People doing Physics (Cavendish Laboratory)
Explorez tous les épisodes de People doing Physics
| Date | Titre | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02 Jun 2022 | Stuart MacPherson | 00:40:44 | |
This month, our guest is Stuart Macpherson, Post-doctoral researcher in experimental opto-electronics in the Stranks Lab at the Department of Physics. Stuart’s research focuses on understanding the physics of solar photovoltaics based on perovskite compound, one of the fastest advancing solar technologies of today. Stuart is also the founder of Sustain/Ed, a non-profit organisation that aims to provide sustainability resources to young students. One of their activities is the energy mapping challenge, aimed at primary school students(9-11 year olds). Through hands-on measurements and data logging, students increase their awareness about climate change and learn how to critically approach scientific problems and apply the knowledge gained to solve real world problems. The project has already been piloted at 6 schools across the country, and is now scaling up further. Another activity that he has launched with Sustain/Ed is the Sustain/Ed learning module, an educational package which augments the KS2 curriculum in the UK by offering activities which reinforce awareness of sustainability and climate action while maintaining core learning outcomes. For his projects with Sustain/Ed, in 2021 Stuart was recognised with the Vice Chancellor’s Social Impact Award. But how did his journey in sustainability start? And how does it relate to the technologies he has been developing? We will ask him this and more in our interview. Stay with us… Please help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time. Jump into the conversation:[00:33] - Guest's intro [02:13] – Background and how did he end up choosing physics? [04:31] – Teacher’s influence in studying physics [06:45] – Experience studying physics at St. Andrews [8:40] – Starting St. Andrews Engineering Group [10:06] – Weather balloon project to measure some interesting atmospheric properties [12:07] – Building a RADAR device during Masters [14:25] – Reason behind the PhD decision [17:40] – Interesting PhD hiring process at Cambridge [19:56] – Research at Cambridge is on compounds called perovskites that are useful in solar panels [22:30] – Defects and problems associated with perovskite [24:43] – In the news this month: Existing copper network cables of UK can support faster internet speeds only to a limit. Researchers say that additional investment is urgently needed if the government is serious about its commitment to making high-speed internet available to all. [26:20] – Involvement with Sustain/Ed, a non-profit organisation providing sustainability resources to young students [27:50] – Idea of Energy Mapping Challenge [30:51] – Small grant to scale up the idea [33:21] –Worked closely with the University of Cambridge primary school, designed an actual learning module – Sustain/Ed learning module [34:17] – Novel inventions and innovation, what people are doing to tackle the climate crisis [35:27] – Summing Sustain/Ed – teaching next generation science to the next generation [35:48] – Goals and Future Endeavours - Sustain/Ed [38:14] – Personal Goals, 5 years from now [39:45] – Outro --- Useful links:• Visit the Optoelectronic Materials and Device Spectroscopy Group (StranksLab) Website to learn more about their research. • Read the article on this month's news - Existing infrastructure will be unable to support demand for high-speed... | |||
| 01 Jun 2023 | Replay: Malcolm Longair, the memory of the Cavendish Laboratory (episode 9) | 00:37:57 | |
On 16th June, the Cavendish Laboratory will be celebrating its 149th anniversary! To mark this occasion, we wanted to replay one of our previous episodes with one of our longest standing member of staff, Malcolm Longair. Malcolm is the memory of the Department, and his stories are fascinating, so let's jump back in with Simone, Jacob and our guest. We hope you enjoy! If you like this episode, don’t forget to rate it or leave a review on your favourite podcast app. Episode 9:With us this month is Prof. Malcolm Longair, CBE, FRS, FRSE (and Munroist). Born in Dundee, in 1941, Malcolm studied Electronic Physics at what is now the University of Dundee, but was then part of St Andrews. After this, he came down south to the Cavendish, where he completed his PhD as part of the Radio Astronomy Group, supervised by Martin Ryle. Specialising in high energy astrophysics and astrophysical cosmology, Malcolm has since been a Royal Society Exchange Visitor to the USSR; held visiting professorships at prestigious institutions around the world; been the Astronomy Royal for Scotland; Cambridge’s Jacksonian Professor of Natural Philosophy; Deputy Head and Head of the Cavendish Laboratory. He has contributed to international scientific bodies, such as NASA and ESA, and found the time to publish 22 books, over 300 scientific papers, and give hundreds of public lectures. Most recently, he has been Director of Development for the Cavendish Laboratory. In this role, he has helped modernise the Cavendish Laboratory, with the building of the Physics of Medicine building and Maxwell Centre, and the soon-to-be completed Ray Dolby Centre which will house most of the upcoming National Facility for Physics. Today, we will be talking about Malcolm’s path into Physics, what over half a century of working at the cutting edge of science has taught him, and where he sees the Cavendish laboratory going in the future. [00:36] – Guest’s intro [02:39] – Starting out in Physics [05:08] – Time at Cambridge doing PhD [06:00] – 1960’s, the revolutionary decade of Astronomy [08:00] – Time in Moscow 1968/1969 and change of attitude towards understanding science [10:35] – Joining back at Cambridge as an Assistant Professor [11:12] – Understanding in Physics continues to develop [11:37] – Involvement with various organisations and evolving from research focused role to managing the big picture [12:06] – Experience with SRC and becoming Astronomer Royal for Scotland [13:55] – Interdisciplinary Scientist for Hubble Space Telescope (1977) and learning how to get big projects operating [15:40] – Guidance to scientists looking at working in policy and related fields [17:00] – Important things for scientists to think about for fundings and funding proposals [20:49] – In the news this month we focus on how artificial intelligence is helping to speed up the discovery of new materials. Atoms are the basic building blocks of every material. Combining different types of atoms naturally leads to different materials. However, it is not just the types of atoms that determine material properties, but also their arrangement. [24:37] – Moving back to Cavendish as Professor and Head of the Department, and rebuilding Cavendish Laboratory [27:50] – Sequence of new Cavendish buildings and facilities to support different research areas (such as Physics of Medicine, Astrophysics and more) [31:58] – Future vision essential for Cavendish [33:02] – Key takeaways, suggestions for early science researchers /... | |||
| 04 Jan 2024 | Richard King: From Cambridge with Love | 00:40:24 | |
Welcome back to a world of People Doing Physics! For this first episode of 2024, let us introduce you to Richard King, the Undergraduate Lab Manager at the Cavendish Laboratory. Richard oversees the practical side of the undergraduate physics course, managing the team that designs, develops, and deploys lecture demos and undergraduate experiments. A former electronic engineer, his background was in circuit design and computing before he joined the Cavendish in 2008. With Richard, we talk about how Cambridge has changed over the years, what it’s like going from fast-paced industry to the sedate world of the university, the processes involved in setting up practical work for hundreds of undergraduates, and what exactly he was doing wandering around Costa Rica with photographs of old airfields last year. Useful links
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| 03 Mar 2022 | Tina Potter | 00:43:57 | |
Our guest this month is Tina Potter, Professor of High Energy Physics at the Cavendish and expert in the particle physics Beyond the Standard Model. Tina developed a passion for physics at a young age and has always been drawn to big, fundamental questions about the nature of our reality: what is the universe made of? How do its constituents behave? How can we detect them? Her doctorate was when the world of CERN – the world-famous particle accelerator facility located at the border between Switzerland and France – opened up to her. She lived through the groundbreaking discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider, a discovery that completed the Standard Model of particle physics and for its importance was awarded the Nobel prize in physics in 2013. Today, she is working on new theories Beyond the Standard Model that could explain phenomena that still remain a mystery while also teaching the next generation of physicists and raising her two children. Tina certainly likes a challenge, but how does one forge their own path into science when there is no family scientific connection or role-model? And how is it to work on larger-than-life research projects with huge datasets and hundreds of collaborators across the world? We’re ask her this and more in this new episode. Jump into the conversation:[00:00] - Guest intro [02:00] – First encounter with physics [02:45] – The world of particle physics and its open, unexplored big questions [05:00] – “I would like to know what Dark Matter is” [07:20] – The wonderful world of CERN and its unique research culture [10:15] – Getting over nerves and shyness - a quick strategy [11:55] – What a time to be alive! Living through the Higgs boson discovery [15:25] – Finally, my parents could understand - How the Higgs Boson discovery raised the profile of particle physics [17:30] - In the news this month – Mutating Quantum Particles set in motion [21:50] – Managing work-life balance in an academic environment [25:09] – Grasping every opportunity to survive the research career pyramid [27:00] – How to forge your own path when there’s no academic role model in your life? [30:25] – Approaching science with children and expanding their views on who can be a scientist [31:46] – Finding evidence of particles beyond the Standard Model with supersymmetry [37:15] – The beauty and challenges of cathedral projects [42:56] - Outro --- Useful links:
