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Harry Cliff

@harrycliff.bsky.social
84 followers 80 following 63 posts

Particle physicist, author.

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Harry Cliff @harrycliff.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
A nice surprise to realise that my episode of BBC Radio 4's In Our Time is being broadcast right now! I joined Misha Glenny, Victoria Martin and Joseph Martin to talk about particle accelerators - from Rutherford and the splitting of the atom, to the Large Hadron Collider. inkd.in/ewCWsqmG
inkd.in
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Conor Fitzpatrick @fitzparticle.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
...The @lhcb.bsky.social's governing body issued what it described as an “unprecedented” statement condemning the impact of the cuts. Commenting alongside the statement, @profbriancox.bsky.social said physics in the UK is facing a crisis “unlike any I have seen in both severity and cause”.
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Cavendish Laboratory @cambridgephysics.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Help preserve Parton Kirk, closely associated with the founding head of the Cavendish Laboratory James Clerk Maxwell. Parton Community Council has until 1st November to raise £70,000 to save it for the community. Support 👉️ buff.ly/xXH6LRU
Image of Parton Kirk, burial place of the world-famous physicist James Clerk Maxwell
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Harry Cliff @harrycliff.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Really pleased to share that I’ve been appointed Assistant Professor in Experimental High Energy Physics at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge 🎉🥳
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Harry Cliff @harrycliff.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
My trains to Cambridge have been delayed a lot recently, but this morning is a first — ‘animals’ on the line outside Tottenham Hale. Network Rail in attendance trying to clear them, apparently. Cue the Benny Hill music. Tantalisingly, the driver won’t say what kind of animals, though.
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LHCb Results @lhcbpapers.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
New LHCb paper on arXiv: Search for B meson decays to multimuon final states (arXiv:2608.17855) arxiv.org/abs/2608.17855 #LHCbpaper
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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The 13yo just came home from his paper-round with this! I think I might have finally impressed him 👌 Vogue next? 🤣 👩‍🔬
Photo of the Scotsman newspaper.  On the front cover of the magazine section it says "A star is born, make space for Astronomer Royal Catherine Heymans", and Catherine is vaguely smiling infront of a massive supercomputer of wires!
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Harry Cliff @harrycliff.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Congratulations Catherine! Looking forward to reading
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
One reason England does so well is our second generation immigrants outperform their peers which is not true in most OECD countries. We are also very good at integration. And it's v sad that this is never acknowledge in debates on immigration.
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Tara Shears @tarashears.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Thanks @annamckie.bsky.social. Let's open up this broader discussion, let's get the structure right, let's support world-leading science and facilities and UK leadership and capability.
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Patrick Koppenburg 🐧 @koppenburg.ch · 02/09/2026
hep-ph is quite @lzdarkmatter.bsky.social heavy today 🚑⚛️
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Conor Fitzpatrick @fitzparticle.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
@andyburnham.bsky.social is doing the right thing here! Now that it has been shown the @ukri.org process was flawed, the rest of the cuts to STFC facilities, labs and projects are in question. There is so much more damage to UK-led science that needs to be addressed urgently.
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Malcolm Fairbairn @malcfairbairn.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
It's almost like someone has made an arbitrary decision based upon nothing but their gut feeling isn't it. Not very scientific.
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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
But Malcolm how could they possibly even consider deprioritising a world-leading field of research with an unparalleled international reputation for excellence, without first being sure the cuts weren't going damage UK PLC? 😇
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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
The STFC funding cuts are impacting dementia research. "I am certain that the majority of dementia researchers never realised that they were involved in the STFC budget problem, and I had not fully realised just how great the problem was." Adam Smith UCL www.linkedin.com/pulse/stfc-c...
linkedin.com
The STFC Cuts Dementia Researchers Need to Know About
I spent the last 18 years working around dementia research, and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) is not a funder that comes up in conversation every day. The MRC, NIHR, Alzheimer’s...
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Prof Jim Wild @jim-wild.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
📢 Calling U.K. astronomers and physicists📢 There is a Westminster Hall debate on “Future of science facilities and laboratories” next Tuesday (1 Sep). Contact your MP and urge them to attend. More details at: ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre...
ras.ac.uk
Astronomy cuts to be discussed at Westminster
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) welcomes an upcoming debate at the Houses of Parliament about cuts impacting astronomy and encourages all Fellows to contact the...
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UK Government Petitions @petitions.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
New petition: "Government to fund shortfall for Science and Technology Facilities Council" Deadline 26 February 2027, created by Stephen Brookes #NewPetition
petition.parliament.uk
New petition: Government to fund shortfall for Science and Technology Facilities Council
We want the Government to ensure sufficient funding beyond 31 March 2028 for the Science & Technology Facilities Council through the UKRI so that it no longer requires funding cuts which imperil key scientific research projects & establishments, such as Jodrell Bank Observatory & e-MERLIN project.
