MCnet Summer School 2025

Europe/London
Description

The 18th MCnet school was held in Stirling, Scotland, with generous support from the University of Manchester HEP and the Scottish Universities Summer Schools in Physics (SUSSP82).

Stirling is one of the historic “royal burghs” of Scotland, on the edge of the highlands, with a famous castle, monuments, and classic sightseeing options from hillwalking to distillery tours.

The school provides a five day course of training in the physics and techniques used in modern Monte Carlo event generators via a series of lectures, practical sessions, and discussions with event-generator authors. The school is aimed at advanced doctoral students and early-career postdocs.

Our core sessions comprise a series of introductory lectures on the physics of event generators, further lectures on a wider range of associated topics, a series of hands-on tutorials using all of the MCnet event generators for LHC physics, and evening discussion sessions with Monte Carlo authors.

The full list of lectures is:

  • Introduction to Event Generators - Enrico Bothmann, CERN
  • Parton Showers - Melissa van Beekveld, Nikhef
  • Matching and Merging - Stefan Hoeche, Fermilab
  • Jets in the High-Energy Limit - Jennifer Smillie, Edinburgh
  • Aspects of the EW Standard Model - Alessandro Vicini, INFN Milano
  • Model-Independent Measurements - Andy Buckley, Glasgow
  • Event Generators for Heavy Ion Collisions - Leif Lonnblad, Lund
  • Machine Learning in HEP - Gabriel Facini, UCL
  • Neutrino Interactions and MC - Joanna Sobczyk, Chalmers
  • Data Science and Public Policy - Sarah Boutle, UK Govt
  • MC and Public Health Modelling - Kevin Fong, UCL

 

Tutorial topics:

  • Herwig7 / Pythia8 / Sherpa 
  • Computing on GPUs 
  • Machine Learning
  • Neutrino MC 
  • + TBC!

 

Group photo:

MCnet2025 group photo

Applying, fees, and financial support:

You can apply for participation in the MCnet school via the registration form linked on the left. Application is moderated, and applications from outside the MCnet network require a supporting statement from a supervisor or line-manager: please send this to mcnet-school-2025@cern.ch

Participation in the school requires a registration fee: this is offered at a reduced rate of 250 GBP before 1 April, and a full rate of 350 GBP will be due from 1 April until close of applications on 26 May. The fee covers accommodation and meals for the duration of the school.

Participation in the school is moderated, and the fee can only be paid after confirmation of your participation. The (full-rate) fee must be paid by 2 June to confirm participation. All information for the payment will be sent together with the confirmation of your participation.

If the school fee or travel costs would prohibit your participation, we may be able to provide a fee waiver or financial support: if you require this, please ensure a) apply before the early-bird deadline of 31 March, and b) ensure that your supervisor/line-manager makes the case for extra financial support in their supporting letter (which also must arrive before 31 March), explaining why they cannot supply the funding.

Our strongly preferred financial support will be to waive the conference fee, but for you to pay for flights etc. -- travel costs are more difficult for us to arrange and to support from our limited funds, and will require a very strong supporting statement from your supervisor/line-manager.

 

Visas and invitation letters:

All attendees should note that the UK requires either a visa or an electronic travel-authorisation (ETA). See the link in the left-hand menu for more detail. Invitation letters will be available on request from the School organising committee via the standard address, for approved participants.

 

Poster session:

Poster boards will be available to present your own work throughout the school, and to discuss with others during breaks and social events. We encourage all attendees to present a poster during the School!

 

Organised by:

Image result for mcnet logo 

 

 

 

 

Generously sponsored by:

University of Manchester

SUSSP

IPPP logo  IOP HEPP logo

    • 15:00 18:30
      Arrivals 3h 30m

      Andrew Stewart Hall

    • 18:30 19:30
      Dinner 1h

      Haldane's Eatery

    • 19:30 22:30
      Bar available 3h

      Student Union bar

    • 07:30 08:45
      Breakfast 1h 15m

      At Haldanes Eatery

    • 08:45 09:00
      Admin: Welcome
      Convener: Andy Buckley (University of Glasgow (GB))
    • 09:00 10:00
      Lectures: Introduction to MC event generators 1

      Lecture theatre B3

      Convener: Enrico Bothmann (CERN)
    • 10:00 10:30
      Break 30m
    • 10:30 11:30
      Lectures: Parton showers 1

      Lecture theatre B3

      Convener: Melissa Corona van Beekveld (Nikhef National institute for subatomic physics (NL))
      • 10:30
        Showers I 1h
        Speaker: Melissa Corona van Beekveld (Nikhef National institute for subatomic physics (NL))
    • 11:30 12:30
      Lectures: Introduction to MC event generators 2

      Lecture theatre B3

      Convener: Enrico Bothmann (CERN)
    • 12:30 13:30
      Lunch 1h
    • 13:30 14:30
      Lectures: MC-event analysis

