• Question: how did you become a scientist

    Asked by anon-322871 on 25 Mar 2022. This question was also asked by anon-322844.
    • Photo: Victoria Fawcett

      Victoria Fawcett answered on 25 Mar 2022:

      I always enjoyed maths at school, which was encouraged as my mum was a maths teacher! When I was younger I thought I would be a vet, which changed to astronaut, and then back to mathematician. For A levels I took Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry, and it was only then that I started to really enjoy the Physics!
      I decided to study both Maths and Physics at University, where I started to enjoy the Physics more than the Maths. I then did a summer project in Particle Physics, which was fun but I knew that was not what I wanted to do when I was older.
      I then did another project in Astronomy and took a Masters in Exoplanets and thought that was really fun. It was then that I decided to become an Astronomer, so it was only when I was 20 that I actually made up my mind!

      I am now in my final year of my Astronomy PhD at Durham University and have just accepted an offer to be a proper astronomer at Newcastle University 🙂

    • Photo: Daisy Shearer

      Daisy Shearer answered on 27 Mar 2022:

      When I was 15, I decided to do physics at university so I did A-levels in physics, maths, and chemistry. I applied to do MPhys degrees at several universities (an MPhys is a 4 year integrated master’s course where you basically do a BSc and MSc all rolled into one degree). My first choice was the University of Surrey which I chose because they have an awesome research placement year, a really strong electrical engineering and physics department, and I was quite interested in the research done at the Advanced Technology Institute (which is where I am now a PhD student).

      I got offered a place, but not to do the MPhys as I didn’t quite get the grades (I won’t go into details, but A-levels were really tough for me and I missed lots of school). So I went to do the BSc in physics at Surrey as that’s what I was offered after my results. I almost didn’t take up my place but I’m glad I did because I was then able to transfer onto the MPhys at the end of my second year as I had got good enough average marks to transfer so I could do a research placement. I went to a place where I designed and tested lasers for telecommunications (basically making the internet faster!) which got me hooked on quantum technology research.

      Although I wasn’t sure I was smart enough to do a PhD, my colleagues at the company where I did my placement encouraged me to apply for some PhD projects and I was offered 3 different projects all within quantum technology. I ended up taking the one at Surrey because it was the most interesting research topic to me!

      And that’s where I am now. If everything goes well, I’ll graduate with my PhD later this year and become a Dr of physics. After that, I’m not sure what I want to do but I’m sure I’ll continue being in the quantum technology industry 😊

    • Photo: Luke Humphrey

      Luke Humphrey answered on 28 Mar 2022:

      I enjoyed problem solving and asking how things worked. I did some sciences at school, but lots of other subjects too. I watched science videos on YouTube. I did history at university but changed my mind and dropped out. A few years later I did Astrophysics. I applied for my job in my final year of university.

      Be inquisitive, focus on the present, do what you enjoy.

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