As the PPC’s fate is inextricably intertwined with the future of CERN we are so glad to see that the new CERN director has been decided: “Today, the CERN Council selected British physicist Mark Thomson as the Organization’s next Director-General”. Mark has a long successful history in High Energy Physics between the OPAL experiment at LEP and series of neutrino experiments MicroBoone, Minos, and DUNE. Present DG Fabiola Gianotti is handing over CERN operation on January 1, 2026. The lab is in excellent condition, but with important challenges for the future.
Mark will be picking up a huge task, on the one hand side making sure that the high luminosity phase of the LHC will be a success while on the other hand nothing less but determining CERNs future which is by no means guaranteed. The PPC will be excited to work with Mark and help on both of the tasks he has on his plate. Congratulations Mark, we are looking forward to working with you to shape the future of High Energy Physics.