      Lecture theatre B3

      Convener: Andy Buckley (University of Glasgow (GB))
    • 14:30 15:30
      Tutorials: Herwig/Pythia/Sherpa hands-on

      Classrooms 2B85, 2B86, 2B88

      • 14:30
        Herwig 1h
        Speakers: Aidin Masouminia (IPPP, Durham University), Siddharth Sule (The University of Manchester (GB))
      • 14:30
        Pythia 1h
        Speaker: Leif Lönnblad (Lund University (SE))
      • 14:30
        Sherpa 1h
        Speakers: Alan Price, Alan Price
    • 15:30 16:00
      Coffee available 30m
    • 16:00 17:30
      Tutorials

      Classrooms 2B85, 2B86, 2B88

    • 18:30 19:30
      Dinner 1h
    • 20:00 21:00
    • 07:30 08:45
      Breakfast 1h 15m
    • 09:00 10:00
      Lectures: Neutrino interactions

      Lecture theatre B3

      Convener: Joanna Sobczyk
    • 10:00 10:30
      Break 30m
    • 10:30 11:30
      Lectures: Parton showers 2

      Lecture theatre B3

      Convener: Melissa Corona van Beekveld (Nikhef National institute for subatomic physics (NL))
      • 10:30
        Showers II 1h
        Speaker: Melissa Corona van Beekveld (Nikhef National institute for subatomic physics (NL))
    • 11:30 12:30
      Lectures: Electroweak physics 1

      Lecture theatre B3

      Convener: Alessandro Vicini (Università degli Studi e INFN Milano (IT))
    • 12:30 13:30
      Lunch 1h
    • 13:30 14:30
      Lectures: Introduction to MC event generators 3

      Lecture theatre B3

      Convener: Enrico Bothmann (CERN)
    • 14:30 15:30
      Tutorials: DIY parton shower 1, neutrino MC, MadGraph+reinterpretation 1

      Classrooms 2B85, 2B86, 2B88

      Conveners: Daniele Massaro (CERN), Joanna Sobczyk, Martin Habedank (University of Glasgow), Melissa Corona van Beekveld (Nikhef National institute for subatomic physics (NL)), Ramon Winterhalder (Università degli Studi di Milano), Stefan Hoeche (Fermilab)
      • 14:30
        Neutrino MC 1h
        Speaker: Joanna Sobczyk
      • 14:30
        Reinterpretation with MadGraph+Rivet+Contur (Part I) 1h
        Speakers: Daniele Massaro (CERN), Ramon Winterhalder (Università degli Studi di Milano)
      • 14:30
        Writing a Parton Shower (Part I) 1h
        Speaker: Stefan Hoeche (Fermilab)
    • 15:30 16:00
      Coffee available 30m
    • 16:00 17:30
      Tutorials

      Classrooms 2B85, 2B86, 2B88

    • 18:30 19:30
      Dinner 1h
    • 20:00 21:00
    • 21:00 22:00
    • 07:30 08:45
      Breakfast 1h 15m
    • 09:00 10:00
      Lectures: Electroweak physics 2

      Lecture theatre B3

      Convener: Alessandro Vicini (Università degli Studi e INFN Milano (IT))
    • 10:00 10:30
      Break 30m
    • 10:30 11:30
      Lectures: High-energy corrections

      Lecture theatre B3

      Convener: Jennifer Smillie (Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics, Edin. U.)
      • 10:30
        HEJ 1h
        Speaker: Jennifer Smillie (Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics, Edin. U.)
    • 11:30 12:30
      Lectures: Epidemic modelling

      Lecture theatre B3

      Convener: Kevin Fong (UCL)
      • 11:30
        Pandemic 1h
        Speaker: Kevin Fong (UCL)
    • 12:30 13:30
      Lunch 1h
    • 13:30 17:30
      Social: Excursion: Wallace Monument & Dumyat / Stirling Castle
    • 19:00 23:00
      Social: Banquet and ceilidh
    • 07:30 09:00
      Breakfast 1h 30m
    • 09:30 10:30
      Lectures: Heavy-ion MC

      Lecture theatre B3

      Convener: Leif Lönnblad (Lund University (SE))
      • 09:30
        Heavy Ion 1h
        Speaker: Leif Lönnblad (Lund University (SE))
    • 10:30 11:00
      Break 30m
    • 11:00 12:00
      Lectures: Data-science and policy

      Lecture theatre B3

      Convener: Sarah Boutle (University of Glasgow (GB))
      • 11:00
        Policy & Data 1h
        Speaker: Sarah Boutle (University of Glasgow (GB))
    • 12:00 12:45
      Discussion: Careers panel Q&A
    • 12:45 13:00
      Admin: Farewell
      Convener: Andy Buckley (University of Glasgow (GB))
    • 13:00 13:30
      Lunch 30m
    • 13:30 15:15
      Departures 1h 45m