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Episode credits: Hosts: Simone... | |||
| 05 Oct 2023 | The joy of physics with Mete Atatüre | 00:44:12 | |
Long silver hair in a ponytail, a pair of Converse All Star and a Grateful Dead t-shirt… The guest sitting opposite us today in the studio is not your average Cambridge academic. But don't be fooled by his relaxed demeanour; Professor Mete Atatüre is a serious trailblazer in his field. Co-founder of the Atomic, Mesoscopic and Optical Physics Group of the Cavendish Laboratory, his ground-breaking work in quantum optics and solid-state physics has earned him accolades and respect worldwide. His experimental research group investigates light-based quantum science to enable future quantum information networks and communication, as well as new applications in sensing and magnetometry. He is an elected Fellow of the Optical Society of America, the Turkish National Science Academy, the Institute of Physics… and one of Turkish GQ Magazine’s Men of the Year 2015, amongst international actors and footballers and in recognition of his pioneering research in quantum physics! In 2018, he co-founded the successful quantum startup Nu-Quantum, and now he is looking forward to being Head of Department here at the Cavendish… His research is driven by an insatiable curiosity and motivated by a desire to see what has never been seen before, which, in the world of quantum optics, is no mean feat! Together with Mete, we talk about striking luck and grasping every opportunity, doing things outside of the clichés and the power of enthusiasm and curiosity to persevere through the times of pressure and failure. Useful links
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| 04 Apr 2024 | Playful physics with Oleg Brandt | 00:46:36 | |
This month we are delighted to welcome Oleg Brandt, a Professor of Experimental Physics in the High Energy Physics group of the Cavendish. Oleg’s journey into the world of particle physics is both captivating and enlightening. From his early days inspired by a remarkable physics teacher directly followed by a rocky start at University, to a transformative experience abroad and a few more pivotal moments along the way, Oleg's insatiable curiosity for the fundamental mysteries of nature and his passion for teaching has led him to Cambridge where he now teaches the next generations of physicists while searching for dark matter, long-lived particles and other exciting new phenomena at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider and beyond. In this episode, Oleg offers a glimpse into the intricate world of particle physics through his unique perspective. Together we talk about the fulfilment and frustrations of a life in research, the importance of feeding one’s curiosity, navigating setbacks, and advice for aspiring physicists. Useful links
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Episode creditsHosts: Jacob Butler and Vanessa Bismuth Recording and editing: Chris Brock This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy | |||
| 03 Aug 2023 | Returning in September! | 00:01:07 | |
The team is taking a short break and will be back in September with new guests and more physics chats. Stay tuned! While you wait, why not taking 2 minutes to answer a few questions about the podcast and help us get better? People Doing Physics is a podcast produced by the Cavendish Laboratory, the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge. Visit the Cavendish website and learn more abour our research and teaching, and how you could get involved! Share and join the conversation
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| 07 Sep 2023 | Ain Bailey & Gemma Bale: Exploring the Intersection of Sound, Science, and Music | 00:35:34 | |
Help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time. Here’s a question for you dear listener. What’s the link between music and physics? What is the sound of physics? Today we're diving into a fascinating world where art, science, and music intersect. Joining us in our studio are two incredible individuals who have embarked on a journey that brings together the realms of sound, physics, and human emotion. Ain Bailey is a composer and the second Cavendish Arts Science Fellow. Cavendish Arts Science creates collective encounters between art and science that explore the world, our humanity and our place in the world. Ain’s practice explores sonic autobiographies and the constellation of sounds that form individual and community identities. Her compositions are often inspired by reflections on silence and absence, feminist activism and architectural acoustics. Dr Gemma Bale is an assistant professor of Medical Therapeutics at the University of Cambridge, and the head of the Neuro Optics Lab. Sitting at the junction of engineering and physics, her team develops new, non-invasive optical devices to monitor brain metabolism in areas which traditional brain monitoring can’t. Lately, she’s been exploring the relationship between music and dementia, and it was only a matter of time before she and Ain’s worlds collided, and a conversation sparked. With Ain and Gemma, we talk about music of course, and how our brains react to it, exploring the unknown and bridging the gap between art and science. Useful links
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| 07 Mar 2024 | The many paths from physics | 00:55:07 | |
This episode is also available in video format on our YouTube channel - check it out! Today’s format is a little different to our usual episodes, as we’ve invited four Cavendish alumni for a panel discussion about all things physics and career development. They’ll tell us about what they learnt at the Cavendish, their natural sciences and physics background, as well as how their doctoral research in physics shaped their careers and brought them to where they are today. We’re joined by Aswathy Girija, commissioning editor at the Institute of Physics, Professor Kerstin Göpfrich, group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Joanne Baker, author of four popular science books and Chief Opinion Editor at Nature, and Emma Williams, professional development coach and careers expert who has a wealth of insight into not just her own journey, but those she mentors. We hope that this conversation will give you valuable insights into the many paths and opportunities for people doing physics. Useful links
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Episode creditsHost: Simone Eizagirre Barker Recording and Editing: Chris Brock This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy | |||
| 05 Sep 2024 | Curiosity Unbound: Robert Ssempijja and Harry Cliff | 00:46:11 | |
Our guests today come from very different walks of life and have been following widely different paths, which have both led them here to Cambridge and the Cavendish. More than just location, it’s clear that our guests have a lot in common and a lot to share. Ugandan contemporary artist, dancer and researcher, Robert Ssempijja, is the third Cavendish Arts Science Fellow at Girton College, a programme that creates collective encounters between art and science, that explores the world, our humanity and our place in the world. His work explores things that spoken language cannot always explain, and that are too difficult to talk about out loud. Harry Cliff is a particle physicist working on the LHCb experiment, a huge particle detector buried 100 metres underground at CERN in Switzerland, to study the basic building blocks of our universe, in search of answers to some of the biggest questions in modern physics. He is also a recognised author of popular science books, and a former curator at the Science Museum in London. Ssempijja and Harry have met in Cambridge as part of Ssempijja’s fellowship, and have instantly recognised a common curiosity, and a desire to continuously question the world around them. So it’s very logical that we are welcoming them both today to the podcast, to expand upon their journeys with us, and discuss their shared questions and approaches between art and physics. Useful links
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| 05 May 2022 | Tom Sharp | 00:39:46 | |
This month our guest is Tom Sharp, group technician for the Optoelectronics research group here at the Department of Physics, where his day to day involves working closely with scientists to maintain and troubleshoot equipment and ensure a smooth running of the laboratories and facilities. Tom was always drawn to mechanical work growing up, and joined the Cavendish through an apprenticeship 10 years ago. In that time his role has changed, evolving from working in the mechanical workshop to being in charge of producing and maintaining a whole group’s equipment. As someone who has to solve problems on a daily basis, Tom works with the mindset that you can’t get brought down with failures - sometimes your first solution won’t work as you hoped, but it’s all about learning, improving and adapting to new situations and challenges. But how does one learn to work in such a fast-paced and unpredictable environment? And what’s it like to work so closely with researchers and play a crucial part in setting up the experiments that lead to ground-breaking discoveries? Stay tuned as we ask Tom all about this and more… A bit of jargon busting: OE: Optoelectronics SP: Semiconductor Physics ME: Microelectronics Please help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future.Thank you for your time. Jump into the conversation:[00:33] - Guests intro [12:18] – In the news this month: Meet June Broomhead (Lindsey), the woman who contributed to the discovery of DNA's double-helix [38:58] - Outro Useful links:
