After graduating she worked with Nobel prize Winner William H. Bragg at University College London, and later at The Royal Institution, London. Her life’s work was in studying the structure of chemicals and X-Ray crystallography. She had a profound influence on the development of this technique, as well as other fields in chemistry and physics.

She confirmed experimentally the structure of benzene in 1929.

In 1956 she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, despite the fact that she had spent some time in Holloway prison in 1943 after refusing to register for civil defence duties during World War II and refusing to pay the subsequent 2 pound fine.

She achieved a number of other remarkable things during her lifetime – in 1945 she was the first woman, along with microbiologist Marjory Stephenson, to be elected Fellow of The Royal Society (London).

She was also the first female professor of University College, London, and, in 1967, became the first woman president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). She was one of the founders of the Young Scientists’ section of the BA, and made the following note to herself: “Never refuse an opportunity to speak at schools.”

In her honour, a rare meteoric diamond has been named Lonsdaleite.

Following on from Newton’s work on visible light in the 1660s, Tyndall suggested that the blue of the sky is due to the scattering of the sun’s light by molecules in the atmosphere. Known as the Tyndall effect, or nephelometry, this phenomenon is the basis of instruments such as the spectrometer.

Fire Optics

Tyndall was an inventor as well as researcher. He invented the fireman’s respirator and improved on the fog horn, but his most important invention was his “light pipe”, which he originally constructed using just a torch and a bucket of water. The modern version of this “light pipe” is the gastroscope, which is used in hospitals today to view the inside of a patient’s stomach.

Tyndall’s “light-pipe” eventually led to the development of fibre optics.

When not in the lab, he loved to study glacier forms in the Alps. He climbed Mont Blanc several times and eventually became the first person to climb Weisshorn in 1860. In the same year, he published a book on his adventures called “Glaciers of the Alps”.

In his lifetime, Tyndall also made important contributions to thermodynamics, magnetism, electricity, telecommunications and electronics. As an educationalist he influenced the direction of science teaching at university and school levels.

Read more

Read more on the NASA Earth Observatory website

While at Cambridge University during her Ph.D., Jocelyn began working on a radio astronomy project using a telescope she herself had helped to construct. She was responsible for monitoring the daily recordings from the telescope, which proved a tedious job until, in November 1967, she began to take notice of unusual signs on the recordings.

After playing with theories of reflections from the moon, or even extraterrestrial origins, Bell noticed that the unusual radio source remained fixed with respect to the stars and was therefore beyond the solar system. Over the next few months, she discovered 3 more pulsating radio sources.

The signals were coming from pulsars.

Burnell was awarded the prestigious Michelson Award with her former graduate advisor Anthony Hewish in 1973.

The following year when Sir Martin Ryle and Anthony Hewish were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics “for their pioneering work in astrophysics”, Jocelyn was not acknowledged or recognised for the discovery.

Many astronomers felt she should also have been awarded the Nobel prize. Today Jocelyn Bell Burnell is still working on the advancement of astronomy and is presently Professor of Physics and Department Chair at the Open University, England.

Learn more

Read more on the CEEMaST site

What these two scientists had achieved was not only the conversion of one element into another by artificial means but also they were able to verify Einstein’s famous equation E=mc².

This achievement was one of the greatest in physics and one of the scientists responsible was Irish-born Ernest Walton.

For his work, Walton received a scientific Nobel prize for Physics – along with John Cockcroft – in 1951. Walton remains the only Irish-born scientist to receive a scientific Nobel Prize.

Born in Dungarvan, Co.Waterford, in 1903, Walton entered Trinity College Dublin in 1922 on a scholarship to read maths and experimental science. After graduating with first class honours, he started work on his Masters, which he received in 1927. In the same year he received a research scholarship and went to Cambridge University to work in the Cavendish Laboratory.

He continued researching at Cambridge until 1934 and received his Ph.D. there. He returned to Trinity College and was appointed Erasmus Smith’s Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy in 1946 and elected Senior Fellow in 1960. He died in 1995.

Science Foundation Ireland has named the E.T.S. Walton Visitor Awards in honour of Walton. These awards have been developed to attract researchers to Ireland.

