Research Area(s)
- accelerator physics
- synchrotron radiation
- particle beams
- electromagnetic fields
- beam instrumentation
- high energy colliders
- CERN
- Free Electron Lasers
About me
After completing a BSc in physics and PhD in experimental photonuclear physics at the University of Melbourne, Mark did a two year postdoc at Lund University in Sweden. He then returned to Melbourne in 2003 to be a part of the team that designed, built and commissioned the accelerator systems for the Australian Synchrotron. From 2003-2017 Mark worked on accelerator physics research and development including building diagnostic beamline and performing pioneering research into creating and measuring ultra low emittance electron beams. In 2012 he was a JSPS Visiting Fellow at KEK in Japan and in 2014 he was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Stanford University and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. In 2017 he took up a faculty position at the University of Saskatchewan as an Associate Professor with a joint appointment as Machine Director at the Canadian Light Source from 2017 to 2024. Promoted to full professor in 2022, he is now full time faculty in the Department of Physics and Engineering physics. Mark was the Chair of the International Particle Accelerator Conference IPAC'19 in Melbourne, Australia from 19-24 May 2019. In 2025 he was elected as Vice Chair of the Executive Committee for the Division of Physics of Beams in the American Physical Society.
Publications
Accelerator Physics Particle Detectors Physics Computer Modelling Synchrotron Radiation
Latest publications on the public WebofScience profile page.
Highlights:
Ericson, E., Bertwistle, D., Boland, M. J., & Pelz, D. (2025). Analysis of RF modes in an in-vacuum undulator. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 1070, 170027. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2024.170027
Sheppard, R., Baribeau, C., Pedersen, T., Boland, M. & Bertwistle, D. (2022). J. Synchrotron Rad. 29, 1368-1375. https://doi.org/10.1107/S1600577522008554
W. Scott Hopkins, Victor Verzilov, German Sciaini, Ian Burgess, and Mark Boland. Establishing a Canadian free-electron laser research program. Canadian Journal of Physics. 97(12): vii-x (2019). https://doi.org/10.1139/cjp-2019-0238
A. Abada, et. al., FCC-ee: The Lepton Collider: Future Circular Collider Conceptual Design Report Volume 2. Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. (2019), doi:10.1140/epjst/e2019-900045-4.
H. Abramowicz, et. al., Higgs physics at the CLIC electron–positron linear collider. Eur. Phys. J. C. 77 (2017), doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-017-4968-5.
Wootton, K. P., Boland, M. J., et al. Observation of Picometer Vertical Emittance with a Vertical Undulator. Physical Review Letters, 109(19):194801 (2012).
Selection of Publications (by Year)
- Ericson, E., Bertwistle, D., Boland, M. J., & Pelz, D. "Analysis of RF modes in an in-vacuum undulator". Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment 1070 (2025): 170027.
- Ryan Sheppard, Cameron Baribeau, Tor Pedersen, Mark Boland and Drew Bertwistle. "A neural network model of a quasiperiodic elliptically polarizing undulator in universal mode". Journal of Synchrotron Radiation 29, 6 (2022): 1368-1375.
- Abada, A, et. al.. "FCC-hh: The Hadron Collider". The European Physical Journal Special Topics 228, 4 (2019): 755-1107.
- Abada, A., Abbrescia, M., AbdusSalam, S.S. et al.. "FCC Physics Opportunities". The European Physical Journal C 79, 474 (2019): 1-161.
- Abada, A., Abbrescia, M., AbdusSalam, S.S. et al. . "FCC-ee: The Lepton Collider". The European Physical Journal Special Topics 228, 2 (2019): 261-623.
- Giansiracusa, Paul J. , Boland, Mark J. et. al. "A distributed beam loss monitor for the Australian Synchrotron". Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment 919 (2019): 98-104.
- Charles, T., Paganin, D. M. Boland, M. J. Dowd, R. T. "Singularities of particle trajectory caustics and beam shaping in bunch compressors" In Nonlinear Dynamics and Collective Effects in Particle Beam Physics, edited by Swapan Chattopadhyay, Max Cornacchia and Simone Di Mitri, 103-114. Singapore: WORLD SCIENTIFIC, 2019.