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Episode credits:Hosts: Simone Eizagirre Barker and Jacob Butler News presenters: Vanessa Bismuth and Paolo Molignini Producer: Chris Brock This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy | |||
| 06 Jun 2024 | Pushing boundaries with Lisa Jardine-Wright | 00:43:04 | |
We are joined by Dr Lisa Jardine-Wright, OBE; Director of Isaac Physics, Director of Studies for Physics at Churchill College, and Vice-President for Education and Skills at the Institute of Physics. An astrophysicist by training, Lisa studied Natural Sciences and for a Master’s Degree in Physics at Trinity College in Cambridge, before completing her PhD at the Institute of Astronomy just over the road from the Cavendish. While there, she became involved in the Institute’s outreach activities, contributing to the first Cambridge Festivals and the regular Public Open Evenings, before moving on to a postdoc that was split evenly between simulating the formation of spiral galaxies and outreach. Since then, she has been a media fellow at the Financial Times, Astronomy Consultant for the Royal Observatory, Outreach Officer at the Cavendish, and co-founder of the internationally-used Isaac Physics project. Her work to support outreach and education has been widely recognised; Lisa has won numerous awards, culminating in an OBE for services to education in 2022. In this episode, we talk to her about her route through science, the valuable perspective that comes from seeing your work through non-specialist eyes, and the importance of making her teachers work late… Useful links
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| 03 Oct 2024 | Exploring the Intersection of Physics and Business with Sam Stranks | 00:37:35 | |
Today we are joined by Professor Sam Stranks, Professor of Optoelectronics and Royal Society University Research Fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, and a Joint Member here at the Cavendish Laboratory. Growing up in Australia, Sam graduated from the University of Adelaide with a BA in German and Applied Mathematics, alongside a BSc in Physics and Physical Chemistry, before completing a PhD at Oxford University. His research focuses on developing novel materials for low-cost electronics applications, such as solar cells and LEDs, and he is co-founder of Swift Solar, a company taking this technology to market by developing lightweight perovskite solar panels. If working in business and academia wasn't enough, Sam teaches at the university, setting up several new PhD programmes, and is one the co-founders of Sustain/Education, a national charity developing content for Primary Schools looking at climate change solutions. In this episode, we talk about his multidisciplinary route through science, how he manages to keep a foot in both research and industry, and just how many times he came close to dropping physics entirely...
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This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy | |||
| 05 Dec 2024 | The Bad Boy of Science: Particle Physics meets Science Communications | 00:44:03 | |
This month, our guest is Dr Sam Gregson, better known as YouTube’s Bad Boy of Science. Formerly a Cavendish particle physicist working on the LHCb experiment at CERN, Sam found that he enjoyed finding ways to engage non-specialist audiences with fundamental physics more than submitting himself to peer-review and moved into science communication. The founder of LHComedy, CERN’s first ever comedy show, he now runs science education shows that have played in venues as diverse as the Royal Institution and The Green Man Festival. His Hunting the Higgs talk was recently performed for hundreds of school students here at the Cavendish, and has been seen by tens of thousands around the world. Alongside this, he blogs, podcasts, and regularly posts videos to YouTube covering current scientific stories and in-depth breakdowns of complex particle physics. Today, we’ll talk about what drove him to look for the most fundamental building blocks of the universe, why he now subjects himself to audiences of teenagers, and how he feels particle physics research can make a better case for itself… Stay with us! Useful links
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This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy | |||
| 01 Feb 2024 | Eloy de Lera Acedo: Tiny signals, big ambitions | 00:32:57 | |
Have you ever looked at the sky at night and wondered about the mysteries of the universe? When most of us are just looking at those bright stars in awe, our guest today would be searching for tiny, minuscule signals that would help unlock the mysteries of the so-called Cosmic Dawn, when the universe went from dark to bright. Eloy de Lera Acedo is an Associate Professor of Radio Cosmology and the head of the Radio Astronomy and Cosmology research group. His background in engineering and thirst of learning about the big science questions have led him to the Cavendish where he is involved in multiple international projects for new radio telescopes exploring a very, very infant universe. So, with Eloy, we talk about the universe of course and how it went from darkness to radiant, but also about childhood curiosity, choosing between technical and theoretical knowledge, and about convincing people. Useful links
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Episode creditsHosts: Shelly Liu and Vanessa Bismuth Recording and Editing: Chris Brock This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy | |||
| 03 Apr 2025 | Russell Cowburn: physics, faith... and nanotechnology | 00:44:50 | |
We’re excited to welcome Russell Cowburn, professor or experimental physics at the Cavendish Laboratory, serial entrepreneur, and a man of faith, newly appointed Canon Scientist at St Albans Cathedral. Russel’s journey to becoming a physicist started with a light bulb moment, quite literally. From his early interest in electronics to his education and career in Cambridge, with a couple of detours through engineering and France, his profile sits at the intersection between science and technology. With over 60 patents granted, Russell is a master at translating discoveries into technologies. The emergence of nanotechnology - the manipulation of matter on a tiny scale - in the late 90s shaped his research approach, recognising the need for collaboration across disciplines and the importance of technology transfer to solve real-world problems. In that spirit, he’s founded three companies, including one focused on nanotechnology instrumentation and another aimed at speeding up drug discovery, reflecting his commitment to applying science to the needs of our modern societies. Together we talk about the oh-so important ability to pivot in science, standing on the shoulders of giants and his engagement in bridging science and faith. Useful links
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Episode creditsHosts: Charlie Walker and Vanessa Bismuth Recording and editing: Chris Brock This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy | |||
| 07 Nov 2024 | Behind the lab coat: Oliwia Zawadzka on apprenticeships in physics | 00:35:25 | |
This month, we are joined by Oliwia Zawadzka, a Research Laboratory Technician at the Cavendish Laboratory. Oliwia grew up in Poland before moving to the UK aged 9. Dropped in at the deep end, she spent the next few years learning English just in time to sit her exams. Despite doing well, she decided the typical path through university wasn’t for her and set about finding an apprenticeship that suited. This brought her to the Cavendish, where she started as a laboratory technician apprentice, helping the technicians in their work supporting the research of the department. Today, we’ll talk about where her time as an apprentice has taken her, what it’s like telling Cambridge academics what to do, her work around the university to bring awareness to the programmes available, and her advice to anyone thinking about following a similar path… Useful links
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This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy | |||
| 07 Jul 2022 | Joanna Piotrowska | 00:38:17 | |
