Profile

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Kay Dewhurst

    • About Me:

      I am from Manchester 🐝 and live there with my partner and two cats 🐈‍⬛ Actually, my current job is in Switzerland at CERN, so I live there on my own for a lot of the year and visit home as much as I can. I like yoga, wildlife and sci-fi/action films. I am also a scuba diving instructor.

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      I’m from Manchester and my house is only a few streets away from my parents, so I get to see them a lot. Being a scientist has allowed me to experience different countries; I have worked in the UK, Australia, Japan and Switzerland, and have visited many more! I really enjoy seeing what different places are like, but I also enjoy coming home again.

      I like animals, including cats and wildlife. I regulary feed the birds that visit my garden. I built a hedgehog house for the local hedgehogs to hibernate in and they have used it 3 years in a row. One of my favourite things about scuba diving in the UK is getting to see all the great wildlife that is underwater.

      My favourite movie is probably Die Hard. I also like the Fast and Furious films 🏎️.

    • My pronouns are:

      she/her

    • My Work:

      I am a physicist and work on particle accelerators (machines that force particles to move at high speeds). I run simulations to predict how new parts of the machine will work before we install them. At the moment, I work at CERN and am investigating how to add crystals made out of silicon to bend particles in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

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      Particle accelerators have many different uses. Some are used to find new physics, for example colliders (like the LHC) smash particles together, breaking them apart, so we can search for any new particles inside. Some are used in medicine, for example proton therapy machines use particles, like protons, to treat cancer. Some are used in industry, for example particles can be used to scan for materials inside trucks at ports.

      In my job, I design experiments that use particle accelerators. I am working on an experiment to bend particles from the LHC using crystals made from silicon. The particles should follow the lines made by the silicon atoms inside the crystal. By bending the crystal, the particles travelling through it should bend too! If it works, we will be able to bend the particles more sharply than ever before, allowing us to measure how they ‘wobble’ as they bend. (The technical term for this ‘wobbling’ is called spin precession).

    • My Typical Day:

      Most days I work on my computer, either from my office, or about once per week I’ll work from home. I usually set up simulations in the mornings and look at the results in the afternoon. Most afternoons I also attend a team meeting, either in person or on Zoom.

      A few times a year, I will work with my team mates to run an experiment. We each control a different part of the accelerator, so we all work together in the control room where we can tell each other what we are doing quickly.

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      Most days: I wake up, shower and have breakfast (crunchy nut cornflakes, orange juice and a cup of tea). I take the tram to my office and start work on my computer around 9-9.30 am. This includes emails, setting up simulations and making presentations to show my results. I have lunch with my team mates at about 12. In the afternoon, I will look at the results of my simulations and attend any team meetings. I leave work at 5.30 pm. On ‘computer days’ like this I sometimes work from home.

      Some days: On ‘experiment days’ when the accelerator is running I will do an 8 or 16 hour shift, which could be at night. I ride my bike to the control room; where we have all the equipment to control the accelerator. I work with my team to run the experiment; each of us controls a different part of the machine. I usually take a packed lunch to eat when there is a quiet moment. These sorts of days can happen roughly every two months.

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      I would use the £500 prize money to create a particle-circus workshop/performance.
      There’s a lot of physics in the circus e.g balance and forces. I think we could use circus performances to show what physics happens inside particle accelerators like the large hadron collider.

    My CV

    • Education:

      I went to school in Stretford, Manchester

      I saw the Trafford Centre being built from my classroom in primary school

    • Qualifications:

      12 GCSEs including Spanish, Science, Art and Geography

      A-levels: Geography, Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths, Physics and General Studies

       

    • Work History:

      Trampoline coach (for a trampoline club at a Sports Centre)

      Science teacher (at a High School)

      PhD researcher and Teaching Assistant (at a University)

      Particle Accelerator Researcher (at a University)

    • Current Job:

      Senior Fellow at CERN

    • Employer:

      CERN

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        nature-loving physicist

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        a scientist (maybe a vet)

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        not really

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

        something with nature or conservation

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        how do you choose? I like Taylor Swift, Basement jaxx, McFly, and KISS

        What's your favourite food?

        spaghetti

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

        I would wish for a big house with a swimming pool so I could swim everyday, I'd also wish for it to magically clean itself so I wouldn't have to!

        Tell us a joke.

        What part of a fish weighs the most? The scales!

Questions answered by Kay

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