CDT Student Interviews - Spotlight on Cristian Bontoiu
Why are you interested in Physics?
Physics gives me one of the rare opportunities to blend creativity and rigour. There are great satisfactions to find on the way from analytical calculations and numerical modelling to experiments.
How did you end up in Liverpool?
Having already a background in accelerator science I was looking for a group interested in doing research on novel acceleration techniques. The Quasar team of Liverpool University offered me such a chance.
Which contribution to your field do you consider to be the most significant?
I believe that the most significant event was the experimental proof that particle acceleration can be achieved in laser-matter interactions at high densities. This can be seen in “Nature 431, 535-538 (2004)”.
What do you hope to contribute to your field?
I hope that together with my colleagues I will prove that electron acceleration is possible in carbon nanotubes. I want to consolidate our understanding about these structures through numerical simulations and I hope to set up a proof-of-principle experiment.
Where do you hope to end up after your PhD?
I hope that my PhD research will open new ways for me to continue working in the field of accelerators.
Why do you think Big Data is important?
For me data handling is crucial as most of work is currently based on numerical simulations with large number of variables. Mastering Big Data skills allows me to process raw data and transform them into meaningful results allowing me to make important decisions for the workflow.