Sophie Haslett

I am a first-year NERC DTP student PhD in atmospheric science at the University of Manchester. My research involves looking at the influence of atmospheric aerosols in the tropics, with a focus on West Africa and India. During my degree, I will be taking part in fieldwork campaigns using the FAAM (Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements) aircraft. My project is experimental, so I will be learning to use a variety of different instruments in the lab to measure aerosol properties. 

The DTP scheme has already given me some great opportunities, including the chance to attend a week-long training course in Jülich, Germany and a NERC-funded course held at Warwick University. 

I have a strong interest in science communication and hope to get involved in opportunities in Manchester. So far, I’ve competed in the regional finals of ‘FameLab’, which involved explaining a scientific concept succinctly in three minutes, and spoken at an interdisciplinary conference at the University. 

My undergraduate degree was in physics and philosophy at the University of St Andrews and I completed a master’s in climate change at the University of East Anglia last year. I was a secondary school science teacher for a year in 2012-13.