IntroOur guest this month is Joanna Piotrowska, a PhD student looking at galaxy formation and evolution in the group of Prof. Roberto Maiolino. By using a mix of observational cosmology and numerical simulations, Joanna is studying how supermassive black holes – the giant black holes thought to reside at the center of every galaxy – can influence star formation, and in particular the mystery of why certain galaxies cease to generate any new stars. Joanna was born and raised in Warsaw, Poland. During her high school years, she quickly discovered her two great passions: artistic expression and the universe. At first, she contemplated going to art school, and even prepared a portfolio for her application, but in the end, she chose to move to Cambridge to pursue a degree in natural sciences. To this day, though, she tries to combine her artistic side with her scientific one. On the one hand, her studies of black holes and star formation inspire her artistic work with water-based paint on silk. On the other hand, she uses her knowledge about color theory and form to make the visual aids in her publications more accessible and meaningful. However, her long-term goal is not just to study space; she wants to become an astronaut and actually visit it. We will chat with her about walking the fine line between observational cosmology and numerical methods, the importance of outreach communication in science, and the skills required to become an astronaut and how she is preparing for it. Stay with us… Please help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time. [00:33] - Guests intro [02:10] – Astrophysics most fascinating field of physics [03:00] – Early background and fascination of observing the sky attracted her to astrophysics [04:50] – Experience of meeting a Polish astronaut [05:55] – Making a choice between Arts and Physics [08:20] – Motivation behind studying physics in Cambridge, UK [10:38] – Experience in UK studying physics and choosing Astrophysics [12:38] – Experience with untold side of physics with the coding/simulation side of physics [13:55] – Astrophysics melting pot of all the different fields in physics [15:45] – Inspiration behind looking at the influence of supermassive black holes on star formation in galaxies during PhD [16:46] – Steep learning curve [19:02] – Walking the thin line between observational astrophysics and simulations [20:20] – Using publicly available data for the research extremely important [22:54] – Postdoctoral position at Caltech and research related to physics of accretion disks around black holes [25:10] – In the news this month: Researchers have discovered a new effect in two-dimensional conductive systems that promises improved performance of terahertz detectors. A team of scientists at the Cavendish Laboratory, together with colleagues at the Universities of Augsburg (Germany) and Lancaster, has found a new physical effect when two-dimensional electron systems are exposed to terahertz waves. [27:22] – Finding ways of combining arts with science [28:51] – Suggestions on improving scientific communication [31:42] – Dream of becoming an astronaut and preparation [32:55] – Path to be followed towards becoming an astronaut [34:18] – Choosing the public vs private sector for space travel [35:33] – Future of space life is tourism [36:51] – Outro Useful links:
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| 06 Mar 2025 | Charlotte Simmonds: Chasing Stars | 00:29:25 | |
Today on People Doing Physics, we’re delighted to welcome Charlotte Simmonds, an astronomer with an incredible journey and a woman on a quest. Of all the guests we had the pleasure to welcome here, Charlotte stands out as one of the most determined, driven by an unshakable fascination for the universe, and our place within it. If astronomy was always her end goal, she first studied and started her career as a music teacher. But when the time was right, she finally embraced her first love and passion and navigated her way through the various challenges that academia invariably presents. Now a postdoc in the Galaxy Formation and Evolution Group at the Cavendish, it looks like she’s found her rightful place in the universe and is already preparing for her next move. With Charlotte, we’ll talk about taking chances, the importance of representations in science and her efforts to demonstrate that no matter who you are and how different you may be, there’s a place for you in science if you want it… Useful links
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Episode creditsHosts: Charlie Walker and Vanessa Bismuth Recording and editing: Chris Brock This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy | |||
| 03 Feb 2022 | Louise Hirst | 00:30:26 | |
Our guest this month is LOUISE HIRST, Assistant Professor of Physics, and specialist of the development of advanced, high efficiency photovoltaics for space applications like powering satellites and exploring space. As a teenager and young adult, she contemplated a dual career in music and science, but knew she could not do both so finally decided to push her physics studies, with the idea she could get into finance or banking. Today, she’s not working in the City but continues to play the trumpet and piano when she’s not manipulating materials in the lab. She spent several years at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC, where she did her postdoc. The lab brings together civilians and military staff, an environment she found both intellectually stimulating and challenging. Louise Hirst is not easily impressionable, andcertainly not easily discouraged. But is it a natural trait or did she have to build her confidence the hard way? We’re asking her and more in this episode. Jump into the conversation:[00:00] - Guest intro [01:50] - How did it all start? [02:56] - Music or physics? Finance or research? [05:15] - It’s all about photovoltaics [09:58] - Working with military staff in the U.S. [13:13] - In the news this month - 3D printed nanomagnets unveil a world of patterns in the magnetic field [15:10] - Being a woman in science and sticking up for oneself [20:50] – Interdisciplinary and translational themes at the University of Cambridge [23:50] – Is physics changing? [28:00] – Where next? [29:28] - Outro Useful links:
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Episode credits:Hosts: Vanessa Bismuth and Paolo Molignini News presenters: Jacob Butler and Simone Eizagirre Barker Producer: Chris Brock This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy | |||
| 04 May 2023 | Louise Shanahan and Noam Mouelle: balancing elite sports and a physics PhD | 00:35:05 | |
Help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time. Today we're joined by two physicists who have not only distinguished themselves in the sciences but risen to the top of their sporting fields as well. Louise Shanahan is a PhD student in the Atomic Mesoscopic and Optical Physics group, as part of the Winton programme for the physics of sustainability here at the Cavendish. Siting at the borders of physics and biochemistry, her work looks at nano diamonds and there use in measuring cells properties. Alongside this, she has found time to excel in middle distance running, becoming European youth Champion, Irish champion and representing Ireland in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Noam Mouelle is a PhD student with the high Energy Physics Group, part of the National Atom Interferometry Observatory and Network, using Ultra Cold Atom Technologies to investigate dark matter. In his sporting life, he's won several French national junior titles in rowing, competed in the Junior World Championships, and was one of the rowers in the 2023 Cambridge men's team who won the famous Oxford Cambridge Boat Race last March. They talk to us today about balancing training and study, the benefits and downsides their lifestyle brings and what they get up to when they're not out on the track or river. [00:40] Guests intro [01:40] What brought you to physics? [03:08] Working at a similar scale but looking at very different things [06:50] A PhD as a natural progression from undergraduate studies [09:07] A typical day balancing studies and sports [12:23] To say or not to say, a different approach to disclosing a sporting carreer to their supervisors [16:44] Why running, why rowing? And how it helps in physics (and vice versa) [23:36] Qualifying for the Olympics - a long term ambition [26:30] Coming to Cambridge to study AND win the boat race [29:22] So, what's next? [34:30] Outro Useful links
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This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy | |||
| 26 Jan 2022 | Introducing People doing Physics | 00:01:07 | |
People Doing Physics is a new podcast from the Cavendish Laboratory (at the University of Cambridge) exploring the personal side of physics. Our first episode launches on 3rd February 2022. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Follow and connect with the show on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics. For more details and episodes notes, visit phy.cam.ac.uk/podcast This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy | |||
| 06 Feb 2025 | Simone Eizagirre Barker: Taking research to the world (Replay) | 00:43:23 | |
This episode was first published in May 2024 This month on People Doing Physics, we have a voice very familiar to listeners; Simone Eizagirre Barker, PhD student in the Quantum Optical Materials and Systems group at the Cavendish. Following a winding path into Optical Physics, Simone previously dipped her toes into Nanotechnology in the Cavendish’ NanoDTC, and Chemical Physics at the University of Edinburgh. Her interdisciplinary background builds on her fascination for figuring out how the world works, whether looking at quantum systems or how to structure the perfect argument. Outside of science, Simone has been involved in student magazines, debating clubs, improv theatre, and podcasts, most notably (in our opinion) as one of the founding members of this very podcast. She also produces a fortnightly segment for Basque public broadcast radio’s Faktoria Magazina. In this episode, Simone talks about finding her way through a multi-disciplinary career in science, the importance of communication, and how to publish your first academic paper at the age of 16... Useful links
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Episode creditsHosts: Jacob Butler and Vanessa Bismuth Recording and editing: Chris Brock This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy | |||
| 02 May 2024 | Simone Eizagirre Barker: Taking research to the world | 00:43:23 | |
