Current Research and Trends in Particle Physics

The main goal of particle physics is to research, observe, determine the properties of subatomic particles, and develop new theories. Current research in this field is conducted internationally at CERN, while in Türkiye it is carried out at universities. Based on this understanding, this study aims to examine postgraduate theses in particle physics conducted in Türkiye over the last five years and to determine current research trends. For this purpose, the distribution of postgraduate theses in particle physics between 2020 and 2025 were scrutinized regarding years, levels, and universities as well as the characteristics of researchers and supervisors, research methods, subject areas, and current trends. A qualitative research method and document analysis technique were utilized in the study. Research data were collected from master's and doctoral theses archived in the Higher Education Council Thesis Center Database, for which full-text access is permitted. Thus, 130 master's and 71 PhD. Dissertations conducted at universities in Türkiye between 2020 and 2025 were examined. The research revealed that the number of theses related to particle physics is steadily increasing towards 2025, with the highest number of theses completed in 2022 and 2023. Three-quarters of these theses were conducted at 14 universities. It was found that the number of male researchers was twice that of female researchers, and the number of male thesis supervisors was four times that of female supervisors, with more than half of the supervisors holding the title of professor. More than half of the theses utilized experimental methods, and these studies focused on hadrons, bosons, mesons, CERN projects, leptons, neutrinos, and the Higgs boson. The study concluded that particle physics research is influenced by CERN studies and follows current global developments. It is recommended that this research be expanded to cover a wider timeframe.