Adam Garnsworthy: PhD in Experimental Nuclear Physics, University of
Surrey, 2004 to 2007
Now: Research Scientist, TRIUMF, Vancouver, Canada
My PhD was a really great experience and launched me on a career in
basic research. My PhD research project was centered around one
experiment from the large RISING campaign of experiments at GSI,
Germany. The collaboration involved around a hundred scientists from
all over the world which meant I got to know many researchers in the
field.
As well as time spent at the lab in Germany I spent one year working at
the Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory at Yale University in the USA.
As there is no nuclear physics laboratory in the UK, this practical
hands-on experience working with equipment was invaluable to me and I
think that experience made me much more desirable for future research
opportunities.
Following my PhD I left the UK to take a two year Post-Doctoral
Research Associate position at TRIUMF, Canada's National Laboratory for
Nuclear and Particle Physics and one of the leading radioactive ion
beam facilities in the world. Living and working in Vancouver suited me
well so when a tenure-track Research Scientist position became
available I was keen to apply. I was lucky enough to get the job and
have now held the position for two and a half years. We are growing the
local research programs and I am now Co-Principal Investigator of a
project called GRIFFIN to build a new state-of-the-art gamma-ray
spectrometer for radioactive decay studies, a capital investment of
$8.7 million Canadian dollars.
My PhD was partially sponsored by Nexia Solutions Ltd, a subsidiary of
British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. At least once a year I would spend a week
visiting the Sellafield site and working with the nuclear data group
there. This provided an interesting perspective on how the nuclear data
generated in basic research such as mine was used and applied in realworld situations like in the management of spent fuel rods from nuclear
reactors. I also completed a training course in Nuclear data evaluation
which I think has had a very positive impact on the way in which I
present and report the research which I do.
The data analysis skills I developed during my PhD are vital for the
job I have now in experimental physics. The importance of competence in
computer programming should not be underestimated. However I think the
most valuable experience during my PhD were the hands-on practical
skills I learnt working in laboratories around the world. I consider
this an essential aspect of any graduate student education and I would
have been at a major disadvantage if I had not had the opportunity to
travel outside of the UK during my PhD.