Alex the Physicist & Friends

Hi Darling!
Today I share a story from my PhD about a trip I went on to America. This trip changed my whole perspective and I went from considering quitting my PhD to having a dream job in the field. 
The paper I mention is now published! You can find it here: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6382/ae0087 

@alexthephysicist  

Hi Darling!
For part two of the GW10 series I sit down with Nobel Laureate Kip Thorne, a founder of LIGO, black-hole theorist, and the science mind behind Interstellar.

We talk about the 50 year journey from a bold idea to the first detection of gravitational waves, the brainstorms that seeded quantum computing and precision measurement, and how collaborating with artists and filmmakers reshaped the way he thinks about the universe.

Kip shares lessons on finding your own niche in science, embracing creativity, and having fun with hard problems whether you’re chasing spacetime ripples or crafting Hollywood blockbusters.

@alexthephysicist

Hi Darling!
For the final part of the GW10 series I sit down with the second Nobel Laureate physicist Barry Barish, the leader who guided LIGO to the first detection of gravitational waves.

Barry invited me to his home in Santa Monica for my very first interview for the podcast, quite a way to start! We talk about his path from engineering student to particle-physics pioneer, the bold decisions that turned LIGO into a success, and what it was like to keep the 2015 discovery secret while the world waited.

He also shares the excitement (and chaos) of winning the Nobel Prize and offers thoughtful advice on finding joy and purpose in a scientific career.

Hi Darling! GW10 is a three part series celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the first detection of gravitational waves on September 14th 2015.
In this episode I introduce what gravitational waves are in basic terms and describe their effect and therefore how we detect them. I also discuss my own research in the field and how this could improve our ability to observe the universe, and the future plans for gravitational wave detectors, where we hope to detect astronomical events from closer to the big bang than ever before! 
In the following two parts I will be interviewing Kip Thorne and Barry Barish about the first detection, their careers and winning the Nobel prize. 

This episode is dedicated to Rainer Weiss, the third Nobel prize winner for the first detection, who sadly passed away just a couple of weeks ago. Rai was a pioneer of the field and we benefitted heavily from his insight and brilliance.  The entire gravitational wave community will miss him dearly. 

Some videos showing the 'fabric of spacetime' demonstration are linked below:  
https://youtu.be/MTY1Kje0yLg?si=tl_IMLXDL00um_Uj
https://youtu.be/dw7U3BYMs4U?si=KM1kem8QjZY5qf_o

Hi Darling! 
Ali and I connect over lasers, lacrosse, LIGO and nationalizing the railways. 
Despite meeting at university in the UK, we are now both working in California and have been working on some projects together for LIGO - the gravitational wave detectors in America. In this conversation we reminisce on some fun times (and some interesting interactions), explain what it's like to work in academia and discuss our journeys to where we are now. 

@alexthephysicist

Hi Darling! 
Welcome to the podcast! Thank you so much for listening.
Today I introduce myself, the podcast, why I've started it and what I hope to achieve with it. I will also tell my 'physics origin story' - how I got into physics and the start of my journey so far. 

@alexthephysicist