Read more at

Read about Walton on NobelPrix

Despite their arcane name, quaternions are actually quite simple. They are generalisations or extensions of the ordinary decimal numbers such as 17.3 or 3.1415 which we encounter every day.

Quaternions consist of four of these regular numbers bundled together in a particular way into a composite number, a kind of super-number, which gives them special properties. Hamilton took the name “quaternion” from the Bible, where it refers to a squad of four Roman soldiers.

Other contributions

While quaternions are the most widely known of Hamilton’s contributions to science, they are by no means his only contribution, nor are they his most important.

Hamilton also did extremely innovative work in the mathematical modelling of light propagation through crystals and predicted a new phenomenon, known as conic refraction, entirely on the basis of his theoretical model. This phenomenon caused a sensation in scientific circles when it was subsequently verified experimentally.

However, Hamilton’s greatest legacies are the important advances he made in the field of theoretical physics known as mechanics, which deals with the motion of objects under the influence of forces such as gravity.

Powerful

Although Newton’s Laws of Motion were known for 200 years, Hamilton developed a new approach to mechanics which, although equivalent to Newton’s Laws, is far more powerful. This approach is central to applications as diverse as navigating space probes through the solar system to designing drugs.

Hamilton’s work in mechanics took on even greater significance in the early part of the 20th century when it turned out to be critical to the development of quantum mechanics (QM). This is one of the twin pillars of our understanding of the physics of our universe (the other being Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity)

QM led directly to such technological breakthroughs as lasers and computer chips. QM also underpins emerging technologies such as nanotechnology.

Delving deeper

[This section provides a more detailed explanation of quaternions. It should be accessible to Leaving Certificate students or those with some familiarity with imaginary and complex numbers.]

The real or decimal numbers that we use on a daily basis, such as 3.1415, have their roots in India in the 6th century. However, they only entered mainstream use in Europe much later, in the 16th century. Complex numbers also emerged in the 16th century, as an extension to the real numbers.

The basic idea of complex numbers is to form a compound number consisting of an ordered pair of two real numbers such as (14, 3) or (13.5, 3.1). This is usually written as 13.5 + i 3.1 where i denotes the square root of -1.

Two of these complex numbers can be added in the obvious way to produce a third complex number:

(a + ib) + (c + id ) = (a + c) + i ( b + d ) .

However, the clever bit is the rule for multiplying them which involves cross-over between the first and second elements. The result of multiplying two complex numbers is determined by the rule

i2 = -1

and lead to

(a + ib )

Paudie Scanlon - studying for a PhD in Applied Physics

What were the main ‘career decision’ milestones in your life so far?

I’ve always been interested in figuring out how things work, so I took physics and engineering in the Leaving Cert, and tech graphics as I had thought that I wanted to do some kind of engineering.

This helped me a great deal when I eventually decided to do applied physics in college. As I progressed through college, I realised the best way to keep learning was to go on to do postgrad study.

Who are the people who most influenced your career direction?

The first person to point me in the direction of physics was my secondary school teacher. A lot of the syllabus is very fundamental stuff and can be quite boring, but he showed that once we had a good grounding in that we could progress on to the fun stuff.

The fact that we did the new syllabus helped as well, as it gives good practical examples of how the theory you just learned can be applied.

My dad went back to college and got his degree and started doing research while I was in college, so he was a big influence as well.

Describe a typical day

There is a good bit of variety in the way I work. An average day would entail some reading on the area that I’m working on and then I’ll spend some time programming.

I also get to do some outreach activities, which is where we go to a school to give a talk, or judge a science fair. There is at least one talk every week in Tyndall, so I get to go to those as well.

My great passion is surf photography and this is very dependent on day-to-day changes in the weather and tides, so the flexibility in my work allows me to pursue my hobby.

What are the main challenges?

Grasping the new ideas and theories in the area I’m working in is quite challenging, but it’s why I’m doing research – to learn new things.

Because I’m working in the quantum area, this can prove pretty difficult as a lot of the theories are very different from the world that we are used to.

What’s “cool” about your work?

The rush you get when you get the result you were looking for, when your program finally works and the joy of learning new things. I’ll often come home to my girlfriend and just jabber away about what I found out that day.

Luckily she is doing a PhD in Chemistry and is able to understand most of what I’m saying even if sometimes I don’t myself. But it usually makes sense inside my head.

