Frank Filthaut is involved in experimental studies that aim to answer major questions in particle physics, and the instrumentation and software required for this. In particular, he has long focused on the physics of the Higgs particle. There is still much to study in this area, for which Filthaut uses his expertise in recognising so-called b-jets, which are important for the most common decay mode of the Higgs particle. Since around 2019, he has been involved in the development of detector systems that measure the time at which charged particles pass by with great precision; these techniques offer possibilities for applications outside particle physics.
About Frank Filthaut
Prof. Dr. Frank Filthaut (1967, 's-Hertogenbosch) began his academic career at Radboud University, where he obtained a Bachelor's and Master's degree in physics. He continued his studies with a PhD programme, which he completed in 1993 with his thesis focusing on measurements of the parameters of the Z particle that (together with the charged W particles) transmits the weak interaction: its mass and its total decay width. These parameters are important in the context of the Standard Model of particle physics and its extensions.
After obtaining his PhD, Filthaut worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Carnegie Mellon University and as a CERN fellow, both at CERN near Geneva. Since 2000, Filthaut has been working at Radboud University again, initially as a university lecturer and, since 2013, as a senior university lecturer. From 2000 to 2010, he worked mainly on the D0 experiment (at Fermilab near Chicago); since 2010, he has worked mainly on the ATLAS experiment, again at CERN. Since 2019, Filthaut has co-led the Dutch contributions to the ATLAS experiment.
During his academic career, Frank Filthaut has received several awards and grants, including the EPS-HEP Prize in 2013 for the discovery of the Higgs particle (shared with the ATLAS and CMS collaborations). Filthaut is also a member of the CERN Contact Committee (of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences).