The Women who run the biggest machine ever built by Man
The complexity of LHC and the women in charge of it
preview next

... 29, is finishing off her PhD studies in Physics at the University of Bari. She is already fully immersed in the LHC adventure, having helped set up and commission the ALICE silicon pixel detector, a highly sophisticated bundle of technology that sits as close as possible to the particles interaction point. Maria has now joined the "First Physics" group, whose aim is to fully exploit the LHC proton-proton collisions in order to fully prepare ALICE for the heavy ion beams.

"Getting to see that the detector you have designed and built is working correctly, hunting for something that no one has ever seen or perhaps even imagined, hoping to beat the competition of other experiments to the chase - these are all powerful feelings. But above all, the beauty of working as a physicist is that you never stop learning and discovering the wonders of Nature..."