- juliedalgobbo
Name: Tessa Baker
Current position: Faculty
Affiliation: Queen Mary University of London
Field of research: Cosmology and tests of gravity with gravitational waves and large-scale structure.
What is your career trajectory to date?
I did my PhD at Oxford University in the UK. After that, I was lucky to get a five-year fellowship at one of the Oxford colleges -- this provided me with a lot of time and independence to develop my own research program. I spent one of those years as a visitor at University of Pennsylvania in the USA, before finally moving to start a faculty position at Queen Mary University of London in 2019.
What are the most exciting open questions in your research area?
There are various tensions in the current cosmological data, some more serious than others. I think we're all waiting with bated breath to find out if these are all systematics (perhaps driven by the fact our experiments are now outstripping our modelling of the data), or are all connected signs hinting at some new physics.
What do you like and dislike about being a scientist?
I love that science is such an international endeavour. Looking around my research group, people are from all over the world -- much more so than in some other careers, I think. And though people relocate often, that means I have old friends and contacts in so many cities.
I dislike that being a scientist sometimes feels like seventeen jobs in one. We are not just researchers, we are teachers, paper editors, public speakers, administrators, financial managers, group leads, student supervisors, event coordinators, publicists...I swear in some other environments there would be a team of at least six people hired to do all these things!
Which of your skills are you most proud of, or find most useful?
As a PhD student I was really nervous about giving talks. After years of listening to talks, making myself give them, and really thinking hard about them -- I'd like to think I've pinned down how to make a pretty decent one. I might not get it right every single time, but I've had some good feedback on my seminars, and even learnt how to (mainly) enjoy presenting science. It's all about getting out of your own head, and into the audience's viewpoint instead.
What new skills would you like to learn in the next year?
Machine learning and AI has started to influence physics in many ways, and I'd like to implement some of that in my own work. It's easy to drop those buzzwords, though -- I'd like to find the time to develop a solid understanding and do the thing properly.
What advances or new results are you excited about or looking forward to?
I think the gravitational wave data we've collected to date is just the tip of the iceberg, and there is so much more to be discovered. One thing I've learnt in recent years is just how tangled together the astrophysics, cosmology, fundamental physics and instrument science is in this data -- if you're interested in one piece of that, you need to be interested in all of pieces. So although my background is on the cosmology/fundamental physics side, I'm also really interested for us to learn more about the formation channels and populations of compact objects in the universe. Are some galaxies more likely to host gravitational wave sources than others? No-one really knows right now!
What role do you think a community network like EuCAPT can play in developing theoretical astroparticle physics and cosmology in Europe?
After a few years of limited real-world interactions, I think EuCAPT can play a role in reconnecting people. This could mean organising face-to-face meetings, but perhaps also providing a platform for people to establish new collaborations and visit other institutes (how about some small travel grants?) This is particularly important for ECRs who may have only experienced scientific research during a global pandemic -- how about some events target exclusively at them?
What’s your favorite food?
I love all kinds of fish and seafood. But also you can't beat the classics -- chocolate and red wine.
How do you like to relax after a hard day of work?
I like to put on my headphones and walk all the way home, which takes around an hour. I need that physical and temporal separation between being at work and being at home for the evening. During the covid-19 pandemic that wasn't possible, and it felt like the day just blended into a morass of work.
If you were not a scientist, what do you think you would be doing?
I always get really over-excited about watching rocket launches, so I think I'd be working for SpaceX or some other space engineering company. Or if that failed, I'd be a walking guide in the Lake District (a beautiful part of the UK), and happily spend my every day climbing up and down hills.
What do you hope to see accomplished scientifically in the next 50 years?
I'd like to see the full potential of the current/upcoming galaxy surveys (Euclid, Rubin, DESI etc.) realised. I'm also waiting eagerly for gravitational wave science to transition from individual detections to a more statistical `observatory mode'. Please can we also resolve the H0 tension (one way or another...) and have some fresh new ways to extend gravity beyond GR?
What question would you have liked us to ask you, and what would you have responded?
How has your scientific life changed during the progression from PhD to postdoc to faculty?
I have in mind the transitions we go through regarding very detailed, hands-on work and working with other people. As a student you may spend hours on some very fiddly piece of code or calculation -- which can be frustrating, but all the details of the problem are right there in your brain at once. It's like reading a book cover to cover, word for word.
As a faculty member running a group, you can be involved in a *lot* of different pieces of science at once, not to mention having significant other demands on your time. It's challenging to hold all the information in your head all of the time. It's like standing in front of the whole self of books, being able one select one at random, quickly find the page you left off and continue the story, before you have to put that book away again for the day.
