People doing Physics

This episode is also available in video format on our YouTube channel - check it out!

Today’s format is a little different to our usual episodes, as we’ve invited four Cavendish alumni for a panel discussion about all things physics and career development.

They’ll tell us about what they learnt at the Cavendish, their natural sciences and physics background, as well as how their doctoral research in physics shaped their careers and brought them to where they are today.

We’re joined by Aswathy Girija, commissioning editor at the Institute of Physics, Professor Kerstin Göpfrich, group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Joanne Baker, author of four popular science books and Chief Opinion Editor at Nature, and Emma Williams, professional development coach and careers expert who has a wealth of insight into not just her own journey, but those she mentors.

We hope that this conversation will give you valuable insights into the many paths and opportunities for people doing physics.

• Learn more about Kerstin Göpfrich's research at the Max Plank Institute for Medical Research
• You might also want to check out IOP Publishing and its portfolio of scientific journals
• Joanne Baker's is the author of '50 physics ideas you really need to know', and many more.
• If you are interested in getting some training yourself, Emma William's website is full of resources. If you are a postdoc you should also explore Hello postdocs - The Nerd Coach
• To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested injoining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website
• And finally, if you are a Cavendish Alumnus and you would like to share your journey with our listeners, please get in touch!

• Help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you.
• If you like this episode don’t forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others tofind us.
• Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at [email protected] or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.

Host: Simone Eizagirre Barker

Recording and Editing: Chris Brock

Have you ever looked at the sky at night and wondered about the mysteries of the universe? When most of us are just looking at those bright stars in awe, our guest today would be searching for tiny, minuscule signals that would help unlock the mysteries of the so-called Cosmic Dawn, when the universe went from dark to bright.

Eloy de Lera Acedo is an Associate Professor of Radio Cosmology and the head of the Radio Astronomy and Cosmology research group. His background in engineering and thirst of learning about the big science questions have led him to the Cavendish where he is involved in multiple international projects for new radio telescopes exploring a very, very infant universe.

So, with Eloy, we talk about the universe of course and how it went from darkness to radiant, but also about childhood curiosity, choosing between technical and theoretical knowledge, and about convincing people.     

• Explore the REACH and SKA projects that Eloy presents in the episode.
• To learn more about his research work on the early epochs of the Universe, visit Eloy’s research group website.
• Curious about the history of radio astronomy in Cambridge? Read this article.
• To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested injoining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website

• Help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you.
• If you like this episode don’t forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others tofind us.
• Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at [email protected] or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.

Hosts: Shelly Liu and Vanessa Bismuth

Recording and Editing: Chris Brock

Welcome back to a world of People Doing Physics! For this first episode of 2024, let us introduce you to Richard King, the Undergraduate Lab Manager at the Cavendish Laboratory. Richard oversees the practical side of the undergraduate physics course, managing the team that designs, develops, and deploys lecture demos and undergraduate experiments. A former electronic engineer, his background was in circuit design and computing before he joined the Cavendish in 2008.

With Richard, we talk about how Cambridge has changed over the years, what it’s like going from fast-paced industry to the sedate world of the university, the processes involved in setting up practical work for hundreds of undergraduates, and what exactly he was doing wandering around Costa Rica with photographs of old airfields last year.

• To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.

• Help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you.
• If you like this episode don’t forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.
• Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at [email protected] or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.

• Host: Jacob Butler
• Recording and Editing: Chris Brock

Our guest today is Emily Roe, who has recently joined us from industry to start a new role as Senior Research Laboratory Technician. Contrary to many of our previous guests, Physics is actually not her first love. What Emily was really interested in as a young mind, was geology.

But it turns out field trips were not her thing, so after a degree in geology, she shifted to a lab role at the University of Durham. And shifting, she has continued to do throughout her career, jumping from one city to the next, and between University and Industry, showing off her versatility and adaptability skills in the process. She is known for her curiosity and willingness to take on new challenges, which made her accept this invitation on the podcast, but also landed her the title of “only female forklift operator” in her previous role.

After nine years doing R&D in industry, she’s made yet another jump to join the Cavendish Laboratory where she now supports and assist cryostat users with their experiments and equipment.

Together with Emily we talk about bridging the knowledge gap, pretty gems, culture shifts and a bit about forklifting, of course.

• Explore research at Hexcel and Emily's work on the ITER project, the way to new energy
• To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.

• Help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you.
• If you like this episode don’t forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.
• Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at [email protected] or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.

• Hosts: Shelly Liu and Vanessa Bismuth
• Recording and Editing: Chris Brock

Today we’re joined by Dr Gareth Conduit. Gareth is a lecturer at Gonville and Caius College and Royal Society Research Fellow here at the cavendish Laboratory. He leads a research group focused on developing machine learning methods for understanding and designing new materials and chemicals.

In 2017, he co-founded the startup Intellegens, through which he’s worked with companies such as Rolls Royce to apply software developed in the lab to the kinds of materials questions faced by industry.

