1. Tell us a little about yourself and what brought you to CERN? 
I am a physics PhD student at the University of Liverpool but based at CERN full-time. During my master’s I had the opportunity to present my work at a conference at CERN after which one of the organisers reached out to me and suggested I apply to the CERN Doctoral Student Programme. Even though I did not believe I would be chosen, here I am!

2. What do you do at CERN today? 
I am currently in the process of finishing up my PhD. For my thesis, I continued the development of a so-called optical beam loss monitor. When accelerating particles there are a lot of things that can go wrong which causes part of the beam to diverge from the intended path. This leads to decreased efficiency and increased radiation levels. To measure the amount of beam loss, I was working on a new type of detector which uses an optical fibre and Cherenkov radiation to detect and measure these losses. My work included everything from ordering elements for the detector, installing them in the tunnel with the help of technicians, writing data taking software, running test beam campaigns, analysing the measured data and presenting my results at conferences and through papers. 

3. What is working at CERN like for you?
For me working at CERN has been very rewarding. On the one hand I think I got quite lucky with my team and my project. I got to do a huge variety of different things and visit all the accelerators during my time through helping my section and my voluntary work as a CERN guide. Seeing the technology from different decades all working together in such a huge machine complex in amazing to see. Besides the technical aspect, I also really enjoyed the internationality and openness of my colleagues at CERN. The sheer variety of different cultures and cuisines and the openness and willingness to share is truly inspiring.

4. What skills have you developed since joining CERN?
Besides the obvious technical skills such as programming or scientific writing, the main growth I have seen in myself is on a personal level. Simply through all the international experiences and the different people I got to meet during my time at CERN, I have gained a much more open attitude to different cultures and more confidence when meeting new people. Furthermore, through my guiding activities and the conferences I was able to attend, I have notably increased my presentation skills.

5. What have been the main hurdles or challenges you encountered along the way? 
I feel the main hurdles I have encountered are likely to have impacted all newcomers in one form or another. Figuring out how to navigate around CERN, trying to learn French, trying to not make any mistakes in the French tax declaration, sorting out other bureaucratic stuff, both at CERN and my home institute. While this sounds like a lot, luckily, I was not alone in my struggles and there is typically a website or more experience colleague that can help! 

6. Any favourite memories from your time at CERN so far? (What’s the most "CERN" moment you’ve experienced?
For me two moments come to mind. The first was riding an e-Bike for the first time 100m beneath the surface next to the LHC and only thinking that if I fall, I should aim towards the wall and not the LHC. The second memory I have is the opportunity I had to present my work in front of 300 international experts in Beijing. Being able to travel around the world, visiting the Great Wall of China and being accepted as an expert in my own right even though I was only in the second year of my PhD was truly a unique experience.

7. What advice would you give to potential applicants?
Show your motivation, apply for multiple roles and just do it! You never know what could have been if you don’t even apply!