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Craig Nicholson @clanicholson.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Universities lagging and wrongheaded on AI, report warns www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-worl...
researchprofessionalnews.com
Universities lagging and wrongheaded on AI, report warns - Research Professional News
Use of artificial intelligence in researcher training is not just a plagiarism issue, author emphasises
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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
"Using generative AI inherently exposes you to the risk of career-ending accusations of plagiarism." "That means that all of us [on multi-author papers] have the ability to end each other’s career. " Full marks to the Carlson Lab for their blanket ban on the use of generative AI for writing! 👏🧪
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Tara Shears @tarashears.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
We're in uncharted waters regarding damage to international collaboration: “It is the first time any advanced country has done such a spectacular U-turn about its participation.” Cern LHCb upgrade ‘still under threat’ after UK pulls funds www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-euro...
researchprofessionalnews.com
Cern LHCb upgrade ‘still under threat’ after UK pulls funds - Research Professional News
Partners fear Large Hadron Collider experiment upgrade will be “seriously injured” or abandoned altogether
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
'Gervais is doing Trump’s work for him': Fierce stuff from Stewart Lee in the New Humanist newhumanist.org.uk/articles/ste...
newhumanist.org.uk
Stewart Lee: Why we need humour to beat the populist right
Voters are looking for entertainers, but where do we draw the line?
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Harry Cliff @harrycliff.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
My colleague @wjbarter.bsky.social on the devastating impact of UKRI's withdrawal of funding for the LHCb Upgrade @lhcb.bsky.social. "There is still a window of opportunity for BIST to act". Let's hope the new Secretary of State, Jonathan Reynolds, is listening. telescoper.blog/2026/08/19/t...
telescoper.blog
The Cuts to LHCb – Guest Post by William Barter
The following is a guest post by William Barter, who recently finished a term as the ‘physics coordinator’ of LHCb-UK. –o– The European particle physics community recently u…
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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
PSA: you do not have to have an opinion about everything, and if you do, you are not obliged to share it. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
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William Barter @wjbarter.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Very grateful to @lucienheurtier.bsky.social for the opportunity to explain why UKRI's decision to cut the LHCb Upgrade matters. See here for more information: lheurtier.github.io/LHCb.html
lheurtier.github.io
Why the LHCb Upgrade Cuts Matter
UKRI and STFC have cut funding for the next-generation LHCb upgrade at CERN. This article explains what is at stake for UK science, international credibility, skills, detector expertise and the future...
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Harry Cliff @harrycliff.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Jesus, I thought the missiles were inbound for a second there.
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Cavendish Laboratory @cambridgephysics.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
The latest issue of CavMag, our Alumni magazine, is here! 🔬 Among the stories, discover how the new MicroBooNE results rule out a ‘sterile’ neutrino - but mysteries remain. Read the story: buff.ly/ItJq6WD Image: MicroBooNE Collaboration and Fermilab
The image shows the interior of the MicroBooNE (Micro Booster Neutrino Experiment) detector, a groundbreaking particle physics experiment located at Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois. A wide-angle, symmetrical photograph looking down the interior length of a large cylindrical metal chamber, brightly illuminated by a saturated, monochromatic red light.
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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Just overheard in airport security: "Oi Paul - look! It's another bloody colander!" My work is done.
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Harry Cliff @harrycliff.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Science communication 18th century style. This engraving was published in Universal Magazine at the time of a partial solar eclipse over London on 14 July 1748. I love the title: 'The Cause of Eclipses and the Motion of the Earth Delineated'
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Harry Cliff @harrycliff.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
The way an olive tree on my terrace cast these lines of eclipse images on the fence reminded me of some of the amazing solar imagery in the @sciencemuseum.org.uk collection. In particular, this spectrum of the chromosphere taken during the eclipse of 1926 in Sumatra.
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Katy Duncan 🍉 @katysduncan.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Never a better occasion to have a gander at these beautiful plates in the @rigb.org’s collection. Taken by Warren de la Rue in 1860, they sought to settle the mysteries of the “tentacles of light” that only appeared during totalities…. 👉 www.rigb.org/explore-scie... 🧪🔭🌚 #histsci #eclipse
One of De la Rue's 1860 eclipse plates. You can see, to the left of the Moon looking at the photo, the bright "tentacles of light.” At the top, we can see notations on location and exposure time. Credit: Royal Institution Archives
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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Definite contender for #BestDayEver #eclipse
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Harry Cliff @harrycliff.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
The glueball bounces into view! (Although odd that Nature chose a picture of a three-quark baryon to illustrate the story)
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Harry Cliff @harrycliff.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Perhaps a controversial thing for a physicist to say, but I tend to agree with Ian on this one.
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Royal Astronomical Society @royalastrosoc.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Happy solar eclipse day! ☀️🌒 This evening people across the UK will be treated to the country's fullest solar eclipse since 1999. Around 90-96% of the Sun will be obscured by the Moon at the peak, which will take place at around 19:00 BST, depending on where you are. Are you going to watch it? 😎
A partial solar eclipse.
