The next generation of accelerator-based neutrino oscillation experiments, DUNE and Hyper-Kamiokande, have the potential to revolutionise our understanding of fundamental physics, offering opportunities to: characterise charge-parity (CP) violation in the lepton section (potentially linked to the matter-antimatter imbalance in the Universe); determine the neutrino mass ordering; and to search for physics even further beyond the standard model. The primary goal of this research project is to take crucial and impactful steps towards realising these extraordinary measurements with DUNE by confronting the dominant sources of systematic uncertainties that threaten to prematurely limit the sensitivity of its future analyses. 
 
The dominant systematic uncertainties from currently operating experiments that use the same detector technology as DUNE, such as MicroBooNE, ICARUS and SBND, are related to the modelling of detector response. In this project the candidate will address this using the two ProtoDUNE experiments at CERN, which are prototypes for DUNE's far detector modules. He will help run and maintain the ProtoDUNEs, participating in cosmic and charged-particle beam data collection at CERN. Subsequent data analysis will allow a precise characterisation of their response, allowing accurate detector modelling for DUNE. 
 
The projected dominant systematic uncertainty in existing DUNE oscillation analysis sensitivity studies is related to our modelling of neutrino interactions with argon nuclei and the associated nuclear physics effects. To address this, the candidate will lead high level physics analyses of hadron-nucleus scattering, making measurements tailored to characterise the nuclear effects that drive DUNE's systematic uncertainties (predominantly targeting those related to "final state interaction" modelling). There may also be opportunities for the candidate to analyse neutrino scattering data using the T2K experiment's newly upgraded "ND280" detector, again targeting measurements that pin down the principle nuclear physics contributing to DUNE's systematic error budget. 
 
The project further offers excellent training value. With core aspects of the projects related to both detector hardware/operations and high-level physics analysis, the candidate will develop a wide variety of skills which are highly relevant both for further research or in industry, including electronics and statistical methods. The candidate will also gain significant knowledge of nuclear physics phenomenology, having the opportunity to work alongside theorists as they tailor their measurements to confront poorly constrained aspects of nuclear theory. Finally, the candidate will have a wealth of opportunities to build presentation and team building skills, as they regularly present their work as part of the DUNE collaboration at all levels from group meetings to international physics conferences.