Today, we talk about how the joy of physics can come from breaking things down to understand how they work, Gareth’s journey through Cambridge life as an undergraduate, postgraduate and now independent researcher, and the exciting opportunities and advances that arise when you bring physics and computers together to solve real-world challenges.

• You can find out more about Gareth's research at quantum.cam.ac.uk
• Learn more about Intellegens, the spin-out company founded in 2017
• Interested in the Physics Olympiad? Visit the International Physics Olympiad website or start with the British one.
• Watch David MacKay's TED talk and check the book mentioned in this episode: Sustainable Energy - without the hot air
• To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.

• If you like this episode don’t forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.
• Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at [email protected] or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.

• Hosts: Simone Eizagirre Barker and Jacob Butler
• Recording and Editing: Chris Brock

Long silver hair in a ponytail, a pair of Converse All Star and a Grateful Dead t-shirt… The guest sitting opposite us today in the studio is not your average Cambridge academic. 

But don't be fooled by his relaxed demeanour; Professor Mete Atatüre is a serious trailblazer in his field. Co-founder of the Atomic, Mesoscopic and Optical Physics Group of the Cavendish Laboratory, his ground-breaking work in quantum optics and solid-state physics has earned him accolades and respect worldwide. His experimental research group investigates light-based quantum science to enable future quantum information networks and communication, as well as new applications in sensing and magnetometry.

He is an elected Fellow of the Optical Society of America, the Turkish National Science Academy, the Institute of Physics… and one of Turkish GQ Magazine’s Men of the Year 2015, amongst international actors and footballers and in recognition of his pioneering research in quantum physics! In 2018, he co-founded the successful quantum startup Nu-Quantum, and now he is looking forward to being Head of Department here at the Cavendish…

His research is driven by an insatiable curiosity and motivated by a desire to see what has never been seen before, which, in the world of quantum optics, is no mean feat!

Together with Mete, we talk about striking luck and grasping every opportunity, doing things outside of the clichés and the power of enthusiasm and curiosity to persevere through the times of pressure and failure. 

• Explore Mete's research on quantum optics on the Quantum Cambridge website.
• Learn more about his startup Nu-Quantum, Pioneering Quantum Networks
• Follow Mete on Instagram or Twitter/X
• To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.

• If you like this episode don’t forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.
• Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at [email protected] or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.

• Hosts: Simone Eizagirre Barker and Vanessa Bismuth
• Recording and Editing: Chris Brock

Help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you for your time.

Here’s a question for you dear listener. What’s the link between music and physics? What is the sound of physics? Today we're diving into a fascinating world where art, science, and music intersect. Joining us in our studio are two incredible individuals who have embarked on a journey that brings together the realms of sound, physics, and human emotion.

Ain Bailey is a composer and the second Cavendish Arts Science Fellow. Cavendish Arts Science creates collective encounters between art and science that explore the world, our humanity and our place in the world.

Ain’s practice explores sonic autobiographies and the constellation of sounds that form individual and community identities. Her compositions are often inspired by reflections on silence and absence, feminist activism and architectural acoustics.

Dr Gemma Bale is an assistant professor of Medical Therapeutics at the University of Cambridge, and the head of the Neuro Optics Lab. Sitting at the junction of engineering and physics, her team develops new, non-invasive optical devices to monitor brain metabolism in areas which traditional brain monitoring can’t. Lately, she’s been exploring the relationship between music and dementia, and it was only a matter of time before she and Ain’s worlds collided, and a conversation sparked.  

With Ain and Gemma, we talk about music of course, and how our brains react to it, exploring the unknown and bridging the gap between art and science.

• Ain’s performance ‘The Cavendish: A Tone Poem’ at Girton College (Cambridge) is on Saturday 23rd September at 3pm– Book ahead! She will also perform at Café Oto (London) in November, look out for the date on their website.
• The annual Cavendish Arts Science Fellowship is delivered in partnership with Girton College, thanks to the vision and generous support of Una Ryan. Cavendish Arts Science will soon announce their new Fellow for 2023/24, stay tuned!
• Explore Gemma’s research on her Neuro Optics Lab website
• See and hear more of Ain’s work on AIN BAILEY (tumblr.com)
• To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.

• If you like this episode don’t forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.
• Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at [email protected] or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.

• Hosts: Simone Eizagirre Barker and Vanessa Bismuth
• Recording and Editing: Chris Brock

The team is taking a short break and will be back in September with new guests and more physics chats. Stay tuned!

While you wait, why not taking 2 minutes to answer a few questions about the podcast and help us get better?

People Doing Physics is a podcast produced by the Cavendish Laboratory, the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge.

Visit the Cavendish website and learn more abour our research and teaching, and how you could get involved!

• If you like this podcast, don’t forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.
• Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at [email protected] or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.

Help us get better by taking our quick survey! Your feedback will help us understand how we can improve in the future. Thank you.

This is July and the streets of Cambridge burst with sun and excitement as students let a communal sigh of relief now that the academic year is over. This is July, and the time for future students to think about what subject they might be studying when choosing to go to university.  