What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?

Being motivated is a bonus in any job you do. There isn’t always going to be someone looking over your shoulder (which is a good and bad thing) telling you what to do, so you need to be driven enough to keep working. Obviously to be a good scientist you need to be open to new ideas and willing to disregard what you thought you knew.]

What is your education to date?

St Caimin’s Secondary School, Shannon. I didn’t do Transition Year, but I probably should have because going into your Leaving a year older is almost definitely a bonus.

I did applied physics for four years in the University of Limerick and the most relevant subject was the optics module in the final semester. The further you progress in an area, the more interesting it becomes.

I realised I was more suited to theoretical work in college, as I always found the math modules very appealing – particularly the Fluid Mechanics module I took in final year. My final year project was on Quantum Tunnelling and is actually pretty relevant to do work I’m doing now.

After my degree, I did a one-year Graduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship. While this reinforced my belief that science is both more challenging and enjoyable than business, I did benefit from the course, particularly in relation to my presentation skills.

I also realised the importance of networking, which sounds corny but is actually very important.

What personal qualities do you have that helps you in your career?

A willingness to learn more – I think this is really important so that you don’t get lazy in what you do.

I’m pretty extroverted – I like knowing a lot of people and as a result I have no problem going up and talking to new people. This really helps with networking and getting to know new people in your own workplace and meeting possible collaborators.

What advice would you give to someone considering this job?

Make sure you look into the area that you will be researching. You don’t want to spend three to four years working in an area you’re only vaguely interested in. Don’t be afraid to be yourself.

What are the most important personal characteristics required for the job?

Persistence and curiosity

What kind of work experience would provide a good background for this position?

Summer placements in big research centres are ideal for finding out about these types of research jobs.

Claire Raftery - studying for a PhD in Solar Astrophysics

What were the main ‘career decision’ milestones in your life so far?

My decision to take applied maths in secondary school was an important one. Not only did it set me up to choose a career in physics, but as the only girl in the class, it showed me that gender does not matter in this field.

Choosing to study astrophysics at the end of my second year in university was the other major milestone. I decided to follow this path because it was an interesting way of applying everyday science in an extraordinary way.

I can remember making the decision – I was outside the planetarium in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington DC and decided that this was a really interesting take on “regular” physics!

By taking physics with astrophysics, I was allowing myself the freedom to follow a career in either subject.

Who are the people who most influenced your career direction?

My parents gave me the freedom to follow whatever path I chose. They never put any pressure on me to go in any particular direction but encouraged and supported me in any decision I made.

My maths/physics/applied maths teacher – Mr Phil Stack – had a large impact on my decision. He taught these three subjects during my Leaving Cert years.

The continuity between the three courses made me realise the importance of not isolating one subject and the importance of studying the big picture. This is something I have carried with me right the way through university.

What are the main challenges in your job?

The main challenge is combining many different aspects of physics (atomic physics, hydrodynamics, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics etc) in a coherent manner in order to explain the phenomenon I am studying.

Other daily challenges include keeping up with the literature, debugging code and understanding the technicalities of instrumental effects. I struggle with time management.

There are many different aspects of this job – data analysis, paper writing, paper reading, proposal writing. They all need to be done and it is easy to get stuck on one or two and ignore the others.

What’s cool?

I get to study the Sun! I think that is very cool. The ball of plasma that we take for granted is, in fact, a highly variable and dynamic system and the fact that we can see the different phenomena at work (solar flares, CMEs, auroral activity) is fascinating.

To see the EUV (extreme ultraviolet) Sun for the first time will take your breath away. The other obvious cool aspect to my work is that I get to work at NASA for about four months of the year. This means spending time in Washington DC working with the experts in my field of research.

What’s not so cool?

Writing scientific journal articles. I was never very good at languages in school and was not really aware of the importance of paper writing when I decided to follow this path. But in this society it is “publish or perish”.

What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?

I am a good team player. It is important to be able to share problems and solutions with others in the group, in order to progress in your work. It is very difficult to succeed on your own with no guidance or advice.

At the same time, it is vital to be able to work through problems on your own. At the end of the day, you are the one that will need to understand every aspect of your work.

