Profile – Extreme Temperature Zone

Education:

City of Bristol College (2001-2003), Warwick University (2003-2007), University of Cambridge (2007-2011)
Qualifications:

MPhys and PhD in Physics
Work History:

McDonalds (yup), University of Warwick, Institute Laue Langevin (in Grenoble, France), Cavensidh Laboratory (university of Cambridge), ISIS neutron source
Current Job:

Postdoctoral researcher at the ISIS neutron source

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The particle accelerators I use produce neutrons or x-rays ( see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spallation_Neutron_Source for details on how to make neutrons or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchrotron for to see how x-rays are made). They are big (very) expensive machines, so there are only a few in the world and the experiments I do have to be carefully planned to make the most of them. An experiment will normall last between 3 and 6 days, running 24 hours a day so I work with other people in a team to use all of the time.

We call them large scale facilities, and you can see why:

Diamond x-ray source

ISIS neutron source (there is a particle accelerator hidden under the grass)

Inside the Diamond building

Alot of work goes into preparing for the experiment and even more goes into looking at the data we have taken afterwards. So for an experiment which has taken maybe 5 days I will have worked for several weeks on it before we even start and usually need several months after to work out what the results mean!

One of the best bits is that because I am using radiation which could be dangerous if I was exposed to it, we have big red buttons to make it stop:
My Typical Day:

Anything from planning the next experiment, running my experiment at a large scale facility or looking at the data from an experiment I have finished
What I'd do with the prize money:

Use it in a local school to help make sure that they can do more practicals

Joshaniel Cooper