What did you study at A-level and why did you select those subjects?
I studied Physics, Maths, English Literature, and Chemistry. I chose these subjects because I knew I was interested in STEM subjects, but I also really enjoyed English and writing, so I wanted to keep my options open.
What degree/PhD did you study?
Degree: MPhys Physics with Philosophy, University of York
PhD: Particle Physics, University of Liverpool
What inspired you to choose and study your degree subject?
During my A-levels, my interest in Physics really developed. I discovered that I was motivated by understanding how things work at the most fundamental level. When learning about Physics and Chemistry processes or doing experiments, I always wanted to know why things happened—not just how.
I was fascinated to learn that there are still many unanswered questions in science. I did my A-levels in 2009 when the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) was just starting up, and I was inspired by how excited the global scientific community was about this huge experiment to understand the basic building blocks of the universe.
What key skills did you learn at university?
The most important skill I learned was how to study a challenging topic deeply and really understand it, instead of just cramming for exams. You receive a lot of information in a short time during an undergraduate degree, so learning how you learn is a valuable skill.
I realised that my problem-solving abilities were stronger than my memory, so I focused on developing a toolkit of methods and principles to solve new problems, rather than trying to memorise everything. Physics is a great subject for that kind of thinking.
What jobs have you had during your career?
I spent five years as a Research Associate at Fermilab (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory) in the US, followed by two years as a Research Associate at the University of Liverpool before starting my current fellowship.
What is your current job and what do you enjoy about it?
I’m an Ernest Rutherford Research Fellow in the Particle Physics group at the University of Liverpool. What I love about this role is that I can dedicate time to research areas I find exciting. Being based at a university also means I get to work with undergraduate and PhD students, helping them explore and develop their own research interests.
Do you have an area of research?
Yes - my research focus is Muon Physics. Muons are tiny fundamental particles that are a bit like electrons, but slightly heavier, and they “decay” radioactively with a lifetime of 2.2 microseconds. They are naturally occurring – we can detect “cosmic” muons from space using small detectors on a desktop in the office – but we can also produce high-energy muons at particle accelerators, and these are what I study.
Since my PhD, I’ve worked on the Fermilab Muon g-2 experiment, which studies how muons behave in magnetic fields. The motion of muons in these fields is influenced by very brief interactions with other fundamental particles. By making ultra-precise measurements of this motion, we can infer the strength of those interactions.
If these measurements don’t match the theoretical predictions, it could mean that a new particle or force is influencing the muon’s motion—a potentially groundbreaking discovery!After all, the particles we currently know about (what we call “normal matter”) make up only 5% of the universe. The other 95% is dark matter and dark energy—completely mysterious. Particle physics experiments aim to uncover what these things are.
What has been your most exciting project?
In the Muon g-2 experiment, we compare our measurement with a known predicted value. An important part of the scientific process was “blinding” the data – applying a secret offset to the measurements to remove the possibility of bias in the data analysis. This offset was applied by three scientists who were not in the collaboration, and they kept the offset in an envelope that would only be given to us when all scientists in the experiment agreed that the analysis was finished and ready to be published.
The most exciting moment was in 2021, when we had a special meeting to “unblind” the data for our first publication. All collaborators voted to open the envelope and finally find out what we had measured—it was a huge moment!
What are your top tips for working in your industry/sector?
One of the big challenges in research is that you;re working on something completely new—so it’s natural to feel stuck at times. That's why it’s important to have a trusted team of collaborators. Talking through a problem with someone else can reveal a new way of thinking about it—and it makes the work more fun, which really matters.
My PhD supervisor once told me that even when research is difficult, it should always be fun. I try to keep this in mind. If I’m not enjoying something, I ask myself why. Would this project be more engaging if I were working with someone else? Then it’s time to collaborate. Have I been doing the same task for too long? Then I spend some time planning the next stage. Small changes like this help keep me motivated on long-term projects.
What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
My MPhys project supervisor told me to “Never believe anything anyone tells you”. He didn’t mean not to trust people—he meant that, as a scientist, you need to convince yourself.
If someone tells you something works a certain way, try it for yourself. If they give you a result, check it so you understand how they got there. That advice—to never take things at face value—has been invaluable in research.
Any advice you’d like to share?
It’s okay not to be 100% sure what you want to do next—as long as you’re building the skills that will help you make a good decision when the right opportunity comes along.
Why are you passionate about your subject / career / STEM?
It’s incredibly exciting to work at the forefront of research, making measurements that push our understanding of the universe forward. Being part of large collaborations with people who share that excitement is hugely motivating.
I’m also passionate about making Physics careers more accessible to a wider range of people. There’s a stereotype that science is lonely or inaccessible, but that’s far from my experience. I want others to see how collaborative, inclusive, and exciting this field can be.
More resources:
Article: Women @ Energy: Dr. Saskia Charity
Article: Physicist awarded prestigious Ernest Rutherford Fellowship