I am good at networking and at selling myself and my work to others in order to progress in the field. Lastly, I am good at interpreting physics.

In this field, all you have to work with is what observations can show you. It is my job to take the observations and combine them with theory to try to explain “why” we are seeing what we see.

What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?

English, Irish, French, maths, geography, music, physics and applied maths. Maths, applied maths and physics were the three subjects that set me up for my career.

I also took two years of chemistry in university that helped me to better understand the atomic physics I am currently employing.

What is your education to date?

I have my Leaving Certificate, a Bachelor of Arts Moderatorship degree in natural sciences – Physics with astrophysics from Trinity College Dublin.

I am currently working towards a diploma in statistics (not necessary, just useful) and a PhD in Solar Astrophysics.

What has been the most rewarding event in your career so far?

Receiving the Catherine Macaulay Award for leadership in my final year of secondary school.

What personal qualities do you have that helps you in your career?

I am highly motivated and I do not like to be idle. I like to push myself to the limit and to prove that I can achieve. I am patient and punctual and though I can be scattered, I am generally quite organized when it comes to work.

What is your dream job?

I would love to be an astronaut. That really is physics at work!

What advice would you give to someone considering this job?

Stick with it. It is a bumpy ride but everyone has their good and bad days and in the end, the pay-off is worth it. To actually get the job, make sure you work hard (you do not need to be number one in the class or have straight As – though they do help).

To ‘fit’ this job, you have to be good at working in a team and on your own. You need to be able to talk about your work with others and then put your head down and work out problems by yourself.

The goal of this job is to become an expert in your chosen field and the only way to do that is by failing and trying again, so patience is very important.

What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?

Patience, determination and a desire to look beyond the obvious.

What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?

Anything involving computers. Research experience in a lab.

Dr Maura Rabbette - Astrophysicist

What have been the main milestones in your career so far?

My first was when I was about 12 years old, when I bought a pair of binoculars and spent many nights observing the starry sky. That was the beginning of a lifelong passion for astronomy.

I took physics and chemistry for the Leaving Certificate, then did a BSc in physics and followed it up with a PhD in astrophysics.

For my thesis I observed some of the most distant and active galaxies in the universe, using the European Space Agency’s most powerful telescopes on the island of La Palma.

How did you go about getting your current job?

Shortly after completing my PhD I applied for a US National Research Council postdoctoral research fellowship, to work in the Space Science Research Laboratory at NASA Ames Research Centre, California.

This research programme, also known as the NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP), gives US and non-US citizens the chance to work at NASA.

It’s an excellent opportunity for Irish postdoctoral scientists and engineers to engage in ongoing NASA research programmes.

On completing my fellowship I was offered other opportunities to stay on at NASA as a research scientist which I was delighted to do – and, of course, living in California has its added benefits.

I would strongly urge any student in Ireland interested in working for NASA to look up its postdoctoral programme.

What are the main tasks and responsibilities?

Over the last decade I have been fortunate to work on some of NASA’s major projects.

I was principal investigator on a project which studied the greenhouse effect on Earth and its implications for other planets. We used a number of NASA’s Earth observing satellites and investigated the strong coupling between ocean warming and greenhouse radiative feedback.

We also looked outwards to other planets, for a better understanding of how our own planet has evolved. We estimated the “habitable zone” – that’s the distance from a star where liquid water can exist on the surface of a planet – of other planets way beyond our own solar system

In recent years much of my time has been taken up with the Kepler project. It’s a very exciting project in which one of the most powerful telescopes ever created was launched into space to look for planets similar to our own.

The challenge is to find terrestrial-size planets where liquid water, and possibly life, might exist.

My responsibilities included development and testing of computer algorithms for automatically analysing the light from thousands of stars in a search for orbiting planets.

I also carried out Kepler instrument tests to ensure that mission requirements were achieved.

What’s cool?

It was very exciting to be part of the Kepler science team and to witness the amazing night launch of NASA’s Kepler spacecraft on board a powerful Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

It was history in the making, because Kepler is NASA’s first mission that seeks to find out if the Earth is unique in the universe.

For the first time in human history we will know if there are Earth-size planets capable of supporting life beyond our solar system.

