CUWiP 2017 Oxford, UK

Daniela Bortoletto: Daniela Bortoletto is a professor of experimental particle physics who uses powerful accelerators for exploring the energy frontier and investigating the most fundamental constituents of the Universe. She is a co-discoverer of the Higgs boson and the top quark. She is currently studying the properties of the Higgs boson and searching for new physics at the LHC. In addition she plays an important role in the development of instrumentation for particle detection. Daniela was the E. M. Purcell distinguished Professor of Physics at Purdue University before joining the University of Oxford in 2013. She has received numerous awards including an U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Award and an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship. She is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is the author of over 700 physics papers. Daniela is a sought-after lecturer and advisor about particle physics. She has been a member of the U.S. Particle Physics Projects Prioritization Panel (P5), the High Energy Physics Advisory Panel (HEPAP) to the U.S. Department Of Energy (DOE) and NSF, and the Mathematical and Physical Science Advisory Committee (MPSAC) to the NSF. She is currently the Chair of the Fermilab Program Advisory Committee. Daniela is passionate about gender issues in physics and increasing female participation in physics and other sciences.

Tracey Berry: Tracey Berry is a senior lecturer in particle physics. I did my undergradaute degree and PhD at Oxford - my PhD was on the Collider Detector at Fermilab. After that have a PPARC (now STFC) fellowship at the University of Liverpool. I then moved to the University of Royal Holloway, to work on the ATLAS dectector - always searching for evidence of new physics at the highest possible centre of mass. I am involved in equality and diversity and am IOP Project Juno Champion for RHUL and on the assessment panel and assess Departments nationally.

Kathryn Boast: Kathryn is a DPhil student working on LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ), a direct dark matter detection experiment. Currently in her third year, she was also in Oxford for her undergraduate studies reading Physics and Philosophy. Finding terrestrial signs of dark matter would revolutionise our picture of the universe and confirm answers to some of the most important questions in physics today, so LZ is a thrilling experiment to be part of. When she isn't in the lab, Kathryn loves explaining physics to anyone who will listen - she talks at outreach days and science festivals on behalf of the department and enjoys working with the university science magazine, Bang!, as well as writing a physics blog and podcasting when she gets the chance!

Jessica Boland: Jessica is a 4th year DPhil student about to commence a postdoctoral research position in February. Her research is primarily focused on the use of ultrafast terahertz spectroscopy to examine the optoelectronic properties of novel semiconductor nanomaterials, in order to create terahertz devices for ultrafast wireless communication applications. She is currently one of the coordinators of the Early Academic Career Outreach Network for the University of Oxford and has recently been shortlisted as a finalist for the IOP Women In Physics Prize for her research and physics outreach.

Rebecca Bowler: I'm a postdoctoral research fellow in Astrophysics at the University of Oxford. I work on observations of 'high-redshift' galaxies, which are some of the first galaxies to form in the early Universe. Previously I did my PhD in Edinburgh, and before that I studied at the University of Cambridge. In my spare time I love road cycling, the occasional triathlon and generally being outside.

Talitha Bromwich: I am a 3rd year DPhil student at the John Adams Institute For Accelerator Science at Oxford. I design beam-based feedback systems for the next generation of high-energy linear colliders. I conduct my research here in Oxford, and also at the KEK Accelerator Test Facility in Japan, so I get to travel quite a bit, which is really fun. Originally from Brighton, I completed my MPhys in physics at the University of Sussex, where my research focused on developing technologies for dark matter particle direct-detection. I spend most of my spare time either with my head in a book, outside exploring the countryside, or creating weird arty designs and sculptures.

Laura Chen: I am a postdoctoral research at University of Oxford. My current research is in laboratory astrophysics, where I create scaled astronomical environments to understand phenomena like ultra high energy cosmic rays and turbulent dynamo. I also study shock and ablation physics of recovered meteorites to develop simulations for deflecting potentially hazardous asteroids. I completed my PhD at Imperial College London. I have worked at several US national labs, including NASA. Outside of physics, I enjoy snow sports, running, water sports, and dancing.

Kirsty Duffy: I’m a post-doc in particle physics, working on the T2K experiment. We study neutrino oscillation, sending neutrinos 300 km across Japan, before being detected in the giant Super-Kamiokande detector. I recently finished my PhD, in which I was trying to measure CP violation at T2K, to see if neutrinos can explain why we have a universe made of matter instead of antimatter - pretty big questions! I’m originally from the North-East of England, but have been in Oxford for my undergrad and PhD degrees. I love to travel (that’s one of my favourite things about my job - I get to go to Japan four times a year) and physics has given me great opportunities to see the world. When I’m not working, I can be found singing karaoke, drinking wine, or catching up with friends.

Sue Geddes: Admin assistant/PA for the Particle Physics Department

Roxanne Guenette: I am an Ernest Rutherford Fellow working in neutrino physics at Oxford University. I am an experimentalist, building Liquid Argon detectors to study neutrino properties like oscillation and interaction. We recently turned on our brand new detector in the MicroBooNE experiment to study neutrino anomalies. I am also involved in a future ambitious project, the DUNE experiment, which will construct a very large-scale Liquid Argon detector to study some of the remaining puzzles of neutrino physics. This experiment could explain at last why there is an asymmetry between matter and anti-matter in the Universe. I got my PhD in astroparticle physics at McGill University in Montreal and moved to Yale University for my first postdoc to work on neutrinos. I also play basketball and race cars at my family's track.

