Profil
Mechanical Fabrication Engineer with strong experience in precision manufacturing, subcontracting strategy, assembly supervision, supplier coordination and production follow-up for advanced accelerator technologies.
I currently work within the CERN Engineering Department, where I manage precision mechanical fabrication and assembly projects linked to major programs such as HL-LHC and the LHC Long Shutdown 3. My work includes technical coordination, supervision of manufacturing activities, industrial follow-up and fabrication process development for superconducting RF cavities and HOM couplers.
My background combines mechanical engineering, design-for-manufacturing and hands-on experience with high-precision machining, sheet metal forming, brazing, welding, cryogenic systems, cleanroom procedures and project management in international environments.
Contact personnel
Date of birth: April 28th, 1994
Place of birth: Villeneuve-sur-Lot, France
Nationality: French
Personal e-mail: simon.barriere@gmail.com
Domicile: Saint-Genis-Pouilly, Ain, France
Contact professionnel
Institution: CERN – Engineering Department
Address: CH-1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland
Office: 156/R-002 – E02620
Phone: +41 22 76 65330
Mobile: +41 75 411 8508
E-mail: simon.barriere@cern.ch
Professional experience
Mechanical Fabrication Engineer — CERN, Engineering Department, Mechanical & Materials Engineering Group (EN-MME)
Staff Member (STAF)
Responsible for managing precision mechanical fabrication and assembly projects, ensuring successful execution of production activities and coordination with industry partners for various CERN projects, especially HL-LHC WP4, preparation works for the LHC Long Shutdown 3 and activities with external institutes.
- Lead technical teams and supervise assembly, installation and testing of complex mechanical systems.
- Engineer in charge of production for HL-LHC superconducting radio frequency crab cavities and high-order modes couplers production.
- Oversee research and development efforts related to fabrication processes for accelerator technologies.
- Focus on high-precision machining techniques across a wide range of materials.
Direct supervisor: M. Garlaschè, EN-MME-MA Section Leader.
Fabrication & Subcontracting Engineer — CERN, Engineering Department, Mechanical & Materials Engineering Group (EN-MME)
External contractor (Sep. 2021 – May 2023) / Junior Fellow (Aug. 2018 – Aug. 2021)
Within CERN Central Mechanical Workshop, in charge of internal and external production of mechanical components for all CERN accelerators and experiments.
- Provided engineering expertise in design for manufacturing and steered make-or-buy strategy.
- Prepared 180+ projects representing about 5.9 MCHF and 65,000 workshop hours, including 70 as Project Manager (~3.5 MCHF).
- Handled high-precision CNC machining, sheet metal forming & shaping, vacuum brazing, TIG/MIG, laser and electron-beam welding.
- Acted as technical lead for EU-wide subcontracted manufacturing projects below and above 200k CHF.
- Managed 330+ contracts and around 1.3 MCHF over 3 years.
- Represented the CERN EN-MME group at conferences and industry exhibitions.
- Responsible for component production and logistics linked to HL-LHC international collaborations.
Direct supervisor: A. Dallocchio, EN-MME-FS Section Leader.
Field Coordinator — CERN, Beams Department, Radio Frequency Group (BE-RF)
Temporary worker (TEMC)
After contributing to the testing and assembly of the HL-LHC crab cavities prototype cryomodule, I joined the coordination team for its final installation in the SPS, the main injector of the LHC.
- Coordinated and scheduled technical activities for infrastructure upgrades.
- Collaborated with CERN staff and international contractors.
- Ensured safety compliance for personnel and equipment, reporting to the Engineering Referent for Operational Safety.
- Acted as liaison between the testing team and tunnel stakeholders.
- Delivered weekly progress reports at the SPS Accelerator Coordination Committee.
Direct supervisor: G. Vandoni, BE-RF-SRF Physicist.
Mechanical Project Engineer — CERN, Beams Department, Radio Frequency Group (BE-RF)
Temporary worker (TEMC)
Member of an international and multidisciplinary team working on the preparation and validation of superconducting RF cavities, especially HL-LHC crab cavities for SPS testing.
- Developed cleanroom workflows and procedures for assembling superconducting RF cavities in ISO-4 and ISO-5 environments.
- Led the design and managed manufacturing of mechanical systems for cryogenic tests at 2K using CATIA V5 / SmarTeam.
- Maintained daily coordination with industrial suppliers.
- Steered integration, planning and coordination of services and cabling teams for the HL-LHC cryomodule test bunker setup at SM18.
- Provided technical support throughout the cavity testing program.
Direct supervisor: A. Macpherson, BE-RF-SRF Physicist.
Professional
Personnal
Academic training
Advanced Master in Innovation Management
emlyon business school, Écully, France
Thesis: Organizational learning and change management: methods and guidelines.
Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering
Institut Catholique d'Arts et Métiers, Toulouse, France
Thesis: Mechanical characterization of TA6V titanium RCC pivots for space applications.
