Researchers meet at Fermilab for U.S. Higgs factory workshop

About 200 physicists and engineers, including more than 50 students and postdoctoral researchers, attended the U.S. Higgs Factory – Future Circular Collider workshop at the Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in April.

The event, co-hosted by Fermilab and Argonne National Laboratory, focused on the recently released Future Circular Collider Feasibility Study and brought together the U.S. particle physics community to engage with Europe’s vision for the successor to CERN’s Large Hadron Collider.

The feasibility study represents the combined input from a collaboration of 150 institutions across 30 countries and outlines a two-stage program: building an electron-positron collider, known as FCC-ee for short, to mass produce Higgs bosons for study, followed by construction of a high-energy hadron circular collider, or FCC-hh, which could lead to direct discovery of unknown particles and understanding of the nature of dark matter.

Since discovering the Higgs boson in 2012, scientists have been studying its properties at the LHC and planning future facilities to further study this fundamental particle associated with the energy field that gives mass to other particles in our universe.

Early in 2026, the European particle physics community is expected to recommend the construction of the FCC-ee Higgs factory at CERN. If approved and funded, the experimental collaborations would be launched by 2028, with physics operations projected to begin by 2045.

The workshop at Fermilab included key contributions from early-career scientists, and Fermilab postdoctoral researchers Irene Dutta and Grace Cummings played central roles in organizing the workshop.

“The project promises to provide the next generation of researchers with an exceptional training ground, where hands-on experience with new detector technologies, advanced data analysis and innovative theoretical techniques will build on the current knowledge and expertise in particle accelerators,” said Dutta. “It will strengthen our long-standing collaboration with CERN and help us push the frontiers of precision electroweak physics.”

Cummings emphasized the value of this international partnership for the future of particle physics and for early-career scientists.

“This workshop made it clear that the skills and international relationships early-career researchers have built and enjoyed with the Large Hadron Collider can grow with the FCC-ee,” Cummings said. “The FCC-ee offers a physics environment unfamiliar to those of us born and raised in the era of hadron collider supremacy, and a unique opportunity to learn a new flavor of instrumentation.”

Participants at the workshop explored detector technologies, accelerator design, physics analysis, software development and community engagement, contributing their expertise toward shaping the FCC-ee’s program. Fermilab, building on its long tradition of collider science, stands to play a major role within the international collaboration, and also as a center for a U.S.-based particle physics research community.

Artur Apresyan, a scientist at Fermilab and one of the organizers, emphasized the program’s importance.
“The FCC-ee will offer a unique opportunity to study the Higgs boson and the electroweak sector with unprecedented precision and discovery potential,” said Apresyan. “It is the most consequential particle physics experimental program viable before the mid-21st century with a path to a high-energy hadron machine, the FCC-hh, to explore the next energy frontier.”

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When KeAndre Worthy began studying advanced electronics at the College of DuPage, he didn’t expect his career trajectory to lead him to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Through the Particle Accelerator Capabilities Modernization Apprenticeship Program — a pilot traineeship between Fermilab and the College of DuPage — Worthy found his path as an electronics technician in Fermilab’s Booster Accelerator Group.

Now, when I go to the lab, technical work feels intuitive because of the practical experience and knowledge I gained.

In his role, Worthy works on control systems that support the laboratory’s booster particle accelerator, troubleshooting components for the system. His success demonstrates how community college partnerships with Fermilab can launch students into meaningful technical careers.

“All of my coursework at the College of DuPage helped me feel comfortable with oscilloscopes and circuit board analysis — which all came together during my internship through PACEMAP,” said Worthy. “I remember sweating over simple concepts when I first started school. Now, when I go to the lab, technical work feels intuitive because of the practical experience and knowledge I gained.”

Accelerating Careers

Susanna Stevenson, a high-level radiofrequency engineer at Fermilab, shares a similar start to her career. She began her journey at Kishwaukee College, where a professor inspired her to pursue engineering. “The Community College Internship I did with Fermilab opened the door for me to go further,” said Stevenson. “Being an intern at Fermilab was overwhelming at first, but it gave me the foundation I needed.”

Stevenson completed her electronics technician associate degree at Kishwaukee and then transferred to Northern Illinois University to earn a bachelor’s in electrical engineering. She is now pursuing a master’s degree in radiofrequency engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago.

“I never regretted doing community college first,” Stevenson said. “It was really important and beneficial. When I started my engineering degree, I already knew how electronics worked from hands-on experience. My bachelor’s degree helped fill in the gaps in my knowledge.”

She participated in the DOE’s Community College Internship program, working on electronics and computing. That internship gave her the confidence to apply to Fermilab, where she now designs, tests and assembles components for Fermilab’s radiofrequency systems that accelerate particles in its accelerator complex.

“Working at a national lab as an intern gave me the confidence to know I could do this work,” said Stevenson.

Internships that launch technical careers

The PACEMAP pilot program and the lab’s involvement with the Community College Internship program are part of Fermilab’s broader efforts to build bridges between national labs and local two-year colleges. These programs are designed to align research roles with students’ coursework and schedules, providing hands-on training in real-world lab environments.

“We aim to connect community college students with opportunities by instilling the skills, training and safety culture needed to become a full-time hire in a technical field,” said Amanda Early, the STEM Ambassador in Fermilab’s Workforce Pathways and Partnerships Office. “I went to community college myself and know how transformational these experiences can be.”

Expanding access through educational innovation

Fermilab is also supporting curriculum innovation across campuses. In collaboration with Sheela Vemu, an associate professor of biology at Waubonsee Community College, instructional modules called COMPASS — Career Opportunity Modules Promoting Academic STEM Success have been developed.

COMPASS offers plug-and-play lessons to help community college students and faculty better understand the role of national laboratories, offering an introduction to DOE science and internships in accessible, course-integrated formats.

“Many students don’t see themselves working at a national lab — they don’t know these spaces are for them,” said Vemu. “These modules show that science isn’t just for people with Ph.D.s. It’s relevant to our everyday life, community and future.”

As pilot testing of the modules begins at Waubonsee with plans to expand nationally, early responses have been encouraging.

“We recently received a note from the president of Waubonsee thanking us for collaborating. That kind of recognition shows how real the connection is between Fermilab and community college faculty and students,” said Cortez Watkins, Sr. Workforce Pathways and Partnership Liaison.

Both Susanna and KeAndre reflect the strength of that connection. Their journeys — from community college classrooms to careers at a leading national laboratory — highlight the growing impact of these partnerships.

“We don’t know where our next best idea or colleague might come from,” Watkins added. “It might be someone from a community college.”