Mar Capeáns, a physicist born in Santiago in 1967, has been appointed Director of Operations at CERN. A veteran of the laboratory since 1992, Capeáns oversees the complex technical infrastructure and strategic planning of the facility, including the upcoming maintenance phase of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Her leadership role follows decades of technical and managerial contributions to the Geneva-based organization, recently recognized in Spain with the Medalla Castelao.
The Role of the Director of Operations
As Director of Operations, Capeáns manages a facility that functions as both a research campus and a hub for global scientific collaboration. Her responsibilities involve coordinating the maintenance and technological upgrades of the laboratory’s sophisticated equipment. Capeáns characterizes her current work as a balance between repairing past technical issues and preparing infrastructure for future scientific demands.
The laboratory is currently entering a scheduled shutdown period. During this time, teams will perform extensive maintenance on the accelerator and particle detectors. These upgrades are intended to increase the speed and precision of physics experiments slated for the next operational cycle, which is projected to run from 2030 to 2040.
Advancing Fundamental Physics
CERN serves as a center for basic science, where researchers aim to recreate conditions present in the early universe to better understand the Big Bang. By colliding particles at high energies, scientists can observe the formation of new particles, effectively using the facility as a "time machine" to study the origins of matter.
Beyond theoretical discovery, the laboratory’s work frequently results in technological spin-offs. The development of specialized equipment—such as superconducting magnets, cryogenics, and radiofrequency cavities—often leads to advancements in other sectors. Capeáns notes that technologies developed for particle physics have direct applications in medical diagnostics, including PET scans and CT imaging, as well as in data transfer and transportation industries.
Promoting Diversity in STEM
The scientific workforce at CERN has seen a shift in gender representation over the last three decades. Capeáns reports that women now comprise approximately 26% of the laboratory’s scientific staff. She highlights that the current executive management team at CERN has achieved a 50/50 gender balance, a significant change from her early years at the organization.
Capeáns emphasizes the importance of increasing female participation in STEM fields, noting that as science and technology continue to define the trajectory of modern society, it is essential that women are represented in leadership and decision-making roles.
Key Takeaways
- Operational Leadership: Mar Capeáns oversees the management and technological upgrades of CERN’s large-scale scientific infrastructure.
- LHC Upgrades: The particle accelerator is currently undergoing a multi-year maintenance phase to improve research capabilities for the 2030–2040 period.
- Technological Transfer: Innovations in particle acceleration and data precision often translate into practical applications for medical imaging and global data networks.
- Gender Representation: CERN’s leadership team has reached gender parity, with women now representing 26% of the laboratory’s scientific researchers.
- Scientific Goals: Future research priorities include identifying the composition of dark matter and dark energy, which Capeáns describes as a primary objective for the coming years.