Can you introduce yourself, your role in the university, and tell us a bit about your background?
I come from North Wales and I am the first person in my family to got to university, which is always difficult as no one knows what to expect. Growing up I always asked questions about everything around me, much to the frustration of my parents, and I think that is where my interest in science stemmed from. I then had amazing physics teachers at school who got me interested in physics in general and at age 17, when doing A-levels, in particle physics in particular. Upon finishing my A-levels I went to the University of Manchester to do a degree in physics followed by a PhD in particle physics, where I spent two years based at an experiment based in Hamburg, Germany. I love the ability particle physics gives you to travel and integrate with people from a wide range of different backgrounds and cultures. Following my PhD I joined Liverpool as post-doctoral research associate and liked it so much that I have been here ever since! I was appointed as an academic in 2020, where I currently teach computational physics to first year students, which I find very rewarding. I am also the Departmental Disability Coordinator, where I am responsible for helping people who have disabilities or are otherwise struggling. This can be anything from specific learning disabilities to physical disabilities, mental health issues and beyond. It is my job to ensure students get the support they need and that the resulting support plans are implemented by staff. Moreover, just to be a friendly face that students with issues feel able to come and talk to at any point. My door is always open! On the research side, I work on the ATLAS and FASER experiments at CERN, where I study the properties of the Higgs boson, discovered in 2012, and look for new particles that may answer open questions, such as the nature of the mysterious Dark Matter.
Why did you choose to work at the University of Liverpool?
Following my PhD, I got offered several positions and one of the initial reasons I chose Liverpool was that my partner also got a job here. It is not all about work and sometimes other things, such as family, need to drive your choices. Also, when I came to visit, I found the Department and the Particle Physics group really welcoming and friendly, so could imagine myself here. Upon arriving, I really enjoyed working here and always felt supported by colleagues across the Department, so I applied for another job at the University at the end of the first one, which I got, and then never looked back. So, initially I came for a 2.5-year contract but liked it so much I never left!
What does a typical workday involve for you?
The thing I really like is that my work varies so much and no day is the same. During the semester, I might be teaching lectures and workshops or preparing material for these, continually updating it to best engage the students. I particularly enjoy interacting with the students one-on-one in computer classes and answering questions. Another part of my time, which is very unpredictable, is my role as Departmental Disability Coordinator. This generally involves meeting with students that are struggling in one way or another and listening to their concerns, reassuring them and explaining what we can do to help and pointing them to the corresponding University services. The final part of my time is research. Here, I spend a lot of my time meeting with my PhD students -- I currently four PhD students working on two different experiments -- discussing what they're doing and deciding where they should go next. I really love working with them to see how we can we solve problems. Beyond that there are meetings with international collaborators, often online but I also get to travel to meet colleagues in person when not teaching. There are over 3000 people working on ATLAS and around 100 on FASER, which is very small by particle physics standards. I love is that I get to speak to people from all over the world, each with different backgrounds and cultures.
What research are you currently undertaking?
My research focuses on CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, which collides pairs of protons at unrivalled energies. I study the debris of these collisions using the ATLAS and FASER experiments to investigate the fundamental properties of matter and their interaction. My particular research focuses on two areas. Firstly, studying the discovered Higgs boson to see if the Higgs potential has the shape predicted. This is important since it governs how the Universe evolves and may help answer some of the big open questions in physics. However, this requires searching not just for a single Higgs boson but a pair, which is double the trouble. Since its rate is 1000x smaller than that of single Higgs production it has not yet been observed and I am working to see it for the first time. As mentioned, there are many open questions in physics that our current “standard” model does not explain, such as the nature of dark matter and why the universe is dominated by matter rather than anti-matter. The other part of my research focuses on searching for new particles predicted by theories that might help explain some of these observations.
What is your favourite part of this research?
One of the most interesting parts of the research is when you start a new analysis, searching for something new, because you never know what you might find. Also, to avoid biasing ourselves we optimise the analysis first on simulated data before looking in the real data and when it comes time to open the box and unblind the data it is very exciting! The other part I really enjoy is working with students, teaching them and seeing them evolve. All the students are individual and learn in different ways, so you need to tailor your approach to each of them. I always learn something from them.
Why did you choose to pursue a career in the Department of Physics?
As mentioned above, I’ve wanted to be a particle physics ever since I was an A-level student. Learning all about the fundamental particles and the forces between them, which can be used to explain the Universe around us, was really inspiring. I wouldn't be here at Liverpool and working on experiments at CERN, as I have dreamt of since I was 17, if it wasn't for the various teachers that I had that inspired me to do that.
How have your past experiences shaped your approach to teaching and research?
Watching other people and seeing how they do things has really impacted my teaching. I think the main thing is that you mustn’t be rigid in how you approach teaching but need to adapt depending on who you are teaching and how they respond. That's the challenge and I’m still learning every day. For example, I have been teaching my course for three years and every time I find new ways to improve it. Also, working with students with various disabilities has given me a much better understanding of where such students might struggle. I use this to advise other members of department to ensure that teaching practice is inclusive and accessible, so that no students are disadvantaged. On the research side, I have had many great colleagues here at Liverpool who have supported me along the way, and I have learnt something from each of them and still do. Beyond that, the great thing about working on large international experiments such as ATLAS is you learning from 3000 people and see a wide variety of approaches to research. Whether it be teaching or research, the main thing I have learnt is that everyone works differently and you need to adapt and work together to get the best out of people and achieve your goal.
Did you face any challenges along the way and how did you overcome them?
One of the issues is that my partner has a disability and when we moved to Liverpool it took her a long time to get her medical care sorted since it is a complex condition. There we were unable to move for short term contacts, which is usually what happens in particle physics. This really limited my job opportunities and meant it took a long time to get a permeant academic job. My love for the job kept me going and I was lucky in the end. However, I had set myself a cut off of 40 to get such a job before leaving the field and only just managed in time. This is one of the things that needs to improve in academia.
How would you describe the environment at the University of Liverpool?
The great thing is that it feels like everyone is on the same level without a huge hierarchy. I find it very friendly and open, and have always been supported when I've applied for positions, whether it be within a research group internationally or for roles in the university. Also, one thing I really appreciated when I started as a research associate at Liverpool was the freedom, and again support, that I was given to develop my own research direction. I really enjoy the social element of the Department, with events like the rooftop BBQs, too.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in physics?
I think physics is a job that can be really varied, it is not just working in a lab. In all cases, it can be exhilarating and rewarding to think that you are trying to answer fundamental questions about the Universe around us. You get amazing opportunities to travel and work with people from across the world. If you're unsure whether you want to go on to a career physics, I’d say try it. Even if you decide to do something else eventually, it teaches you invaluable skills such as problem solving and data analysis, which are useful in a wide range of careers.
What are you hoping to achieve in the future?
I hope to be able to push forward our understanding of the Universe around us, even if only a little bit. Ideally, we find one of the new particles that we are searching for or measure something that we cannot explain that opens new avenues of research. I also want to see my students graduate and go on to interesting and rewarding careers.
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