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Today’s guest has a dream: to dance on the moon.  With a robot.  The craziest part?  This is actually an attainable goal for Dr. Merritt Moore, better known as the “Quantum Ballerina”! Merritt has a PhD in Atomic & Laser Physics and is also a professional ballerina, and if that’s not enough for one resumé, she was recently selected for astronaut training. She went viral during a pandemic lockdown with a video of her dancing with an actual robot as her partner. Today, Merritt tells Vanessa about her fascinating journey, how all her interests intersect, and the inspiring role her parents played early on in fostering an environment in which learning was not just encouraged but celebrated.

About Merritt

Dr. Merritt Moore calls herself the “quantum ballerina.” She has a PhD in Atomic and Laser Physics from the University of Oxford AND has pursued a professional ballet career, previously with the Zurich Ballet, Boston Ballet, English National Ballet, and Norwegian National Ballet. She was recently awarded Forbes 30 Under 30, and she was one of the 12 selected candidates to undergo rigorous astronaut training on BBC Two "Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes?" She is featured in the bestseller "Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls".

Show notes:

• Check out Merritt dancing with her robot!

Connect with us:

• Merritt Moore: (Insta, Twitter, LinkedIn)
• Vanessa Vakharia: @themathguru (Insta, Twitter, TikTok)
• Math Therapy: @maththerapy (Twitter)