Profile

I was born and raised in Luton, Bedfordshire, where I went to a normal state school which had a pretty bad reputation. I really enjoyed school though and I worked hard to get top grades and ended up at the University of Oxford, studying Materials Science. I graduated in 2021 and now I’m working for the National Nuclear Laboratory where I research materials for nuclear power (not weapons!)

Outside of work, I like a bit of everything really! I’m focused on staying fit so I like to be outdoors running, hiking or playing rugby. I played a lot of rugby and basketball in school and university, but since then I’ve relaxed my commitments and just like to play sport socially with my friends. If I’m not out and about, then I do love a bit of Playstation (but my girlfriend doesn’t!) or just watching movies and TV series. I’m also a massive foodie, so I spend a fair bit of my time cooking and eating – nothing makes me happier than great food!

Another one of my passions in travelling. I’ve been lucky enough to have visited some amazing places like China, Vietnam, Canada and Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania). There’s so many more places I want to explore and I’m always looking forward to the next adventure!

Materials Science is the study of engineering materials. When I say engineering materials, I mean things like steel, concrete, titanium, aluminium, wood, plastic, rubber and lots more. Think of all the things you use every day and what they are made of – like your house, car, phone, shoes… anything! It’s all made from one or more materials. So using the best materials is really important!

I work on materials that have applications in nuclear energy. A nuclear power plant is enormous and made up of lots of parts, all made from different materials. Things like steel, concrete, nickel alloys and zirconium alloys are all really important parts of my job (a lot of different metals, basically). I research things like how strong they are, what temperatures they melt at, when they are going to rust and fall apart, etc. Most importantly, the materials need to stay strong and do their job so that they are safe.

At the National Nuclear Laboratory, we’re also trying to develop new and improved materials to use in the future. Nuclear power is really important because it doesn’t emit any greenhouse gases and so it can help us combat global warming and climate change!

I wake up and have some breakfast (I never miss breakfast) then I’m ready to start work at 8am. Sometimes I’m working from home, and some days I’ll cycle into the office. It’s about 20 minutes on the bike for me.

Most of my work is on the computer and involves things like analysing experimental data, reading scientific papers and reports, writing reports, having meetings with other scientists and computer modelling. Some days I’ll be doing lab experiments instead – much more fun! The experiments involve testing materials and looking inside them with microscopes to figure out why they behave the way they do. Some experiments require you to travel to special facilities and can last several days. Recently, I was involved in a 24 hour experiment at the Diamond Light Source synchrotron (a big particle accelerator).

I usually finish around 5pm and then I’m free to do whatever I like!