This month on People Doing Physics, we have a voice very familiar to listeners; Simone Eizagirre Barker, PhD student in the Quantum Optical Materials and Systems group at the Cavendish. Following a winding path into Optical Physics, Simone previously dipped her toes into Nanotechnology in the Cavendish’ NanoDTC, and Chemical Physics at the University of Edinburgh. Her interdisciplinary background builds on her fascination for figuring out how the world works, whether looking at quantum systems or how to structure the perfect argument. Outside of science, Simone has been involved in student magazines, debating clubs, improv theatre, and podcasts, most notably (in our opinion) as one of the founding members of this very podcast. She also produces a fortnightly segment for Basque public broadcast radio’s Faktoria Magazina. In this episode, Simone talks about finding her way through a multi-disciplinary career in science, the importance of communication, and how to publish your first academic paper at the age of 16... Useful links
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Episode creditsHosts: Jacob Butler and Vanessa Bismuth Recording and editing: Chris Brock This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy | |||
| 06 Jul 2023 | An open conversation with physics students, Misha de Fockert, Ming-Shau Liu and Armaan Shaikh | 00:40:52 | |
Help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you. This is July and the streets of Cambridge burst with sun and excitement as students let a communal sigh of relief now that the academic year is over. This is July, and the time for future students to think about what subject they might be studying when choosing to go to university. As we are welcoming hundreds of potential new students today and tomorrow for the University of Cambridge Open Days, we have invited three of our current undergraduate students to join us in the studio and talk to us, honestly and without filters, about their experience at Cambridge. Hearing directly from them may help young people thinking about studying physics in Cambridge or anywhere else, to take the leap. Misha de Fockert and Armaan Shaikh have just finished their 2nd year – here in Cambridge we call it Part IB, and Ming-Shau Liu is graduating from Cambridge after his 4th year, which, not confusingly at all, is called Part 3! All three of them, and this is just a coincidence, are students at Homerton College. With them today we talk about taking the time to reflect, imposter syndrome, building bridges and making friends for life. Useful links
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Episode creditsHosts: Vanessa Bismuth and Jacob Butler Recording and Editing: Chris Brock This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy | |||
| 05 Jan 2023 | Sarah Bohndiek | 00:39:49 | |
IntroWe’re joined today by Prof. Sarah Bohndiek, Professor of Biomedical Physics at the Cavendish Laboratory, Group Leader at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, and Fellow of Corpus Christi College. Born in Greenwich, Sarah found an early enthusiasm for science and went on to study Natural Sciences as an undergraduate student at Cambridge University. Drawn to interdisciplinary research, she completed a PhD in Radiation Physics at UCL’s Department of Medical Physics, looking at x-ray imaging techniques for cancer detection and working alongside biologists and chemists. Following this, Sarah moved towards optics, in order to become involved in clinical trials and took up postdoctoral positions in Cambridge and Stanford. Currently, her research group, the Vision Lab, looks to understand tumours using new medical imaging techniques, and Sarah is also particularly interested in the incredibly important process of standardising complex methods and datasets between laboratories. Alongside her research, she has championed public engagement and interdisciplinary research training, and pushes for open access, practical solutions to serious medical issues. Stay with us… Please help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time. [00:34] – Guest’s intro [02:03] – Growing up in Greenwich, fascination with Astrophysics and interest in physics [03:36] – Interest in using physics for medical application [08:35] – X-ray tomography techniques and working as part of the UK-wide consortium during PhD [12:05] – Inter-disciplinary aspect of work [13:27] – Importance of Physics of medicine building and holistic medical research approach [20:01] – In the news this month we talk about how reshaping RNA to an origami identifier opens new avenues for understanding and advancing disease diagnostics. RNA or ribonucleic acid is one of the key biological molecules that bridges our genetic information (DNA) and molecular factories (proteins). RNA has a single strand in comparison to double-stranded DNA helix. Labour-intensive approach of RNA sequencing suffers enzyme biases that causes the loss of native RNA information including RNA identity and quantity. Up until now, we could not detect RNA ‘makeup’, including its chemical modifications and overall shape. The mere order of bases in RNA could not tell us how that RNA looked. Researchers have recently developed a new method - Amplification-free RNA TargEt Multiplex Isoform Sensing (ARTEMIS) that has made possible the identification of multiple RNAs in parallel. [25:15] – Shift from imaging to NMR [29:16] – Current Research while leading the Vision Lab at the Cavendish [31:00] – Making improvement in the existing medical technologies(devices) [32:47] – Working with humongous datasets, open access and standardisation [36:12] – Future exciting development in medical imaging [38:59] – Outro Useful links
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| 01 Sep 2022 | Diana Fusco | 00:42:22 | |
IntroJoining us this month is Dr Diana Fusco, lecturer in biological physics here at the Cavendish Laboratory. Diana is an amazing example of what it means to have an interdisciplinary and curiosity-driven career. Her scientific journey started at the University of Milan, where as an undergraduate, she focused mainly on theoretical and statistical physics. For her doctoral studies at Duke University, she took her first big jump and pivoted to computational work in soft matter physics and proteins. After that, she switched gears yet again and embarked on a postdoc in experimental microbiology at Berkeley. Diana then joined the Department of Physics here at the Cavendish in 2018, where her growing research group now focuses on understanding bacterial biofilms and the coevolution between bacteria and viruses, employing a wide range of tools from microscopy, to theoretical modelling, to computational simulations. In today’s episode, we’ll ask her about her unusual and adventurous journey through the disciplines, the differences and intersections between theoretical and experimental sciences, and what it’s like to not just find your path, but create it. Stay with us… Please help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time. [00:35] – Guest’s intro [01:45] – Background and early interest in science [03:04] – Interest and journey in Biological Physics [03:49] – Moving to United States for PhD in Computational Biology and academic environment [08:12] – Motivation behind switching to experimental research and finding post doc opportunity [11:30] – Different approach towards doing science [13:21] – Examples of other people who may have followed a similar science research journey [13:56] – Shift and acceptance towards interdisciplinary science [15:18] – Experiments during Postdoc – theory of bacterial evolution [17:47] – In the news this month is the Cosmology experiment based in South Africa – HERA, Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array and its impact upon local development. The University of Cambridge is one of the seven international institutions, outside of South Africa, that collaborated on the international project – HERA, Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array. HERA is an international astronomy infrastructure, a radio telescope dedicated to observing how the first structures formed in the very early stages of the universe, as the first stars and galaxies lit up space. As per an impact study from SARAO, the University of Cambridge has been involved with the project in multiple ways. This involvement with the project, along with that by other institutions, has made a difference to the local community as well as nationally in South Africa. [22:08] – Post-doc at Berkley and experience of applying to other senior positions [24:16] – Decision to take up the Cavendish Opportunity [26:36] – Moving to Cavendish and starting the research group during the pandemic [28:11] – About the current group research (two projects) – • Bio-films and bacteria communities • Evolution of bacteriophages [30:40] – Kind of experiments – Evolutionary experiments [32:45] – Discrepancies in the experiments [34:30] – More on Bio-films [36:00] – Research Approach (bottom-up approach ) [37:55] – How is the bottoms-up research approach different from other research approaches? [39:15] – Future of the research [41:18] – Outro --- Useful links:• Visit Biological and Biomedical Physics to understand more about their research. • Read the article on... | |||
| 04 Aug 2022 | Melanie Tribble | 00:39:07 | |
