XVI NExT PhD Workshop

The 16th NExT PhD workshop will be held at the Cosener's House, Abingdon, 24-26 August 2026. 

The NExT PhD workshop is the Summer School of the NExT Institute, targeting PhD students working in theory, experiment and phenomenology within particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology. Other than to PhD students from the NExT Institute nodes, it is also open to those from all other UK institutions.

The programme includes four lecture series on current topics in high energy physics, with an emphasis on cutting edge developments, networking and panel events discussing careers inside and outside of academia, and dedicated sessions for student talks.

Lectures:

1 Holography/AdSCFT

Prof. Nick Evans

2 Statistics

Prof. Glen Cowan

3 Effective Field Theories 

Dr. Ken Mimasu

4 Dark Matter, Cosmology and Neutrinos

Prof. Pasquale Di Bari

PhD participation:

Accommodation, tuition and catering are free of charge for NExT and SEPnet students. Depending on budget, travel may also be (partially) refunded, so please retain travel receipts. The total number of PhD participants is limited to 35 and registration will be moderated, with precedence being given to those in year 1. Please try to register promptly to ensure your participation. PhD students are encouraged to discuss their research in dedicated student talk sessions.

Student talks

All students are strongly encouraged to present a short talk. Depending on numbers, talks are expected to last approximately 10 minutes, followed by 5 minutes for questions and discussion. For first year students, there is the option of a flash talk (5 minutes in total) to introduce yourself and your research. If you would like to present a talk, please fill in the relevant section in the registration form.

Career development events: 

SEPnet employer panel

This event is aimed at raising awareness of career opportunities outside academia for physics doctorates. Panel representatives, all with physics or PhD backgrounds, will spend a few minutes outlining their role, what their organisation does, what skills/knowledge they are looking for and why they might be interested in physicists. The panel session will be followed by a Q&A session and an opportunity for students to talk to employers in small groups.

Academic careers panel

A selection of academics at various career stages will participate in a Q&A session and round table discussion about the academic career path.

Organisers: 

Sponsored by SEPnet.