Having a career as a research scientist also offers many opportunities to work outside the office or laboratory. During my PhD and while working at NASA I’ve spent weeks, sometimes months, in places such as Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, Canary Islands, Japan and Europe.

What is your education to date?

• Leaving Certificate, including Maths, Physics, and Chemistry
• BSc in Physics, NUI Galway
• PhD in Astrophysics, University College Dublin

What aspects of your education have been most important for your job?

It is important to get a broad but good grounding in as many subjects as possible at the Leaving Cert and undergraduate levels, because these will be the tools of your trade as a research scientist.

Apart from studying physics for my BSc, I also studied maths, applied maths, numerical analysis, statistics, chemistry, computer programming and astrophysics.

Finally, English is important because, as a scientist, sharing information is an integral part of your work. You have to continuously write papers, reports and proposals and give oral presentations at conferences and seminars.

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

For my PhD research I used large optical telescopes to look deep into the universe. It was very exciting to find active galaxies with evidence of giant black holes at their centres.

I suppose the European Space Agency fellowship, and then the NASA postdoctoral fellowship, were great milestones in my career – they opened up many opportunities for me.

It was a memorable occasion to be surrounded by family and friends as I watched the spectacular launch of the Kepler spacecraft as it started its mission.

What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?

• An inquisitive mind
• Being self motivated and enjoying your work
• Perseverance – being able to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and tackle the problem from another angle

What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for your type of work?

I would recommend applying for space science or astronomy summer schools.

While working on my PhD I was fortunate enough to win a European Space Agency fellowship to represent Ireland at the International Space University summer school in Barcelona.

It was a great opportunity to study and work with astrophysicists, astronauts, space scientists and engineers from over 40 countries. It was a fantastic academic and cultural experience.

I became part of the ISU alumni network and as a result I have friends and contacts in various universities and space agencies around the world.

Learn more

Find out more about the NASA Postdoctoral Programme and how to apply

Check out the ISU Space Studies programme

Visit NASA’s Kepler mission website

Prof Martyn Premble

What were the main career decision milestones in your life so far?

My choice of subjects in secondary school was an important milestone.

Who most influenced your career direction?

My school science teacher was a big influence. Later on, my peers at university and my partner and family also had an important influence on the direction of my career.

Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?

Yes – I am pretty much my own boss now. I can choose when and where I work. I can spend plenty of time with my family, and there are also plenty of opportunities available for advancement and to diversify my interests.

Describe a typical day

I get to work early to avoid traffic. I find the time between 8am and 10am very productive as I can get on with anything that needs doing. My day involves working alone, discussions with my research group, giving lectures and tutorials, attending meetings and generally overseeing the various research grants and contracts that we are currently involved in.

I tend to leave around 4.30pm – again to miss traffic and to ensure that I am home in time to sit down for dinner with my family. I often do a few more hours’ work at home. My PC is set up so that to all intents and purposes it is exactly like being at work.

What are your main tasks and responsibilities?

Teaching and supervision, obtaining funds for research, writing grant proposals, producing research material, performing administrative duties and contributing to strategic decisions.

Obtaining research funding is always a challenge, as is pushing the research along rapidly and developing new ideas and concepts.

What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?

I am very creative and have lots of ideas. I am able to motivate people very effectively. I am regarded as an expert in certain fields.

What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?

English, maths, chemistry, physics, French, geography, computer science, human biology, technical drawing.

Although I did not do particularly well at Ordinary level, I had decided to study chemistry at university and thus needed maths, physics and chemistry at Advanced Level to get a place.

With hindsight, I would probably do the same all over again.

What is your education to date?

Grammar school – the subjects noted above for ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels
University of Southampton – BSc honours chemistry
University of Southampton – PhD chemistry
University of California at Irvine, and University of East Anglia – postdoctoral training

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

Achieving the post of Chair (Professor) of Physical Chemistry at the University of Salford, and winning substantial funding from Science Foundation Ireland.

What personal qualities do you have that help you in your career?

I am optimistic, diplomatic, intelligent, and easy going.

What is your dream job?

Space scientist on a space station.

What advice would you give to someone considering this job?

If you enjoy the sciences, then study them further. It is likely that you will do well at subjects you enjoy. Getting good grades at an early stage does not force you into a career path, but it does help to keep more options open.

