Corrinne Mills
Email Address: cmills10@uic.eduCollege: Liberal Arts and Sciences Department: Physics
Title: Associate Professor
Office: SES 2272
Webpage: https://phys.uic.edu/profiles/mills-corrinne/
Participating in the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Research Awards program: Yes
Research Interest:
UIC is a part of the CMS experimental collaboration, which operates a detector, also called CMS, at the Large Hadron Collider at the CERN laboratory. We build and operate detectors, analyze resulting proton-proton collision data, and plan for future experiments.
The Mills group researches the properties of the observed Higgs boson and connections between the physics of Higgs bosons and the fundamental questions that the Standard Model of particle physics, for all its successes, cannot answer. How did the matter in our universe arise from a matter-antimatter-symmetric initial state? What is the nature of dark matter, for which there is strong observational evidence but which cannot be any known fundamental particle? Can we see evidence of new particles and interactions even beyond the kinematic reach of the LHC through their influence on observable processes? Study of the observed Higgs boson and searches for additional Higgs bosons may hold the key.
Our group is also active in the construction and development of semiconductor particle tracking detectors. We work on the replacement of the CMS forward pixel detector, using the Fermilab test beam facility to characterize detector prototypes. We are also active in the Fermilab-based smartpixels collaboration, which is developing next-generation particle tracking by integrating machine-learning algorithms on the detector itself for data reduction and compression to improve measurement granularity while evading bandwidth limitations. Minimum time commitment in hours per week: see below Qualifications of a Student:
Eligibility: continuing physics and engineering physics majors with at least sophomore standing and an anticipated graduation date in 2026 or later. Required courses: PHYS 141, 142, 215, 230, or equivalent. Brief Summary of what is expected from the student:
Physics and Engineering Physics majors are invited to apply for a 1-year paid opportunity co-hosted by UIC and the A3D3 Institute (Accelerated AI Algorithms for Data-Driven Discovery, funded by the NSF). This consists of:
- A paid full-time summer internship at UIC in summer 2025
- The opportunity to continue that research for hourly pay during academic year 2025-26
- A scholarship to cover tuition and fees for academic year 2025-26
For students graduating no earlier than 2027, the position may be renewed for a second year if agreed upon by the student and advisor.
Students will learn state-of-the-art technology and gain experience in applying real-time artificial intelligence to A3D3 science drivers relevant to high-energy particle physics and beyond. Training will be offered in programming and machine learning, as well as technical and career mentorship by UIC and A3D3 faculty. Opportunities are broadly categorized into three areas: tracking detectors for particle physics; level-1 triggering and data acquisition in particle physics; and event reconstruction and data analysis in particle physics.
For more information and how to apply, please respond through this website or email me directly. 2025 deadline: April 1st
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