IntroJoining us this month is Melanie Tribble, the Cleanroom Manager for the Cavendish Laboratory. For the last three decades, she has kept the cleanrooms of the Cavendish up and running, going from working with one research group to providing support for the entire laboratory and external companies – ensuring that the ultra-clean environment needed for the creation of modern semiconductors is maintained, despite the aging hardware and a constant influx of new users. Growing up in Birmingham, Melanie found an enthusiasm for Physics at an early age; despite having to travel to the local boys’ school to actually find a Physics teacher. She later went on to study at Oxford, where she picked up a husband as well as a degree in Physics. After a brief stint work in atomic energy and selling store credit cards in Canada, she found herself job-hunting in Cambridge just as a position in the cleanrooms became available and she has been here ever since. From starting off with nearly no knowledge of cleanroom equipment, Melanie has overseen two extensions to the cleanrooms and an explosion in the types of devices created in them. When she’s not fixing aging apparatus or making devices for undergraduates, she’s training users or helping researchers turn their plans into reality. Today, we’ll chat with her about what it takes to keep a cleanroom running, her path into science, and the changes she’s seen during her time in the lab. Stay with us… Please help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time. [00:33] - Guests intro [02:26] – What is a cleanroom? [03:00] – Typical Day as a Cleanroom Manager [05:49] – Choosing and starting Science and Physics [9:20] – Reasons behind choosing Physics at Oxford [13:05] – Story behind meeting her husband at Oxford [14:30] – In the news this month: A team of researchers led by the NanoPhotonics Centre in the Cavendish Laboratory has shown a way to monitor the chemistry of liquid electrolytes during battery cycling by Raman spectroscopy. Similar to a blood test, Raman spectra of battery electrolytes provide unique information on their chemical state-of-health. The research team’s spectroscopic measurements reveal significant changes in the carbonate solvents and electrolyte additives during charging and discharging, allowing them to track how lithium-ions repeatably move across the battery. The new methodology contributes to understanding better the limitations of Li-ion batteries and paves the way for studies of degradation mechanisms in different electrochemical energy storage systems. [15:54] – Interesting career path – experience in Atomic energy [17:43] – Canada Experience [19:33] – Coming back to UK and starting work in the cleanroom [21:12] – Experience of working in the cleanroom [23:44] – Measures in the cleanrooms to avoid cross contamination [26:24] – Evolution of cleanrooms over the years and current scenario [28:53] – Physics department changes over the years [30:23] – Work during the pandemic [38:15] – Outro --- Useful links:Read the article on this month’s news - Seeing recharging of lithium-ion batteries with fibre Raman spectroscopy Journal Article link of the news release - Hollow-core optical fibre sensors for operando Raman spectroscopy investigation of... | |||
| 02 Nov 2023 | The rise of the machine (learning) with Gareth Conduit | 00:35:22 | |
Today we’re joined by Dr Gareth Conduit. Gareth is a lecturer at Gonville and Caius College and Royal Society Research Fellow here at the cavendish Laboratory. He leads a research group focused on developing machine learning methods for understanding and designing new materials and chemicals. In 2017, he co-founded the startup Intellegens, through which he’s worked with companies such as Rolls Royce to apply software developed in the lab to the kinds of materials questions faced by industry. Today, we talk about how the joy of physics can come from breaking things down to understand how they work, Gareth’s journey through Cambridge life as an undergraduate, postgraduate and now independent researcher, and the exciting opportunities and advances that arise when you bring physics and computers together to solve real-world challenges. Useful links
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This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy | |||
| 07 Dec 2023 | The power of saying yes with Emily Roe | 00:28:16 | |
Our guest today is Emily Roe, who has recently joined us from industry to start a new role as Senior Research Laboratory Technician. Contrary to many of our previous guests, Physics is actually not her first love. What Emily was really interested in as a young mind, was geology. But it turns out field trips were not her thing, so after a degree in geology, she shifted to a lab role at the University of Durham. And shifting, she has continued to do throughout her career, jumping from one city to the next, and between University and Industry, showing off her versatility and adaptability skills in the process. She is known for her curiosity and willingness to take on new challenges, which made her accept this invitation on the podcast, but also landed her the title of “only female forklift operator” in her previous role. After nine years doing R&D in industry, she’s made yet another jump to join the Cavendish Laboratory where she now supports and assist cryostat users with their experiments and equipment. Together with Emily we talk about bridging the knowledge gap, pretty gems, culture shifts and a bit about forklifting, of course. Useful links
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This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy | |||
| 02 Mar 2023 | Sandro Tacchella: an international journey through extragalactic astrophysics | 00:34:33 | |
Help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time. Joining us this month is Dr Sandro Tacchella, Assistant Professor in Extragalactic Astrophysics at the Cavendish and the nearby Kavli Institute for Cosmology. Inspired by astronomy at a young age, Sandro pursued a degree in Physics and threaded a line between the “small” scale of planetary astrophysics and the statistical world of pure cosmology. He looks at the physics underpinning the formation of galaxies and black holes, hoping to understand how these cosmic structures came to be using data from some of the most advanced telescopes on, and above, Earth. His experience of using analytical and cosmological models to determine the physical properties of galaxies is being brought to bear on data from the recently activated James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam instrument, and he plays a key role in projects aimed at characterising the earliest galaxies. His research has taken him around the world, from Switzerland to Korea and the US, but he has still found time to start a family and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Today, we’ll talk to him about the benefits and unique problems he faces working in astrophysics, what it has been like to do cutting-edge research on three continents, and where he sees extragalactic astrophysics going in the near future. [00:36] – Guest’s intro [01:50] – Dreaming of space through a telescope [03:57] – Physics degree and outreach events to become a budding astronomer [05:03] – It's not so easy to do Astrophysics in Switzerland [06:00] – From broad astrophysics to extragalactic observations [08:17] – The exquisite images from the Hubble Space Telescope [10:00] – Why do galaxies look like what they do today? Look at them back in time! [12:17] – Live podcast announcement with special guest Professor Dame Athene Donald [13:42] - Starting a family while doing a PhD [16:35] – What counts when you try to succeed during a PhD are you don't get the support you need from your group? [20:05] – There is work, and there is family... [21:05] - Restarting a career at Harvard and working on the James Webb Telescope [23:15] – From Harvard to Korea to the UK- two kids, a partner, a postdoc, and a pandemic [26:35] - Analising the date from James Webb Telescope and understanding when the very first galaxies and black holes formed and how they evolved [31:25] Astrophysics is famous for finding things that nobody was expecting [33:46] – Outro Book ahead
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| 01 Aug 2024 | Replay: A tour of the Cavendish's new home with Andy Parker | 00:39:19 | |
The team is taking a short break this summer and will be back in September with a plethora of new guests. To help you wait, we’ve selected a couple of previous episodes we wanted to share again with you. This month, we go back to the Ray Dolby Centre for a tour of what was, at the time of recording in January 2023, still very much a building site. A year and a bit later, the newest home of the Cavendish Laboratory is now completed and we’re gearing up for the migration of 1,100 staff and students, along with research and teaching labs, scientific equipment, and technical instruments. Let’s jump back in with our guest Andy Parker, who was the Head of the Cavendish at the time, for a wander around the new building and a fantastic chat about inventions, reinventions, and the future of physics. We hope you’ll like it and if you do, don’t forget to rate the episode or to leave us a review on your favourite podcast app! Episode 13: A tour of the Cavendish's new home with Andy Parker This is episode 13 of People Doing Physics, the podcast from the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. This month marks our first birthday! One year, 12 guests, each one looking into their very own journey and connection with Physics. For this special anniversary episode, we’ve asked the head of the Cavendish Laboratory, Professor Andy Parker to take us to a building site. Not any building site though. The one, just across the road from the department’s current location, where the newest home for the Cavendish Laboratory will open in 2024. A Professor of High Energy Physics, Andy joined the Cavendish as a lecturer in 1989. He served as Deputy Head of Department for 3 years before becoming Head of Department in 2013. Who better than Andy then, who has overseen this immense project for the best part of the past 10 years, to show us around and talk about what the new building means for the future of physics in Cambridge and nationally? With him we wandered and we roamed and we talked: about particle physics, ever bigger underground tunnels, and a lost spring on the carpet. Useful links
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| 03 Nov 2022 | Tiffany Harte | 00:47:41 | |
