At the Institute of Physics, High Energy Particle Physics Group annual meeting in Oxford last week, Peter Richardson was awarded the Institute of Physics, High Energy Particle Physics Group Prize for 2009.
Dr Richardson is an expert in the Monte Carlo simulation of high energy particle physics events, and his codes are, or have been, used by experimenters involved in all of the major experiments at CERN, DESY and Fermilab. He has been responsible for a series of breakthroughs and improvements in the quality of the simulation, not only within the context of the Standard Model of particle physics, but, perhaps more importantly in the large numbers of new physics phenomena that are eagerly anticipated at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Richardson is the world expert at developing event generation of new physics models – R-parity violating supersymmetry, supersymmetry with full spin correlations, models with extra space time dimensions and mini black hole production. To this end, he is the driving force behind a new generator, HERWIG++, that embodies all of the recent improvements and new physics models. Richardson’s pivotal contribution in both the theoretical development and the implementation of event generators is recognised internationally.
The HEPP Group Prize is made to early career researchers for outstanding contributions to particle physics. This award is intended to recognize physicists early in their careers, i.e. in the first twelve years of a research career (allowing for career breaks) following the award of a PhD. Peter was chosen by a jury comprising those members of the HEPP Group who are Members or Fellows of the Institute and receives £500 and a certificate.
