Our annual masterclasses are primarily intended for those students taking modules
which include particle physics at 'A' or 'AS' level, but are also open
to any physics student or teacher interested in studying or teaching the
subject. The Masterclasses will consist of a mixture of talks given by
researchers in the Particle Physics Department, hands-on practical
sessions and visits to experimental facilities.
This is one of a set of Masterclasses organised by the High Energy Particle Physics Group of the Institute of Physics throughout the UK.
![]()

Masterclasses 2021
This year's masterclasses will be held virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions. It will be held on Thursday 4th March, and may be ran on additional days that week - depending on demand.
Register for the event here.
Instructions for the computer exercise here:
PPM-DataExercise_LogIn.pdf
Our 2020 Masterclass Lectures are on YouTube

Lecture slides and Programme from the 2017 Masterclasses
PPM_Programme_2017.pdf
A Very Brief Guide To Accelerators.pdf - Tom Williams
Fundamentals of Particle Physics.pdf - Emmanuel Olaiya
The Large Hadron Collider.pdf - Benjamin Radburn-Smith
Applications of Accelerators.pdf - Rob Edgecock
History
The very first Masterclass at RAL was held in 1998 when we
entertained 114 students from ten different schools. Our popularity
increased and in the year 2000 we attracted over 200 students and
separate Masterclasses had to be organised over two days to cope with
the numbers! This demand continued in 2001 with attendance having to be
restricted to 245 students from 19 schools. In 2002 we adopted a three
day format and routinely entertained 500 students each year for the next
ten years. In 2012, we went to a four day format and accommodated
approximately 700 participants.


Contacts
For general information, please contact:
Dr. Emmanuel Olaiya
Tel: +44 (0)1235 778099
Fax: +44 (0)1235 446733
Dr. Julie Kirk
Tel: +44 (0)1235 445965
Fax: +44 (0)1235 446733
Public Engagement team contact:
Lauren Mowberry
Tel: +44 (0)1235 445789
Fax: +44 (0)1235 446665