As we are welcoming hundreds of potential new students today and tomorrow for the University of Cambridge Open Days, we have invited three of our current undergraduate students to join us in the studio and talk to us, honestly and without filters, about their experience at Cambridge. Hearing directly from them may help young people thinking about studying physics in Cambridge or anywhere else, to take the leap.  

Misha de Fockert and Armaan Shaikh have just finished their 2nd year – here in Cambridge we call it Part IB, and Ming-Shau Liu is graduating from Cambridge after his 4th year, which, not confusingly at all, is called Part 3! 

All three of them, and this is just a coincidence, are students at Homerton College.   With them today we talk about taking the time to reflect, imposter syndrome, building bridges and making friends for life.  

• if you are thinking about applying to Cambridge, visit the Undergraduate Study website.
• Isaac Physics offer free support and activities in physics problem solving to teachers and students transitioning from GCSE (Y11), through to Sixth Form (Y12 & 13), to university. For direct support, you can also sign up to the Isaac Physics mentoring scheme.
• To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.

• If you like this episode don’t forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast app. It really helps others to find us.
• Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at [email protected] or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.

Hosts: Vanessa Bismuth and Jacob Butler

Recording and Editing: Chris Brock

On 16th June, the Cavendish Laboratory will be celebrating its 149th anniversary! To mark this occasion, we wanted to replay one of our previous episodes with one of our longest standing member of staff, Malcolm Longair. Malcolm is the memory of the Department, and his stories are fascinating, so let's jump back in with Simone, Jacob and our guest. We hope you enjoy!

If you like this episode, don’t forget to rate it or leave a review on your favourite podcast app.

With us this month is Prof. Malcolm Longair, CBE, FRS, FRSE (and Munroist). Born in Dundee, in 1941, Malcolm studied Electronic Physics at what is now the University of Dundee, but was then part of St Andrews. After this, he came down south to the Cavendish, where he completed his PhD as part of the Radio Astronomy Group, supervised by Martin Ryle. Specialising in high energy astrophysics and astrophysical cosmology, Malcolm has since been a Royal Society Exchange Visitor to the USSR; held visiting professorships at prestigious institutions around the world; been the Astronomy Royal for Scotland; Cambridge’s Jacksonian Professor of Natural Philosophy; Deputy Head and Head of the Cavendish Laboratory. He has contributed to international scientific bodies, such as NASA and ESA, and found the time to publish 22 books, over 300 scientific papers, and give hundreds of public lectures.

Most recently, he has been Director of Development for the Cavendish Laboratory. In this role, he has helped modernise the Cavendish Laboratory, with the building of the Physics of Medicine building and Maxwell Centre, and the soon-to-be completed Ray Dolby Centre which will house most of the upcoming National Facility for Physics.

Today, we will be talking about Malcolm’s path into Physics, what over half a century of working at the cutting edge of science has taught him, and where he sees the Cavendish laboratory going in the future. 

[00:36] – Guest’s intro

[02:39] – Starting out in Physics 

[05:08] – Time at Cambridge doing PhD

[06:00] – 1960’s, the revolutionary decade of Astronomy

[08:00] – Time in Moscow 1968/1969 and change of attitude towards understanding science

[10:35] – Joining back at Cambridge as an Assistant Professor

[11:12] – Understanding in Physics continues to develop

[11:37] – Involvement with various organisations and evolving from research focused role to managing the big picture

[12:06] – Experience with SRC and becoming Astronomer Royal for Scotland

[13:55] – Interdisciplinary Scientist for Hubble Space Telescope (1977) and learning how to get big projects operating

[15:40] – Guidance to scientists looking at working in policy and related fields

[17:00] – Important things for scientists to think about for fundings and funding proposals

[20:49] – In the news this month we focus on how artificial intelligence is helping to speed up the discovery of new materials. Atoms are the basic building blocks of every material. Combining different types of atoms naturally leads to different materials. However, it is not just the types of atoms that determine material properties, but also their arrangement.

[24:37] – Moving back to Cavendish as Professor and Head of the Department, and rebuilding Cavendish Laboratory

[27:50] – Sequence of new Cavendish buildings and facilities to support different research areas (such as Physics of Medicine, Astrophysics and more)

[31:58] – Future vision essential for Cavendish 

[33:02] – Key takeaways, suggestions for early science researchers / physicists 

[36:35] – Outro

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• Visit   Cavendish Astrophysics to understand more about their research.
• Read more about Cavendish Laboratory's new home and facility - Ray Dolby Centre
• Read the article on this month’s news - AI tackles the challenge of materials structure prediction | University of Cambridge
• Research Paper link for this month’s news release - Rapid discovery of stable materials by coordinate-free coarse graining
• To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to www.phy.cam.ac.uk 

If you like this episode, don’t forget to rate it and leave a review on your favourite podcast.

Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at [email protected] or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.

Hosts: Simone Eizagirre Barker and Jacob Butler

News presenter: Paolo Molignini

Producer: Chris Brock