We are proposing a research programme to explore the origin of mass for fundamental particles through searching for the Higgs boson in the early data from the ATLAS experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider. To optimise our search strategy and the discovery potential of ATLAS, we will first invest in developing tools for validating the detector performance and the quality of the recorded data, and we will make measurements of some benchmark particle physics processes, which will allow us to confirm our understanding of the ATLAS detector and the Standard Model of particle physics in this completely new energy regime. These processes are at the same time important backgrounds for the Higgs search and their study will strengthen our Higgs discovery capabilities. This proposed project is at the forefront of fundamental research and is extremely timely, with the LHC starting up later this year. It will be instrumental for the career prospects of the fellow, as she will be involved in one of the highest profile research topics to date, and it will have significant benefits to the host institute thanks to the expertise the fellow will bring.