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Ansh Bhatnagar

    • About Me:

      Hi, I’m Ansh and I’m a PhD student at Durham University! In my spare time I love acting in and directing short films 🎬 and theatre 🎭, playing Dungeons and Dragons ⚔️, and climbing mountains ⛰️.

    • My pronouns are:

      he/him

    • My Work:

      I study particles that existed right after the creation of the universe, when everything was super hot and had lots of energy. This was the time before galaxies, before stars, before atoms even formed!

      I am in the second year of my PhD at Durham University.

    • Read more

      Physicists have so many unanswered questions about the universe. Why is there more matter than antimatter? What is the mysterious substance known as dark matter that holds galaxies together? How did gravity behave when everything was much hotter and denser than it is today?

      Four things you might not know about dark matter | symmetry magazine

      The answers to these questions probably lie at the beginning of the universe. Shortly after the Big Bang, the entire universe was much smaller than it is today, and so particles played a more important part in the story of the universe. We are used to thinking of cosmology and particle physics as two topics on completely opposite ends of the spectrum, but theoretical physicists like me get to study both at the same time!

    • My Typical Day:

      I wake up at 9, have a quick shower and breakfast (usually toast/cereal and a coffee) and get in to the office at 10.

      On some days I have a meeting at 10 with my supervisor and a couple other physicists, where we discuss the progress we have made in the last week. Sometimes this is with physicists in other countries, countries as far as Australia!

      I then go to my desk and continue to work on physics, usually by programming or doing maths on my tablet.

      I have lunch with other PhD students, continue working, maybe go to a talk by another physicist who might be visiting the department, and then leave for home by 6pm.

      I then relax by playing D&D, reading Lord of the Rings, or cooking some nice food.

    • Read more

      Being a researcher means I have a lot more freedom than in more traditional jobs. I can set my own hours and as long as I am making progress, that’s all that matters. I choose to work 10-6 as I am a bit of a night owl and tend to go to bed late, and the ‘traditional’ 9-5 would be far too early!

      I find it great that I get to work with other physicists and that our projects are truly international. Physics is a global quest to figure out the secrets of our universe, and the fact that borders make no difference to people working together on such important questions is such a great aspect of my work.

      I really enjoy programming, and there’s nothing more satisfying than hitting ‘run’ on a piece of code and the computer generating a plot that shows you something really cool about the universe.

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      I’d like to use the prize money to fund online educational science multimedia content, produced by undergraduates and PhD students, across platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and podcasting platforms. The aim is to use the £500 to kickstart the non-profit initiative and provide a space for university students to experiment with science communication and gain experience, while also producing content aimed at anyone who’s interested in science but may not have lots of formal educational experience in STEM.

      I think video content is a great way to reach millions of people and inspire them (in fact, I wrote an article about science on YouTube while I was in sixth form so I have been interested in this for a long time!), and I think using this as an opportunity to give up-and-coming science communicators the chance to create content is a great way to tackle two issues with one initiative.

      With TikTok, short form video content is more popular than ever and it’s important that any science content on such platforms is able to communicate science in a fun, easy-to-understand way while also not being clickbait and giving false impressions to viewers.

    My CV

    • Education:

      I attended Herschel Grammar School in Slough, and then did an MSci in Physics with Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London.

    • Qualifications:

      I got 5A*, 6As and 1B in my GCSEs.

      My A*s were in maths, the three sciences and geography, and my B was in drama!

      I got A*A*A*A for my A Levels in Maths, Physics, Computer Science and Chemistry respectively. I got an A in AS Further Maths and an A* in an EPQ (an essay) on artificial intelligence.

      I graduated with a First Class Honours in MSci Physics with Theoretical Physics.

    • Work History:

      I’ve been an 11+, GCSE, and A Level tutor.

      I’ve worked as an intern for a property law firm, and have done occasional photography jobs.

      I’ve been a freelance journalist, writing about science and politics every now and then!

    • Current Job:

      PhD student

    • Employer:

      Durham University

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        theatrical theoretical physicist

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        A science communicator/YouTuber!

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        Yes, I struggled with AD(H)D and would sometimes not be able to get my homework in on time, or get distracted in class by talking to my friends!

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        Acting! Or writing stage plays/movies

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        Queen

        What's your favourite food?

        Harissa chicken thighs

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        End poverty, fix climate change, figure out the theory of everything!

        Tell us a joke.

        Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because it was out standing in its field.

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