Discover JUAS - European Scientific Institute

Joint Universities Accelerator School

Welcome from the Director

After almost a century of spectacular innovation and development, particle accelerators continue to drive scientific discovery, human welfare and economic growth in fields as disparate as medical therapy, material science, biology, nuclear physics, matter in extreme conditions, and the probing of the fundamental particles and forces of Nature. The technologies that have built our modern world, and the conceptual framework through which we perceive it, would be unimaginable without them.

The Joint Universities Accelerator School (JUAS) has provided postgraduate-level education in the science and technology of particle accelerators to well over a thousand students since 1994. Most of the them have earned credits towards Masters or Doctoral degrees at our 16 Partner Universities in Europe and many are also engaged in research at CERN and other laboratories. Other participants include students at other universities around the world and early-career professionals seeking to enhance their applicable knowledge and skills. Many have gone on to careers in the large accelerator laboratories, industry or universities. The recently created JUAS Alumni Network and social media presence are intended to sustain contacts among them.

The first 5-week residential course, held each year at the ESI campus at Archamps near Geneva and CERN, covers the science of particle accelerators while the second focuses on their technology and applications. Students can enroll in one or both courses. University-style lectures are delivered by experts from CERN, the Partner Universities and national research laboratories. Learning is reinforced by collaborative sessions and design workshops at ESI. Lectures and laboratory work also take place during visits to CERN, other accelerator laboratories and industrial companies that develop accelerator technology. A series of seminars supplements the detailed studies to provide a wider view of the latest developments. Exams (optional for some) are held in the final weeks.

This all adds up to an intense, multi-cultural, intellectual and social experience and a running start to a career in accelerator science or technology.

This Web site will provide information relating to the upcoming JUAS courses in 2022 and on how to apply for a place. Given the present world-wide public health situation, we were obliged to adapt JUAS 2021 to a remote teaching format but sought to maintain academic standards. The rhythm and content of the lecture courses and tutorials were adjusted and class sizes limited appropriately. While there can be no full substitute for visiting the accelerator laboratories and technology companies, our faculty and collaborators were remarkably creative in their efforts to provide remote versions of the tours, seminars and laboratory sessions.

We fully intend to reinstate the traditional JUAS experience in 2022 if the public-health situation allows. If that is not the case, we now have the experience and confidence to provide an acceptable alternative.

Please contact JUAS Accelerator School juas[at]esi-archamps.eu if you have further questions.

We hope to welcome you soon as a student at JUAS!

John Jowett