The job / career of an Applied Physicist. Dr. Rahul Prasad explains the reality of this job, from high-energy lab accidents to the future of nuclear fusion and quantum computing.

Like all TFTS episodes, you get the unfiltered reality of how this job works that you won't find in any instruction manual.

If you have an interesting job and would like to be a guest on the show, then email me at [email protected]

Real Human Conversations, No AI in this video.

Butterflies India: https://www.butterfliesindia.org/
Impact Shift (Book): https://www.shoppivotal.com/products/impact-shift-the-art-of-pivoting-for-meaningful-change

Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:44 Overview of an applied physicist career
1:44 Reason for choosing physics
4:12 Educational path at Yale
4:42 First research job at Yale
6:06 Experience in the private sector
7:22 Work at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
8:11 Practicality of nuclear fusion
11:06 Advice for high school students
13:58 Value of teachers in society
15:47 Sacrifices for career success
18:14 Personality of a typical physicist
20:07 Traits not suited for this job
21:18 Connection between kites and trigonometry
23:25 Benefits of travel in the career
24:04 Worst day and third degree burns
25:57 Best days and micro thrusters
27:44 Potential for career change
31:00 Safety mistake with liquid nitrogen
33:03 Other career paths for physicists
35:00 Impact of AI on physics
38:42 Salary expectations for physicists
39:44 Workplace hazards and lab organization
40:48 Interaction with professional peers
41:48 Optimism versus cynicism in the field
43:38 Future of quantum computing
44:42 Hot takes and mundane disagreements
45:47 Definition of success
47:04 Tips for new hires
49:01 Memories of an X-ray laser experiment
51:15 Involvement in philanthropy
54:23 Meaning of the name Butterflies
57:58 The book Impact Shift
1:01:40 Everyday appreciation for physics
1:03:31 Passion for photography
1:07:31 Arctic and African expeditions
1:09:22 Importance of peer review
1:10:06 Potential of dark matter
1:10:45 Large Hadron Collider
1:11:19 Utility of superconductors
1:11:45 Discoveries at Fermi Lab
1:12:44 Unintended consequences of butterfly effect
1:13:53 Secret about being a physicist

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