Faye Wearing (PhD Student)

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I have lived in Liverpool all of my life and I completed my masters degree at the University of Liverpool. I enjoyed my masters project so much that I chose to do a PhD in the same field. My work is based in the field of nuclear physics; I am specifically interested in the structure of nuclei far from stability.

Why did you choose your PhD project?

I chose my PhD project because it is experimental, which means I get to do a lot of hands on work in the lab. I have had the opportunity to travel to labs around the world to assist with experiments; so far I have been lucky enough to travel to Finland, Switzerland and Slovakia, which I have really enjoyed. The rest of my time is spent analysing data taken from an experiment carried out in Finland, it is challenging work but I am doing something different every day. There is a lot of satisfaction knowing that you are making new discoveries and adding to the pool of scientific knowledge.

Physics tends to be a male dominated field in the UK, but during my studies I have noticed an increase in girls choosing physics for their degree, and also choosing to continue on to a PhD. I think attitudes are changing towards women in science, and being a woman has certainly not held me back.