What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?

You must like what you do – it is not just a 9 to 5 job and often requires much more. You must persevere – aim high and be confident in your own abilities.

You must be flexible – while having specific aims and objectives is a good thing, very often there are many ways by which some or all of these may be achieved. Consider all the options.

What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?

A summer internship/work experience in a university science department or in a research centre like the Tyndall Institute would give you a good grounding.

Dr Cormac O'Raifeartaigh - Physics Lecturer

What were the main ‘career decision’ milestones in your life so far?

Languages and science (physics and chemistry) in school, science in university, postgraduate life in Trinity College, early lecturing experience.

Who are the people who most influenced your career direction?

No-one really, though my dad was a scientist. I was best at languages and music, but science seemed a better choice career-wise. Also I liked the broad choice within a science degree.

Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?

Definitely. Academic life offers huge flexibility both time-wise and content-wise, as much of the non-teaching work is self-directed.

Some academics like to concentrate on research, some on teaching, some on both… and the holidays are the envy of every other profession. It’s particularly suitable for a skier or a surfer, as there’s plenty of time for travel!

Describe a typical day

During term-time I tend to have lectures on/off until about 3 pm. Then I get back to the office to do completely different work, either research or writing science pieces for the media.

I rarely leave before 7pm, but it’s fine because I enjoy the contrast between the two aspects of my job.

What are the main tasks and responsibilities?

The main activities are teaching and research, although I’m also involved in the communication of science to the general public.

Things can get a bit hectic during term-time as the teaching load in an institute of technology is generally larger than in a university – but it’s great to have a job that involves work in several different spheres

What are the main challenges?

The balance between teaching, research and writing about science for the public can be difficult at times. Most of the time teaching is very enjoyable, but every now and then you get landed with a senior module on a topic you never mastered yourself as a student! Then you have to get on top of it and prepare a thorough course – that can stymie any non-teaching activity for a while, very frustrating!

What’s cool?

I get to teach general introductory courses in really cool subjects like cosmology and particle physics. I have always had a general interest in these subjects myself, so it’s great fun teaching the basic concepts. I think the students really enjoy these modules too.

What’s not so cool?

Teaching is great most of the time, but new modules at third or fourth-year level can be a lot of work.

The other big bugbear is administration: there seems to be much more admin than there used to be, it can take over all the non-teaching time if you let it.

What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?

I’m told I’m very good at explaining things! I suspect this is because although I was always interested in science, it didn’t come to me naturally (like some people).

I find the ideas fascinating, but have to work hard to understand them. As a result, I tend to concentrate on getting the basic ideas across more than most lecturers.

This is probably also a useful skill in the communication of science to the public, something I’ve been working at lately.

What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?

I was top of the class at languages and music in school, but I also chose physics and chemistry for Leaving Cert because I had a general interest in science. I’m glad I did, because it opens a lot of doors career-wise.

What is your education to date?

I spent the first year of secondary school in France. The school was huge, mixed and a very high standard. I certainly learnt French but probably not much else.

I then went to Colaiste Eoin, an all-Irish school. It was a super school for languages and music, but probably not so good for science.

The science degree at UCD was a great all-round education. I then went on to do a PhD in Trinity College – much more specialised, but an important grounding for research.

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

I write the occasional Irishman’s Diary on a scientific topic for The Irish Times – I really enjoy the challenge of trying to communicate scientific ideas to the general public in a well-known literary column.

Recently, I got the job of chairing public science debates in the Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin. That’s great fun too, though it involves quite a lot of prep.

A few months ago, I started my own science blog at http://coraifeartaigh.wordpress.com/. It’s a very useful forum for communicating scientific concepts to my students in a non-formal way

What personal qualities do you have that helps you in your career?

I like performing in public, a leftover from a previous career as a violinist. This is a great help for lecturing, and also for public talks on science etc.

What is your dream job?

One day, I’ll get to be a “Professor for the Public Understanding of Science” somewhere in the world. Then I can concentrate on writing about the importance of science in our lives, and the role of science in society.

Also I’ll have time to write the book I’ve wanted to write for years – a short book on the sub-atomic world for the layman.

What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?

Confidence, patience, interest in your own subject.

What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?

Any form of teaching, plus a general interest in science.