Intro Joining us this month is Dr Tiffany Harte, senior research associate in the group of Prof. Ulrich Schneider here at the Cavendish Laboratory. Tiffany is an experimental physicist who works with ultracold atomic systems. These are gases of neutral elements like Rubidium or Lithium which are cooled down to incredibly low temperatures and used to probe with extreme precision fundamental properties of quantum matter which would otherwise be inaccessible in other kinds of experiments, for instance in material science. She has done research at St. Andrews, Oxford, and now Cambridge, working on all the aspects of ultracold experiments, from devising optical traps, to performing quantum simulation of exotic lattices, to engineering the next generation of cooling and transport instruments. Her latest project is very ambitious: in a consortium of 7 UK universities, she is trying to build a new type of interferometer with the ultimate goal of detecting dark matter and gravitational waves. Tiffany is also a very passionate outreach communicator. She is interested in finding new and creative ways of presenting her research, for instance by combining it with dance or devising board games inspired by the physics she sees in the lab. Her goal is to make science fun and understandable for a range of different audiences, from children to adults. In today’s episode, we’ll talk to her about the challenges of devising experiments at the limits of zero temperature, on how to find motivation when experiments break down, and how to navigate postdoc life in and out of the pandemic. Stay with us… Please help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time. [00:36] – Guest’s intro [02:16] – Early Background and inspiration to do physics [05:34] – Experience at St. Andrews [07:22] – First encounter with cold atoms, summer project involving laser beam shaping for traps [09:52] – Part of regular journal club where presented a paper on vortex nucleation in Bose-Einstein condensates [11:17] – PhD experience and challenges with the experiment(setup) [13:50] – Building back the experiment stronger and better [14:30] – Advice to a student dealing with similar issues (failed experiments, struggling with PhD) [18:33] – Post Doc at Cavendish Lab [21:02] – First project on quantum simulation of Kagome lattice for flat band physics and frustrated magnetism [25:28] – In the news this month we talk about a new technique to look inside Lithium-ion batteries. Clean and efficient energy storage technologies are essential to establishing a renewable energy infrastructure. Lithium-ion batteries are already dominant in personal electronic devices and are promising candidates for reliable grid-level storage and electric vehicles. It is very important to improve their charging rates and usable lifetimes. To do so scientist need to understand the changes occurring inside an operating battery. Researchers at the Cavendish have now developed a low-cost lab-based optical microscopy technique to study lithium-ion batteries. The key advantages of the methodology will enable further exploration of what happens when batteries fail and how to prevent it. The technique can be applied to study almost any type of battery material, making it an important piece of the puzzle in the development of next-generation batteries. [28:12] – Most recent experiment on AION project [37:31] – Outreach, Public Engagement and sharing the love for science [42:37] – Research Staff Committee role [46:25] – Outro --- Useful links:
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| 06 Apr 2023 | Athene Donald: Physics, a way to change the world | 00:39:16 | |
Help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time. We are very excited to present a very special episode this month. The podcast has been recorded with a live audience in the Pippard lecture theatre during the Cavendish Festival. For this special episode, we’re joined by Professor Athene Donald, Emeritus of Experimental Physics at the Cavendish and Master of Churchill College Cambridge. Athene has had an illustrious research career in soft matter physics for which she has received numerous accolades, including the Royal Society Bakerian Medal, the L'Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Award, the Institute of Physics' Faraday Medal, and ten honorary doctorates. She is also a strong advocate for women in science and has chaired numerous diversity and gender equality initiatives that seek to improve the representation and career progression of women in STEM. [00:48] – Guest’s intro [03:29] – Inspiration to do science and physics [06:41] – Experience of studying natural sciences at Girton College and overcoming initial difficulties in studying physics [14:15] – Keeping motivated during the research [16:48] – Moving to Cornell for post doc and culture shock [18:18] – Coming back to Cambridge and work in soft matter physics [19:50] – Studying Mechanical properties of snack foods and using techniques like small angle X-ray scattering [23:00] – Inspiration behind advocacy of women in science and the book release - Not just for the Boys [26:33] – Diversity is good for science [28:05] – Decision on joining Churchill College as Master [30:32] – Blogging and the book – Not just for the boys [31:35] – Outreach and policy work [34:00] – Tackling generalised statements about women and girls in science [37:02] – Advocacy work and hope for future [38:05] – Outro Useful links
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| 07 Apr 2022 | Suchitra Sebastian and Logan Dandridge | 00:39:46 | |
We’re doing things a bit differently this month, welcoming not one but two guests in this episode. Suchitra Sebastian is a professor of Physics at the Cavendish, but like cats, she had more than a few lives before becoming a world-class scientist. And like cats, she moves gracefully between very different worlds. It took time and a few twists and turns before a career in research became a conscious choice and ever since, she’s been finding ways to keep it interesting, fresh and fun for her. Since 2016, she’s the director of Cavendish Arts Science, a programme that seeks to question and explore material and immaterial universes through a dialogue between the arts and sciences. Last autumn, the programme appointed the artist Logan Dandridge, our second guest today, as the First Cavendish Arts Science Fellow. Logan grew up in Richmond, Virginia in the 90s to become a filmmaker whose work explores race, memory, and time through sound and the moving image. Last January, Logan traveled all the way from Syracuse University in the State of New York (USA), where he teaches films, to spend six months in Cambridge. Here, he’s creating encounters with Cavendish physicists to create new work that grapples with questions of memory, and re-imagined futures. With Logan and Suchitra, we talk about personal awakenings, messing around and finding out things by chance, and seeking out intersections between worlds that don’t necessarily collide. Jump into the conversation:[00:30] - Guests intro [02:10] – When Physics is not an obvious choice, one takes detours [05:20] – A fringe physicist venturing into the borderlands of condensed matters [09:18] – Physics alone will not do – exploring different forms of expression to know the world and be in it [13:40] – Pushing the boundaries of arts and science to create a dialogue and provocation between the two [17:15] – Crossing the line between Arts and Science and vice versa. [21:05] – In the news this month: Two-dimensional material could store quantum information at room temperature [25:05] – Who are you, Logan Dandridge? [26:50] – The beauty of the moving images, “sculpture and painting happening at the same time” [28:35] – Why engaging with scientists now? [29:40] – Expectations v. reality [30:40] – ‘Oh, I’m looking!’ [32:20] – What to expect from Cavendish Arts Science [37:07] – How many black futures will end before they begin… [38:48] - Outro --- Useful links:
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| 06 Oct 2022 | Malcolm Longair | 00:37:31 | |
IntroWith us this month is Prof. Malcolm Longair, CBE, FRS, FRSE (and Munroist). Born in Dundee, in 1941, Malcolm studied Electronic Physics at what is now the University of Dundee, but was then part of St Andrews. After this, he came down south to the Cavendish, where he completed his PhD as part of the Radio Astronomy Group, supervised by Martin Ryle. Specialising in high energy astrophysics and astrophysical cosmology, Malcolm has since been a Royal Society Exchange Visitor to the USSR; held visiting professorships at prestigious institutions around the world; been the Astronomy Royal for Scotland; Cambridge’s Jacksonian Professor of Natural Philosophy; Deputy Head and Head of the Cavendish Laboratory. He has contributed to international scientific bodies, such as NASA and ESA, and found the time to publish 22 books, over 300 scientific papers, and give hundreds of public lectures. Most recently, he has been Director of Development for the Cavendish Laboratory. In this role, he has helped modernise the Cavendish Laboratory, with the building of the Physics of Medicine building and Maxwell Centre, and the soon-to-be completed Ray Dolby Centre which will house most of the upcoming National Facility for Physics. Today, we will be talking about Malcolm’s path into Physics, what over half a century of working at the cutting edge of science has taught him, and where he sees the Cavendish laboratory going in the future. Stay with us… Please help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time. [00:36] – Guest’s intro [02:39] – Starting out in Physics [05:08] – Time at Cambridge doing PhD [06:00] – 1960’s, the revolutionary decade of Astronomy [08:00] – Time in Moscow 1968/1969 and change of attitude towards understanding science [10:35] – Joining back at Cambridge as an Assistant Professor [11:12] – Understanding in Physics continues to develop [11:37] – Involvement with various organisations and evolving from research focused role to managing the big picture [12:06] – Experience with SRC and becoming Astronomer Royal for Scotland [13:55] – Interdisciplinary Scientist for Hubble Space Telescope (1977) and learning how to get big projects operating [15:40] – Guidance to scientists looking at working in policy and related fields [17:00] – Important things for scientists to think about for fundings and funding proposals [20:49] – In the news this month we focus on how artificial intelligence is helping to speed up the discovery of new materials. Atoms are the basic building blocks of every material. Combining different types of atoms naturally leads to different materials. However, it is not just the types of atoms that determine material properties, but also their arrangement. [24:37] – Moving back to Cavendish as Professor and Head of the Department, and rebuilding Cavendish Laboratory [27:50] – Sequence of new Cavendish buildings and facilities to support different research areas (such as Physics of Medicine, Astrophysics and more) [31:58] – Future vision essential for Cavendish [33:02] – Key takeaways, suggestions for early science researchers / physicists [36:35] – Outro --- Useful links:
