The last few years have been a long and exciting adventure, and I am in the debt of a great many friends, colleagues and family members. I have had a great many mentors, not least of all my supervisor Prof. Jenny Thomas who has been a constant source of sage wisdom, often when I didn't even know I needed it.Thank you for you honest advice and support over these past 3 years. I still remember my first fledgling months working with MINOS within the "disappearance group", and I would like to thank Justin Evans for his support, guidance, and patience as I learned the ropes of running an analysis. Thanks also to Ryan Nichol who has been putting up with me since I first worked on a summer project at UCL with Anita in 2009. Thanks to Robert Hatcher and Art Kreymer, I suspect I have learnt more from overheard snippets of conversation between the two of you than I could find in the best of computing textbooks. Thanks to the many great scientists at Fermilab, UCL, and within MINOS who have shared their wisdom with me along the way.I have been blessed with a great many friends scattered across the globe and should like to thank them all for making the last few years the rare pleasure that it has been. Jamie, Liam and Chris. You remain the closest thing to brothers that I have, and I wish you all the very best in your own adventures. Particular thanks go to my very dear friends Cindy Joe and Joseph Zennamo who braved my terrible spelling and grammar to help edit the thesis you are reading now.Finally, none of this would have been possible without the loving support of my family. Mum, Gran, Brana, and Anna-thank you so very much.
