV"
A. M. Sirunyan et al. (CMS Collaboration), Phys Rev D 98, 092001 (2018) (arXiv:1809.00327)
" Search for physics beyond the standard model in the high-mass diphoton spectrum at 13 TeV "
CMS Physics Analysis Summary CMS-PAS-EXO-17-017 (May 2017), CERN Document Server: https://cds.cern.ch/record/2316245
"Search for new physics in high mass diphoton events in proton-proton collisions at s=13 TeV"
CMS Physics Analysis Summary CMS-PAS-EXO-15-004
"Search for High-Mass Diphoton Resonances in pp Collisions at sqrt(s)=8 TeV with the CMS Detector"
CMS Physics Analysis Summary CMS-PAS-EXO-12-045
Recent Exotics Search Results from CMS
C. Henderson on behalf of the CMS Collaboration, CMS-CR-2015-098, Proceeedings of Les Recontres de Physique de la Vallee d'Aoste (La Thuile) 2015, Il Nuovo Cimento 38 C (2015), 151.
An Exotic Photon Cloud Trigger for CMS
C. Henderson, Proceedings of the 2009 Les Houches Workshop on New Physics at the LHC (Chapter 15), arXiv:1005.1229
Global Search for New Physics with 2.0/fb at CDF
T. Aaltonen et al (CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D 79, 011101 (2009) (arXiv:0809.3781)
Results Of A Model-Independent Global Search For New Physics At CDF
C. Henderson for the CDF Collaboration, arXiv:0805.0742, proceedings of the XLIIIth Rencontres de Moriond: QCD and High-Energy Interactions 2008.
Model-Independent and Quasi-Model-Independent Search for New Physics at CDF
T. Aaltonen et al (CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D 78, 012002 (2008) (arXiv:0712.1311)
Identified hadron transverse momentum spectra in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)= 62.4 GeV
BB Back et al (PHOBOS Collaboration), Phys. Rev. C 75, 024910 (2007)
Centrality dependence of charged hadron transverse momentum spectra in Au+Au collisions from sqrt(s_NN) = 62.4 to 200 GeV
BB Back et al (PHOBOS Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 082304 (2005)
Centrality Dependence of the Charged Hadron Transverse Momentum Spectra in d+Au Collisions at sqrt(sNN)=200 GeV
BB Back et al (PHOBOS Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 072302 (2003)
Charged hadron transverse momentum distributions in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV
BB Back et al (PHOBOS Collaboration), Phys. Lett. B578, 297 (2004)
Ratios of charged particles to antiparticles near mid-rapidity in {Au+Au} collisions at sqrt(s_NN)= 130 GeV
BB Back et al (PHOBOS Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 102301 (2001)
"Putting the Fizz Back Into Physics"
C. Henderson, Physics World, Sept 1998.
Author on publications by the CMS collaboration since January 2010.
Author on publications by the CDF collaboration from summer 2006 to summer 2009.
Author on all publications by the PHOBOS collaboration since 2000
A. M. Sirunyan et al. (CMS Collaboration), Phys Rev D 98, 092001 (2018) (arXiv:1809.00327)
" Search for physics beyond the standard model in the high-mass diphoton spectrum at 13 TeV "
CMS Physics Analysis Summary CMS-PAS-EXO-17-017 (May 2017), CERN Document Server: https://cds.cern.ch/record/2316245
"Search for new physics in high mass diphoton events in proton-proton collisions at s=13 TeV"
CMS Physics Analysis Summary CMS-PAS-EXO-15-004
"Search for High-Mass Diphoton Resonances in pp Collisions at sqrt(s)=8 TeV with the CMS Detector"
CMS Physics Analysis Summary CMS-PAS-EXO-12-045
Recent Exotics Search Results from CMS
C. Henderson on behalf of the CMS Collaboration, CMS-CR-2015-098, Proceeedings of Les Recontres de Physique de la Vallee d'Aoste (La Thuile) 2015, Il Nuovo Cimento 38 C (2015), 151.
An Exotic Photon Cloud Trigger for CMS
C. Henderson, Proceedings of the 2009 Les Houches Workshop on New Physics at the LHC (Chapter 15), arXiv:1005.1229
Global Search for New Physics with 2.0/fb at CDF
T. Aaltonen et al (CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D 79, 011101 (2009) (arXiv:0809.3781)
Results Of A Model-Independent Global Search For New Physics At CDF
C. Henderson for the CDF Collaboration, arXiv:0805.0742, proceedings of the XLIIIth Rencontres de Moriond: QCD and High-Energy Interactions 2008.
Model-Independent and Quasi-Model-Independent Search for New Physics at CDF
T. Aaltonen et al (CDF Collaboration), Phys. Rev. D 78, 012002 (2008) (arXiv:0712.1311)
Identified hadron transverse momentum spectra in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)= 62.4 GeV
BB Back et al (PHOBOS Collaboration), Phys. Rev. C 75, 024910 (2007)
Centrality dependence of charged hadron transverse momentum spectra in Au+Au collisions from sqrt(s_NN) = 62.4 to 200 GeV
BB Back et al (PHOBOS Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 082304 (2005)
Centrality Dependence of the Charged Hadron Transverse Momentum Spectra in d+Au Collisions at sqrt(sNN)=200 GeV
BB Back et al (PHOBOS Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 072302 (2003)
Charged hadron transverse momentum distributions in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV
BB Back et al (PHOBOS Collaboration), Phys. Lett. B578, 297 (2004)
Ratios of charged particles to antiparticles near mid-rapidity in {Au+Au} collisions at sqrt(s_NN)= 130 GeV
BB Back et al (PHOBOS Collaboration), Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 102301 (2001)
"Putting the Fizz Back Into Physics"
C. Henderson, Physics World, Sept 1998.
Author on publications by the CMS collaboration since January 2010.
Author on publications by the CDF collaboration from summer 2006 to summer 2009.
Author on all publications by the PHOBOS collaboration since 2000