Judith Hillier

Judith Hillier is an associate professor in science education (physics) at Oxford University Department of Education. After completing her PhD in condensed matter physics from the University of Leeds and the Institut Laue Langevin, Grenoble, she studied on the Oxford PGCE Internship scheme and then taught for several years in an Oxfordshire comprehensive school, becoming Key Stage 3 Co-ordinator. She teaches on the PGCE course and the Masters in Learning and Teaching course, and runs the Teaching Physics in Schools option for 2nd year Physics undergraduates. She is also a founding member of the Oxfordshire Schools Physics Partnership, sponsored by the Ogden Trust (see Physics Education 48(3) 271-273).

Research

Factors influencing the recruitment and retention of physics teachers in the teaching profession
Knowledge and professional practice of pre-service physics teachers
Explanations in science education
Pedagogical practices in physics education

As a physicist turned physics educator and educational researcher, she is deeply interested in building research-informed networks and collaborations across the different parts of the education sector, and between the education and science communities

Monique Keane: I am a first year undergrad at Balliol college. I am originally from Ireland, and both at uni and at home am keen to support other women in Physics. I decided to help organise this conference as I really appreciate the sense of community amongst women in physics here at Oxford, and would like to help foster relationships between female physicists at all unis. Outside of my degree I am the outreach officer for Oxfords “Women in Physics” society, and am on the mentoring subcommittee of Oxfest, a society for women studying science.

Sophie Koudmani: I am a third year Physics undergraduate at New College, Oxford. I particularly enjoy the more mathematical side of the course as well as computing. Originally from Germany, I got interested in Physics after having attended an open day at the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY). Outside of Physics, I play the trombone in the College Jazz Band and Orchestra. In 2015, I attended the first “Undergraduate Women in Physics Conference”. Hearing about the speakers' fascinating career paths, socialising with other female undergraduates from all over the UK and getting career advice from women in all career stages made this conference a great experience! Having benefited so much from these three days, I am really glad to be able to help with CUWiP 2017!

Macarena Lagos: I am a fourth year DPhil student in astrophysics under the supervision of Prof. Pedro Ferreira. I am a member of the Cosmology Group and my research focuses on the search of viable theories that model how gravity works at very large scales and explain the observed accelerated expansion of the Universe. To do so I perform computational analytical calculations to test the predictions of different gravitational theories. Outside the office, I participate in the Oxford University Choir, and I enjoy travelling and exploring different cultures.

Katarina Martinovic: Hi! My name is Katarina, I am a third-year Physics Undergraduate at St Catherine’s College, Oxford. Last year I attended the CUWiP and I was blown away by all the fantastic women I got to meet and receive advice from. This year I am excited to be able to give something back and be part of the Organising Committee. Besides Physics, I enjoy dancing, ice skating, tennis and most recently rugby! I have had the opportunity to travel in the past two years while doing Physics research and I undertook summer internships at KAIST (South Korea) and Fermilab (USA). Summer projects give you an insight into life as a researcher and I recommend them to all undergraduate Physics students.

Sarah Thomas: I’m a 2^nd year PhD student in the Ultrafast Quantum Optics group in Atomic and Laser Physics. My research focuses on building a quantum memory for light, and in particular to store single photons. I did my undergraduate in Cambridge, and an MRes at Imperial College London as part of the Centre for Doctoral Training in Controlled Quantum Dynamics. Outside of physics I enjoy running, hiking and baking and travelling.

Aprajita Verma: I'm a research fellow and Deputy Project Scientist for the UK E-ELT programme working in the sub-department of Astrophysics. I got my BSc and PhD at Imperial College London, followed by a short post-doc, and then moved to the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany. My research is based on understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies. In particular, my work focusses on determining the properties of star-forming and black hole hosting galaxies and the role of dust and metallicity in their evolution. I am very interested in outreach and am co-PI of the Citizen Science Project Space Warps (spacewarps.org), a search for gravitational lenses.

Heather Williams: Dr Heather Williams is a senior medical physicist for Nuclear Medicine at Central Manchester University Hospitals and honorary Lecturer at the University of Manchester, and has a particular interest in positron emission tomography (PET) and remains active in imaging research. Heather is also a Director of ScienceGrrl, STEMNET ambassador, chair of the Women in Physics Group at the Institute of Physics and secretary to the UK PET Physics Group. Heather also likes standing up and talking about science, and encouraging others (particularly women) to do so. When she's not busy with all that, Heather enjoys running, hiking and introducing her sons to the wonders of the universe, often at the same time. Heather’s participation in CUWIP is supported by The Ogden Trust.

Grzegorz Agacinski: I am a Web Developer, part of the Web team in IT Support at the Department of Physics, University of Oxford. Main responsibilities: users and web applications/infrastructure support.

Organising Committee