Sarah Lonsdale

"Sarah-Jane is studying for a PhD in Nuclear Astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh. She studies the nuclear reactions that create the chemical elements in stars.Sarah-Jane is a persistent, methodical and self-motivated person – great skills for someone studying for their PhD. She is the Explorer, Investigator and Developer types. She thinks that studying for her PhD follows the Explorer role when doing independent research, which requires persistence and logical thinking, especially when experiments are not working as planned! She also works with others in collaboration like the Investigator, which needs good communication skills and she creates computer codes to help do her work, a little bit like the Developer."

"Sarah-Jane is a Principal’s Career Development Scholar at the University of Edinburgh, studying for a PhD in Nuclear Astrophysics. In order to study the nuclear reactions that create the chemical elements in stars, she travels to international laboratories like CERN to carry out experiments and creates computer codes to help analyse her data. When working on an experiment, she spends time assembling equipment, debugging problems, and monitoring the particle beam. Sarah-Jane is also a teaching assistant helping undergraduates to understand the fundamentals of physics."

"Sarah-Jane originally wanted to be a pilot so she chose Maths and Physics at A-level. That didn’t work out, but she discovered an interest in scientific research. Her A-levels also included German, very useful when working at an international laboratory!After her A-levels, Sarah-Jane did a Year in Industry, and then an undergraduate Master’s degree in Physics working on a project based in the USA. She then chose to study for a PhD funded by a scholarship from which she gets £15,000 a year as a tax-free income. That is supplemented by £6,000 a year for being a teaching assistant. "

"Sarah-Jane enjoys yoga and gardening. She often travels for work and has been to Switzerland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the USA. Her flatmate used to joke that she spent more time abroad than at home!Sarah-Jane is a campaigner for greater LGBT+ visibility in STEM careers with Pride in STEM. She thinks it's important to have scientists that reflect our society, because diverse problems need diverse people.Sarah-Jane has recently been shortlisted for the Institute of Physics' Jocelyn Bell-Burnell medal and prize, given to a female physicist who has made a substantial contribution to the subject and supported others."