A Queen Mary University of London research team has taken its work to the heart of UK democracy, with physicist Dr Christos Vergis shortlisted to present his research at the House of Commons as part of the national STEM for Britain exhibition.
The event, held on 17 March 2026, brought together outstanding early-career researchers from across the UK to showcase cutting-edge science, engineering and mathematics to parliamentarians, policymakers and fellow researchers. Christos was one of just 20 physicists nationwide selected as finalists in the Physics category, following a competitive application process open to researchers from all UK institutions.
From QMUL to Westminster
STEM for Britain is an annual exhibition and competition that aims to strengthen links between researchers and policymakers, offering early-career scientists a unique opportunity to explain their work to a non-specialist audience. Finalists are shortlisted by expert panels and invited to present their research in poster form at the House of Commons, where judges assess scientific excellence, impact and communication.
The call for applications was shared within Queen Mary's Department of Physics and Astronomy, and with encouragement from his Line Manager, Professor Ulla Blumenschein, Christos applied — and was successively shortlisted.
"It felt like a great opportunity to put Queen Mary research on a national stage," Christos said. "I'm very glad we took the chance."
Revealing new insights into the Higgs boson
Christos' poster focused on his work within the ATLAS experiment at CERN, presenting recent evidence for the Higgs boson decaying into a pair of muons — a rare process that offers crucial insight into how the Higgs boson interacts with fundamental particles.
This result was a major milestone for the field and had previously been highlighted in a Queen Mary news story celebrating the discovery as evidence of a new Higgs boson decay. Christos' presentation emphasised the role played by Queen Mary researchers within the vast international ATLAS Collaboration, underlining the University's contribution to world-leading fundamental physics.
The exhibition was attended by MPs from participants' local constituencies, representatives from the Institute of Physics, fellow scientists from across disciplines, and members of other STEM organisations — creating a lively and engaged forum for discussion.
Celebrating collaboration and impact
In addition to raising the profile of his research, the event was also a competition, with finalists vying for gold awards in their categories. Winners are given the opportunity to speak in Parliament about their work and its wider significance.
Reflecting on the experience, Christos said:
"Presenting our work in Parliament was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the strength of our research at QMUL and the importance of fundamental physics. It was especially rewarding to represent our local team's contribution to the wider ATLAS Collaboration. Meeting so many excellent physicists from across the UK was equally inspiring; genuine progress in science comes from exchanging ideas across disciplines, not working in isolation."
A moment of pride for Queen Mary
Christos' selection highlights the strength of Queen Mary's research environment and its support for early-career researchers to engage beyond academia. By bringing frontier physics directly to policymakers, the University continues to demonstrate the relevance, excellence and societal value of its research — from Mile End to Westminster.
