Organising Committee

Daniela Bortoletto

Daniela Bortoletto is a professor of experimental particle physics and the Head of the Sub Department of Particle Physics. She 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 Institute of Physics, 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 and 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.

Jo Ashbourn

Dr Jo Ashbourn is a Tutor in Physics at Oxford and her current research is focused on theoretical aspects of solar physics phenomena as well as the study of dusty plasmas and high energy plasmas in tokamaks. She is also the Director of the St Cross Centre for the History and Philosophy of Physics (HAPP), which has been established to bring together the community of scholars in the history and philosophy of physics in Oxford, the United Kingdom and beyond. She presently conducts her research alongside the roles of Senior Tutor and Tutor for Admissions at St Cross College, University of Oxford.

Aleksandra Ziolkowska

I am a second year DPhil student in Theoretical Physics at Oxford specialising in Condensed Matter Physics. My main areas of research are open quantum systems and integrability, but more broadly I am looking into the physics of cold atoms and its application to the simulation of quantum phenomena. Although I typically work with discretised spaces of spin lattices, I have a keen interest in quantum field theories.

Originally from Poland, I obtained a MPhys degree in experimental physics from the University of Edinburgh. Having worked in experimental physics and engineering laboratories in the UK and Singapore, I shifted my focus to mathematical research through which I am currently continuing my adventure with physics. Outside physics, I am an amateur kick-boxer, but also a big fan of cosy book-and-a-cup-of-tea time.

Kathryn Boast

Kathryn specialises in physics and STEM outreach, splitting her time between Hertford College and the Department of Physics, where she’s responsible for the outreach work of the Quantum Materials Group.

Her background is in particle physics: for her PhD she worked on the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter search experiment, designing hardware that will soon be installed on the detector. As an undergraduate, Kathryn studied Physics and Philosophy at Oxford.

Kathryn now specialises in STEM outreach, with a particular focus on reaching out to under-represented groups. She’s worked with the Oxford Women in Physics Society since its inception, and runs an annual event called ‘Marie Curious’, with hands-on STEM activities and inspiration for local girls. She loves sharing her enthusiasm for all things science with anyone who will listen!

Suhas Mahesh

Suhas Mahesh is pursuing a DPhil in Condensed Matter Physics under a Rhodes Scholarship. His work revolves around understanding the photophysics of metal halide Perovksites for optoelectronic applications.

Maeve Dai

Hi! I am Maeve, a second year undergrad here reading a physics degree. Originally from China, I enjoyed very much the vibrant community here in Oxford. I have met wonderful women in STEM encouraging one another to venture into the academic world. And I am just proud to be one among of them. Apart from physics, I also take interest in art and literature around the world.

Sam Henry

I am a Detector Development Scientist at Oxford University. After a career searching for dark matter and monitoring magnetic fields in underground laboratories, I am currently working on components for the planned upgrade of the ATLAS experiment at CERN. I also teach physics at Hertford College and run particle physics outreach activities. I am often found at public events with a pile of Lego bricks, enthusing about fundamental particles to children of all ages. In my spare time, I write physics-themed My Little Pony fan fiction.

Sabrina Sterzl

Sabrina Sterzl is a DPhil student in her third year in Condensed Matter Physics. She did her undergraduate at the Technical University of Munich, Germany. Currently, she is working on the characterisation of the optoelectronic properties of semiconductor nanowires by THz spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy to create new devices in the nanoscale regime.

Sarah Williams

Sarah is a college lecturer and fellow at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge. She is an experimental particle physicist who uses data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN to search for new particles that could explain the make-up of dark matter. She obtained her PhD at the University of Cambridge before spending several years lecturing in physics and mathematics at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. In addition to her research she is passionate about outreach and is a keen supporter of numerous initiatives to widen participation in the sciences.

Heather Williams

Dr Heather Williams is a Principal Medical Physicist for Nuclear Medicine at The Christie Hospital and honorary Lecturer at the University of Manchester, focussing on teaching imaging physics and positron emission tomography (PET) research. Heather is also a Director of ScienceGrrl, STEMNET ambassador, and active member of the IPEM Nuclear Medicine Special Interest Group and IoP Women in Physics Group committees. 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.

Tian Zhang

Hey~~ I am Tian Zhang, a fourth-year DPhil in Physics at Oxford working on quantum information in spacetime. Before that, I did my undergraduate at Yuanpei College, Peking University in China, with a physics degree and half math courses. My research interests lie in time, information and gravity. It is great to be a physicist and I would love to do some little things for our female community~~

Yingjie Wei

Hi, I am Yingjie, a first year Graduate Student in Particle Physics, focusing on the Higgs Boson mass detection by studying its decay and problem sets. I did my undergraduate degree with Sichuan University, Chengdu City, China, where I built a solid foundation for the graduate studies. If you enjoy food, you can’t miss this city.

Female students, especially in my undergraduate study, who occupied a majority of top 20% places in ranking, gave me much pressure with their better carefulness, patience and hard working. Hope a great, successful CUWiP encourage more female students, teachers to be involved in physics, to help others realize their great efforts and contributions to the world.

Sarah Littlejohn

I’m in my third year of my undergraduate degree in physics at Worcester College, Oxford. I’m hoping to find a way to apply my degree to environmental studies after I graduate. Supporting other women in the physics community is very important me and I’m proud to be a part of creating this event. Outside physics, I love being outdoors and spending time with my lovely dog, Mo.

Aprajita Verma

I'm a Senior Researcher and Project Scientist for the UK Extremely Large Telescope 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 as scientific staff. 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 co-founder of the Citizen Science Project Space Warps, a search for gravitational lenses, and love to do public outreach about telescopes and my research.

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).

Her current research interests include:

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