Advanced Technician Certificate – Industrialization of Mechanical Products
Institut Catholique d'Arts et Métiers, Toulouse, France
French Scientific Baccalaureate
Lycée Saint-Caprais, Agen, France
Technical skills
Precision manufacturing applied to accelerator technologies and components
Extensive experience with high-precision CNC multi-axis machining, sheet metal forming and shaping processes, including bending, stamping, vacuum brazing, TIG/MIG welding, and laser & electron-beam welding, applied to RF, cryogenic and ultra-high vacuum components.
Project & subcontracting management
Extensive experience in managing subcontracted manufacturing projects, drafting technical specifications, visiting suppliers to assess capabilities and quality systems, and ensuring timely delivery and conformity to requirements. Strong experience in logistics management for large-scale international collaborations.
Superconducting RF devices & related cryogenics systems
Experience with ISO-4 and ISO-5 cleanroom workflows for the assembly of superconducting RF cavities, contamination-free assembly and integration procedures, SRF cavity fabrication management and coordination of infrastructure upgrades for testing in superfluid liquid helium (down to 1.9 K).
Computers and informatics
- 2D & 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD)
- Advanced level with CATIA V5
- Advanced level with Creo Parametric
- Advanced level with Microsoft Office: PowerPoint, Word, Excel
Additional skills
- Coordination of multidisciplinary teams & contractors
- Safety procedures & risk management in accelerator environments
- Conference presentations & industry representation
Talks at international conferences
- Meet-the-Buyer Event (Birmingham, UK, 2019): “Mechanical Activities in the EN-MME Workshop and Subcontracting”.
- 4th CERN SRF Workshop (CERN, Geneva, 2019): “SRF Crab Cavities: Recent Developments in Fabrication Techniques”.
- 11th HL-LHC Collaboration Meeting (CERN, Geneva, 2021): “Manufacturing of RFD prototypes & DQW series”.
- 5th CERN SRF Workshop (CERN, Geneva, 2022): “HOM Couplers for Crab Cavities: Fabrication Challenges and Experience”.
- Engineering Department Workshop (CERN, Geneva, 2022): “Crab Cavities for HL-LHC”.
- 6th CERN SRF Workshop (CERN, Geneva, 2023): “HL-LHC Crab Cavities: Series Production of RF Couplers & Cryomodule Assembly Perspectives”.
- 13th HL-LHC Collaboration Meeting (Vancouver, Canada, 2023): “DQW HOM couplers challenges & FPC”.
- 7th CERN SRF Workshop (CERN, Geneva, 2024): “Manufacturing for SRF”.
- 14th HL-LHC Collaboration Meeting (Genoa, Italy, 2024): “RFD-CM Repair overview and highlight”, “DQW & RFD HOM couplers fabrication challenges”.
- Thematic Industry Day - Precision Machining (CERN, Geneva, 2024): “Fabrication technologies at CERN MME Main Workshop”.
- TESLA Technology Collaboration Meeting 2025 (IBS/IRIS, Daejeon, Korea, 2025): “Novel fabrication technologies for SRF components”.
- 15th HL-LHC Collaboration Meeting (CERN, Geneva, 2025): “CERN RFD cavity fabrication & HOM status”.
Publications — Main author
- “HOM Couplers and RF Antennas for HL-LHC Crab Cavities: Developments for Manufacturing”; S. Barriere et al., Contribution to the 20th International Conference on RF Superconductivity (SRF 2021).
- “Crab Cavities for HL-LHC”, S. Barriere et al., Contribution to the Engineering Department Workshop (2022).
Publications — Co-author
- “Quench localisation in SRF cavity tests with transition edge sensors”; H. Furci et al., ICEC-ICMC 2018.
- “Assessment of the Mechanical Properties of Ultra-High Purity Niobium After Cold Work and Heat Treatment With the HL-LHC Crab Cavities as Benchmark”; A. Gallifa Terricabras et al., SRF 2019.
- “Advanced design of tooling for sheet-metal forming through numerical simulations in the scope of SRF crab cavities at CERN”; A. Amorim Carvalho et al., ESAFORM 2019.
- “First demonstration of the use of crab cavities on hadron beams”; Rama Calaga et al., Physical Review Accelerators and Beams (2021).
- “Design and Fabrication of FRESCA2 Cryostat”, Federico Carra et al., Engineering Department Workshop (2022).
- “Simulations and First RF Measurements of Coaxial HOM Coupler Prototypes for PERLE SRF Cavities”; Carmelo Barbagallo et al., SRF 2023.
- “Optimizing the Manufacture of High-Purity Niobium SRF Cavities Using the Forming Limit Diagram: A Case Study of the HL-LHC Crab Cavities RFD Pole”; A. Gallifa Terricabras et al., SRF 2023.
- “First coaxial HOM coupler prototypes and RF measurements on a copper cavity for the PERLE project”; Carmelo Barbagallo et al., IPAC'23.
Languages
- French — native language
- English — school education, working experience (10 years), fluent
- Spanish — school education, private courses, basic knowledge
Interests
- Kitesurfing — 10 years, multiple travels to Spain, Western Sahara, Mauritius
- Alpine skiing — 15 years
- Badminton and squash — 8 years
- Space exploration & technology enthusiast
- Member of the French Physics Society