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Tara Shears @tarashears.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
New UK science minister (finally confirmed!) urged to ‘protect curiosity-led research’ www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...
researchprofessionalnews.com
New UK science minister urged to ‘protect curiosity-led research’ - Research Professional News
Chris McDonald’s role officially confirmed, while James Frith becomes minister for health innovation
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Elizabeth Gibney @lizziegibney.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
A growing number of voices are calling for UK physics cuts (the result of a long prioritization exercise by the STFC) to be reversed 🧪⚛️ Funding for @jodrellbank.bsky.social's Lovell telescope & @lhcb.bsky.social's upgrade are among those being chopped My latest here: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Scientists up in arms about cuts to UK physics and astronomy
Funding is being terminated for projects including a future CERN experiment and the iconic Lovell Telescope.
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David Rooney @rooneyvision.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
UK followers: in August, The Big Hop on Kindle is just £0.99. Amazon's #1 bestseller in Aviation! It was a Sunday Times "Summer Reads" of 2025. "A glorious romp." Perfect* for the holiday flight. (*Some risk of air-sickness, as The Observer observed) www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Hop-Non-...
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CERN @cern.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
For only the third time since it began operating in 2008, the Large Hadron Collider (#LHC) is slowly being returned to room temperature after being kept at close to -271°C, just above absolute zero. Read more more: home.cern/science/long...
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Harry Cliff @harrycliff.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I can report an unfamiliar transparent liquid is currently falling from the skies in Cambridge.
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Chris Lintott @chrislintott.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Proper sense in a FT editorial. Come on PM. Easy wins right here.
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Conor Fitzpatrick @fitzparticle.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Excellent letters in the @theguardian.com calling out the cuts to research in STFC. Shout out to Paula Collins of @lhcb.bsky.social! www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
theguardian.com
Science funding cuts will harm Britain’s global standing | Letters
Letters: Readers respond to an editorial about the threat to research funding, including plans to close the Jodrell Bank Observatory
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Clare Burrage @clareburrage.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
From the FT's editorial board: "Curiosity-driven research remains the wellspring from which wealth-creating technologies will emerge."
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Cavendish Laboratory @cambridgephysics.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Are you ready to shape the future of physics with #AI? Frontiers is a new training programme for incoming and prospective Physics PhD students at the Cavendish Laboratory in 2026. Gain the skills to tackle tomorrow's biggest scientific challenges. Learn more: buff.ly/wVMRKRO
Two people interacting with augmented reality technology in a futuristic setting 

Image credit: Westend61 via Getty Images
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Harry Cliff @harrycliff.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
It could be worse. He could have called it the ‘spotted dick’ model. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted...
en.wikipedia.org
Spotted dick - Wikipedia
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Michael Merrifield @astromikemerri.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
I am all for saving Jodrell Bank, but please don’t lose sight of the fact that it is simply the most visible manifestation of a much bigger problem, which isn’t solved if someone magically finds the money to keep it going, simply to shut people up. 🔭🧪
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Institute of Physics @iop.org · 29/07/2026
A coalition of scientists and scientific community leaders including Prof Brian Cox and IOP President Prof Paul Howarth has voiced serious concern about the impact the latest funding cuts will have on UK science in this Research Professional article: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
researchprofessionalnews.com
Jodrell Bank funding cut does ‘real damage’ to UK science - Research Professional News
Experts alarmed as science secretary says UK must invest in “next generation of scientific facilities”
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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Sadly it's not just #JodrellBank losing funding, with deep cuts across the board for UK astronomy. One example is the HiPERCAM project whose funding has been entirely cut to save £50K/yr - peanut-levels of £s. Spectacular fast transient science lost, for what? 🔭😡 www.zmescience.com/science/astr...
zmescience.com
One of Astronomy’s Fastest Cameras May Stop Operating Over a $67,000 Funding Gap
The camera that checked JWST’s clock is losing its funding.
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Lucien Heurtier @lucienheurtier.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
These are some of the capabilities the UK risks losing with LHCb Upgrade II: • radiation-hard silicon • photon detectors • fast-timing sensors • electronics and computing • precision engineering Built over decades. Hard to replace once lost.
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Harry Cliff @harrycliff.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Very well said. It’s also a disaster for our international partners, for whom the knock-on effects are severe. Not to mention the damage to the UK’s reputation.
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Prof Jim Wild @jim-wild.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
"A recent survey found that nearly 80% of early-career physicists were considering leaving the UK after the funding crisis. The loss of even a fraction of that would be a blow for UK science and also national growth. The task now is to persuade them to stay." www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
theguardian.com
World-class Jodrell Bank is under threat and UK risks a physics brain drain
Funding crisis could lead to an exodus that would be a blow for British science and national growth
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