- T. Lucas, T. Argyopolous, M. J. Boland, N. Catalan-Lasheras, R. P. Rassool, C. Serpico, M. Volpi, W. Wuensch. "Dependency of the Capture of Field Emitted Electron on the Phase Velocity of a High-Frequency Accelerating Structure". Nuclear Instruments and Mehtods in Physics Research A 914 (2019): 46-52.
- T. K. Charles, M.J. Boland, K. Oide and F. Zimmerman. "Bunch Compression and Turnaround Loops in the FCC-ee Injector Complex". Journal of Physics: Conference Series 1067 (2018): 062023.
- T. K. Charles, D. M. Paganin, A. Latina, M. J. Boland, R. T. Dowd. "Current-horn suppression for reduced coherent-synchrotron-radiation-induced emittance growth in strong bunch compression". Physical Review Accelerators and Beams 20 (2017): 030705.
Teaching & Supervision
Accelerator Physics Engineering Physics Capstone Project Synchrotron Radiation
Mark is available for undergraduate and MSc or PhD graduate supervision, please contact him to make an appointment to discuss possible research topics.
A new course in particle accelerator physics has been developed for fourth year and graduates listed as PHYS 472 and PHYS 895 with the goal of linking the Department of Physics and Engineering Physics to the unique national synchrotron radiation facility at the Canadian Light Source.
NEW 2025: Taught Abroad in CERN, Switzerland, course summer term May/June 2025 High Energy Particle Accelerators for Physics Research
Contact me if you are interested, require a minimum of 8 students for the course to proceed. Possible Global Engagement Scholarship are available for Art and Science students valued at $2,500.
Selection of Courses Taught (by Year)
- 2018 - EP495: Capstone Design Project
- 2019 - PHYS472: Accelerator Physics
- 2019 - PHYS895: Accelerator Physics
- 2019 - EP495: Engineering Physics Capstone
- 2020 - PHYS472: Introduction to Accelerator Physics and Synchrotron Radiation
- 2021 - PHYS472: Introduction to Accelerator Physics and Synchrotron Radiation
- 2021 - PHYS895: Introduction to Accelerator Physics and Synchrotron Radiation
- 2022 - Introduction to Accelerator Physics and Synchrotron Radiation
- 2023 - Introduction to Accelerator Physics and Synchrotron Radiation
- 2023 - High Energy Particle Accelerators for Physics Research
- 2025 - PHYS472: Introduction to Accelerator Physics and Synchrotron Radiation
- 2025 - PHYS895: Introduction to Accelerator Physics and Synchrotron Radiation
Research
accelerator physics particle accelerators synchrotron radiation
Research into particle accelerators for future circular colliers and the generation of ultra bright synchrotron radiation.
Education & Training
2001, PhD, University of Melbourne
1996, BSc, University of Melbourne
Awards & Honours
- Vice Chair Division of Physics of Beams, awarded by American Physical Society USA January 2025-December 2026
- Chair of the International Particle Accelerator Conference 2019, awarded by IPAC AUS November 2014-December 2019
- Fulbright Outreach Lecturing Fund Award, awarded by Council for International Exchange of Scholars, United States Department of State USA October 2014-October 2014
- Fulbright Visiting Scholar, awarded by Fulbright Foundation, US Department of State USA August 2014-February 2015
- Honorary Principal Fellow - Associate Professor, awarded by University of Melbourne AUS June 2014
- Honorary Senior Fellow, awarded by University of Melbourne AUS January 2014-April 2014
- JSPS Visting Fellow, awarded by Japansese Society for the Promotion of Science JPN March 2012-March 2012
- STINT Posdoctoral Fellowship, awarded by STINT SWE October 2001-June 2003
Documents & Links
Image Gallery
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Mark Boland at the CLS in front of the Brightest Light in Canadian Science bannerMark Boland when he first started as the Machine Director at the CLS in September 2017.