I'm not saying one mode of working is better than the other. Only that the change happens to a lot of us, it can take you by surprise, and it requires some readjustment!
- juliedalgobbo
Name: Daniel Blixt
Current position: Postdoc
Affiliation: Scuola Superiore Meridionale, Naples, Italy
Field of research: Theoretical physics (Modified gravity)
What is your career trajectory to date?
After finishing my Bachelor and Master studies at Stockholm University, I immediately started a PhD at the University of Tartu. I remained very shortly a Postdoc there until I moved to Scuola Superiore Meridionale for my current position.
What are the most exciting open questions in your research area?
What are the observational predictions of modified teleparallel theories? Presence of strongly coupled fields have made this question surprisingly difficult to answer in this field.
What do you like and dislike about being a scientist?
Uncertainty for the future. However, I am currently very lucky to have a 3 year position which is quite long for a postdoc.
Which of your skills are you most proud of, or find most useful?
A good coworker. Being able to contribute to several projects side by side and have constructive discussions which makes all of us grow together.
In your career so far, at what point were you the most excited, and what were you excited about?
When I got accepted as a PhD student at the University of Tartu. It was the first time in memory I moved out from my hometown, and I was very interested in the PhD topic.
What new skills would you like to learn in the next year?
I would like to learn more about effective field theories and quantum gravity. Also I would like to improve my programming and teaching skills.
What advances or new results are you excited about or looking forward to?
Observational predictions in teleparallel gravity. I have a feeling that the teleparallel community have reached a point of wisdom where we soon can make reliable predictions in the field.
What role do you think a community network like EuCAPT can play in developing theoretical astroparticle physics and cosmology in Europe?
Networking is very important to push science forward. Our knowledge grows when we interact. Initiatives should optimally be done both in person and online.
What’s your favorite food?
Chole (Indian chickpea dish)
Have you lived in a different European country than you do now? If so, would you like to tell us something about it, e.g. a fond memory or something you found surprising?
I grew up in Sweden and spent 5 years in Estonia. In both countries I have spent a lot of time hiking in the forest which have been wonderful. In Estonia I met my wife from who I have gotten a lot of support.
How do you like to relax after a hard day of work?
I like to eat some good food. Either at home or at a restaurant with friends.
Do you have any non-physics interests that you would like to share?
I practice Kendo (Japanese martial art) twice a week. I also love traveling and spending time in nature.
If you were not a scientist, what do you think you would be doing?
I would be a high school teacher.
What do you hope to see accomplished scientifically in the next 50 years?
I would like to contribute to deeper insights regarding gravity. Hopefully the progress we make helps solving some of the mysterious of cosmology.
- juliedalgobbo
Name: Ruth Durrer
Current position: Faculty
Affiliation: Department of Theoretical physics, Geneva University
Field of research: Cosmology : Large scale structure, weak lensing, CMB, cosmic magnetic fields, GW background, phase transitions in the early Universe
What is your career trajectory to date?
I did my undergraduate & graduate studies in Zürich. After this, in 1988, we moved to Cambridge as a postdoc (with 2 little children). After that we went to Princeton (with 3 little ones). Since 1995 I am full professor at Geneva University.
What are the most exciting open questions in your research area?
Can we test General Relativity with cosmological observations?
What do you like and dislike about being a scientist?
I love discussions with my fellow scientists and, especially with my students. I love to sit down and do a calculation which helps me understand a topic. I hate grant application an evaluations and all other admin business.
In your career so far, at what point were you the most excited, and what were you excited about?
I was very excited when I realised that measuring galaxy correlations on large scale actually does not only contain information about the density field but also about our background lightcone and hence about the spacetime geometry.
What advances or new results are you excited about or looking forward to?
I look forward to see that we can do with the Rubin Observatory LSST and with Euclid, especially the photometric survey.
What is the biggest obstacle that is slowing down your research field right now?
Bias : How complicated is the relation between the matter distribution and the galaxy distribution in the Universe ?
What role do you think a community network like EuCAPT can play in developing theoretical astroparticle physics and cosmology in Europe?
I hope it brings us all closer together as a community.
How do you like to relax after a hard day of work?
I like to hang out with friends and chat with a glass of nice wine.
If you were not a scientist, what do you think you would be doing?
I would be a farmer.
What do you hope to see accomplished scientifically in the next 50 years?
We will hopefully solve at least one of the 'dark' questions : what is Dark matter ? or what is Dark energy ?