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| 01 Dec 2022 | Paolo Molignini | 00:41:51 | |
IntroWe’re joined today by a familiar voice, Dr Paolo Molignini. Paolo will be leaving us soon, so this month we thought we would give a little insight into one of the people behind the podcast. Paolo is a postdoctoral research associate in the Theory of Condensed Matter group here at the Cavendish, bringing together elements of nonequilibrium physics, topological phases of matter, quantum optics and quantum simulation. Born in Switzerland, he gained his BSc, MSc, and PhD in Physics from ETH Zurich before taking up a postdoctoral position in the Quantum Systems Engineering group at Oxford. His research involves developing several software applications for modelling quantum systems, including UNIQORN, which applies machine learning to model systems of ultra-cold atoms. On top of this, Paolo has found time to contribute to several outreach programmes; producing a series of videos on superconductors during his time at Oxford, creating a doodle video on topological insulators for the first online Cambridge Science Festival, as well as hosting a monthly podcast looking at the people behind the physics research taking place at the Cavendish. Today, we’ll talk about his experiences growing up in southern Switzerland, his path from Civil Engineer to Physicist, the work he does as a theoretician working in an experimental laboratory, and where this will take him next. Stay with us… Please help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time. [00:36] – Guest’s intro [02:02] – Current role at the Cavendish [03:00] – More about Topological materials [04:37] – Early interest in Science [06:20] – Choosing Physics [11:00] – Gravitating towards Condensed matter physics [14:30] – Finding the PhD role and finding funding [18:05] – In the news this month we talk about phase transitions. Whether we boil water or cook pasta, a phase transition is taking place. Matter can appear in many more different phases, some of which have an inherently quantum origin, such as superfluids or ferromagnets. While some of the classical phase transitions have been known for centuries, in recent years we have started to discover and study new exciting kinds of phase transitions at the quantum level which could be soon harnessed for incredible new technologies. [21:41] – Further News discussion with the guest Dr Paolo Molignini: Extending topological invariants to finite temperatures [24:23] – Further News discussion with the guest Dr Paolo Molignini: Making an insulator topological by changing the temperature [25:10] – Perception about research as a whole [27:37] – Challenges with getting research papers published in journals [29:41] – Successful way in research is to specialise in a sub-field and become leaders in that field [31:19] – Experience during PhD and enlarging skillsets (computing) [32:55] – Next career move as a postdoc and pandemic [36:30] – Interest in outreach and doing the podcast [38:11] – What is next? [41:00] – Outro --- Useful links:
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| 04 Jul 2024 | Replay: An open conversation with physics students | 00:41:46 | |
Hello dear listeners. The team of People doing Physics is taking a short break this summer and will be back in September with new guests and more physics chats. To help you wait, we’ve selected a couple of previous episodes we wanted to share again with you. We start with our panel episode with three Undergraduate students, which comes out just as we are about to welcome once again hundreds of potential new students for the University of Cambridge Open Days. This episode was recorded in June 2023, with Misha de Fockert and Armaan Shaikh, who were just finishing their 2nd year, and Ming-Shau Liu, who had just graduated from Cambridge after his 4th year. We’ll leave you with them and their very open and unfiltered views on their time and experience of studying physics at Cambridge. We hope you enjoy it, and if you do, don’t forget to rate it or leave a review on your favourite podcast app! Episode 18: An open conversation with physics students, Misha de Fockert, Ming-Shau Liu and Armaan Shaikh This is July and the streets of Cambridge burst with sun and excitement as students let a communal sigh of relief now that the academic year is over. This is July, and the time for future students to think about what subject they might be studying when choosing to go to university. As we are welcoming hundreds of potential new students today and tomorrow for the University of Cambridge Open Days, we have invited three of our current undergraduate students to join us in the studio and talk to us, honestly and without filters, about their experience at Cambridge. Hearing directly from them may help young people thinking about studying physics in Cambridge or anywhere else, to take the leap. Misha de Fockert and Armaan Shaikh have just finished their 2nd year – here in Cambridge we call it Part IB, and Ming-Shau Liu is graduating from Cambridge after his 4th year, which, not confusingly at all, is called Part 3! All three of them, and this is just a coincidence, are students at Homerton College. With them today we talk about taking the time to reflect, imposter syndrome, building bridges and making friends for life. Useful links
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Episode credits Hosts: Vanessa Bismuth and Jacob Butler Recording and Editing: Chris Brock This podcast uses the following third-party services for... | |||
| 02 Feb 2023 | A tour of the Cavendish's new home with Andy Parker | 00:38:35 | |
Help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time. This is episode 13 of People Doing Physics, the podcast from the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge. This month marks our first birthday! One year, 12 guests, each one looking into their very own journey and connection with Physics. For this special anniversary episode, we’ve asked the head of the Cavendish Laboratory, Professor Andy Parker to take us to a building site. Not any building site though. The one, just across the road from the department’s current location, where the newest home for the Cavendish Laboratory will open in 2024. A Professor of High Energy Physics, Andy joined the Cavendish as a lecturer in 1989. He served as Deputy Head of Department for 3 years before becoming Head of Department in 2013. Who better than Andy then, who has overseen this immense project for the best part of the past 10 years, to show us around and talk about what the new building means for the future of physics in Cambridge and nationally? With him we wandered and we roamed and we talked: about particle physics, ever bigger underground tunnels, and a lost spring on the carpet. [00:36] – Guest’s intro [01:38] – A walk through the Ray Dolby Centre – part 1 [07:07] – Back in the studio: how dismantling things as a kid lead to a career in physics [08:38] – The world of CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research [11:35] – 300 Neutrino collisions [12:40] – Young and foolish scientists solving the R&D issues related to construction of the Large Hadron Collider, and its ATLAS inner detector. [15:40] – Developing the next 100 km long accelerator [20:25] - A walk through the Ray Dolby Centre – part 2 [25:15] – Rebuilding a new laboratory and attracting the crème de la crème in physics [29:25] - Raising millions towards developing new physics and pushing towards the unknown [33:16] – The great relief [34:59] – What’s coming and exciting in Physics in the Ray Dolby Centre and elsewhere? [37:40] – Outro Useful links
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| 09 Jan 2025 | Richard King: From Cambridge with Love (Replay) | 00:40:24 | |
Welcome back to a world of People Doing Physics! For this first episode of 2024, let us introduce you to Richard King, the Undergraduate Lab Manager at the Cavendish Laboratory. Richard oversees the practical side of the undergraduate physics course, managing the team that designs, develops, and deploys lecture demos and undergraduate experiments. A former electronic engineer, his background was in circuit design and computing before he joined the Cavendish in 2008. With Richard, we talk about how Cambridge has changed over the years, what it’s like going from fast-paced industry to the sedate world of the university, the processes involved in setting up practical work for hundreds of undergraduates, and what exactly he was doing wandering around Costa Rica with photographs of old airfields last year. Useful links
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