Have you heard of Johan Cruijff, the famous cosmologist; the mathematician; the astronomer? Because in this post I wish to impart on you the wisdom of Johan Cruijff, the legendary Dutch football player and coach, who knew a thing or two about science. Quite recently I gave my first talk in the Netherlands, which is where […]
Gender equality – Key challenges in the classroom
I recently gave a presentation about the key challenges for physics teachers in promoting diversity and inclusion in the classroom. Naturally, I chose to talk about a topic I have done quite a lot of reading already: gender equality. To warm up, here’s a quote from the Institute of Physics’ website: For more than 25 […]
The Quantum Solar Cell
As a true theoretical physicist all I like to think about are abstract laws and mathematical relations. I find it important that my models can be tested empirically, but truth be told, my focus drops exponentially after an experimental setup has been mentioned. While material testing and practical applications leave me lukewarm, I’m very happy […]
A Peering Review of Peer review
Papers and citations are the currencies in which the physicists in my field express their scientific value. When I, or one of my collaborators, have an idea for a model or for a calculation, I hardly ever have another main result in mind. So after a couple of months and lots of reading, brainstorming, […]
About “chicks in the sciences” [1]
When I started the Quantum Messenger, I made the decision not to talk about gender, at least not for a while. Not because I don’t care about the issue: as a woman in physics I have obviously noted and dreaded the underrepresentation of my gender. But I did not want to risk this becoming a […]
Black Holes: Bald or Hairy?
As a female theoretical physicist, I often wonder: if I were a black hole, what hairdo would I choose? Amusingly enough, some of the brightest minds in my field cannot work it out, and therefore jury is still out: bald, hairy, or with a wig, perhaps? It all started with the no-hair theorem, a name […]
Life of PI
Hello from Canada! I’ve survived my first week in the only ever so slightly mundane town of Waterloo, Ontario. My second Canadian experience has so far been a mix of a pleasant trip down memory lane (I remember the names of the bus companies and cellular providers! I recognise the infrastructure!), an awe of the […]
Jet lag
Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I’ve truly been lagging behind. My excuse is that these last months I feel like I’ve always had my one leg in a new country, and my other one on a jet. The career of a scientist in my field typically takes place in multiple cities and countries. […]
Adding dimensions with art and prose (2)
Extra dimensions are pretty popular attributes of theories in particle physics (in fact, yours truly is currently working on such a theory!). But long before they became fashionable in physics, there are records of creative entrepreneurs and imaginative individuals captivated by the idea of a hidden world in another dimension. Some writers and visual artists […]
Adding dimensions with art and prose (1)
As a physicist who once aspired to study fine arts, crossovers between the abstract world of theoretical physics and the imaginative world of the arts are a particularly exciting topic for me. It seems to be quite easy to find examples of artists and writers inspired by science[1] but (to me) the truly intriguing thing […]