I am the Outreach and Public Engagement Officer at the National Quantum Computing Centre and a part-time PhD candidate in experimental condensed matter physics at the University of Surrey’s Advanced Technology Institute, working within the Photonics and Quantum Sciences group in the physics department. My PhD research focuses on semiconductor spintronics for quantum technology applications. I hold an integrated master’s degree in physics with first-class honours from the University of Surrey (2014-2018) where my master’s research project involved working in R&D at the Centre for Integrated Photonics developing High-Speed Electroabsorption Modulated Lasers (EMLs) for telecommunications.

Alongside my academic research, I frequently engage in other activities such as higher education teaching and science communication. I am a STEM Ambassador as well as being on the Institute of Physics South Central Branch Committee. Through these, I regularly organize, run, and take part in physics outreach activities in the local area, such as running the Quantum Garden project and presenting science shows at Winchester Science Centre. Since starting my PhD, I have made online content on physics and inclusion topics as well as regularly talking about my experiences as a physics researcher on social media such as Instagram and my blog ‘Notes from the physics lab’. I’m also a PhD student contributor at Physics World. I am currently pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning alongside my PhD and aim to implement inclusive pedagogy principles into my teaching practice within physics at the higher education level. I was also part of the team designing a new ‘Education and Public Engagement’ undergraduate module for the University of Surrey’s Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

I am passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion in STEM with a focus on disability and neurodiversity as I am autistic. During my PhD, I launched an online visibility project- Neurodivergent in STEM- to share the stories of neurodivergent people working in STEM and encourage accessibility and neurodiversity in STEM fields. Recently, I have also taken the lead in developing a new peer mentoring scheme for SEPnet’s Intersectional PhD Peer Support network (IPPSnet) which helps support underrepresented physics PhD students across the UK and I have been the driving force behind establishing neurodiversity networks to support neurodivergent staff and students at the University of Surrey.