MASTER IN FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS Nuclei, Particles, Astroparticles and Cosmology (NPAC)

The Master in fundamental physics NPAC is an international two-year master programme jointly offered by the University of Pavia and Université Paris Cité in Paris. It is completely taught in English. This Master’s degree is designed to provide training for students wishing to enter academic research in nuclear physics, particle physics, astroparticles and cosmology.

This Masters gives an introduction to the physics of the “infinitely small” – the physics of the fundamental particles and interactions in Nature, and the physics of nuclei built from these elementary building blocks — and the physics of the “infinitely large” – modern cosmological theory (including dark matter and dark energy) and its description of the geometry and contents of the Universe. A third axis is Astroparticle Physics, which relates to an important class of “new cosmic messengers” such as cosmic rays or gravitational waves. Theoretical and experimental bases in those fields are offered during the Master’s program.

The NPAC program trains the researchers of tomorrow in these fields. All the lecturers are leading researchers in the domain they teach. The students will receive training in data analysis including machine learning techniques that are increasingly used in our domains. The students have the opportunity to work in laboratories, both during their internships and also when studying instrumentation. Indeed, these fields of research require increasingly powerful and sophisticated instruments, which are key to their scientific advances. The NPAC program is recognized for its academic quality, in particular by the laboratories of the CNRS particle and nuclear physics division (IN2P3) and the CEA in the Paris region and all over France, and also by theoretical and astrophysics laboratories all over France.

After the NPAC masters, about 90% of the students obtain a full fellowship to pursue a PhD thesis. The hosting laboratories are mostly in the Paris area, but there are also some elsewhere in France or abroad.

• Theoretical understanding of nuclear, particle, astroparticle physics and cosmology
• Research methodology — designing experiments, theoretical modeling, literature review
• Data analysis and interpretation for complex experiments
• Instrumentation and detection techniques (detectors, accelerators, advanced tools)
• Hands-on experimental skills from small-scale and large-scale projects
• Teamwork and collaboration through pair projects and lab immersion
• Preparation for doctoral research (PhD readiness)
• Adaptability to international and interdisciplinary research environments