Katy Clough: People of NMS
Katy Clough is a Phd Student in the Department of Physics in the Faculty of Natural & Mathematical Sciences at King's College London. Katy recently spoke at one of three Pint of Science evenings as part of the King's College London Physics team, a week later she spoke at the London Soapbox Science event. She is a woman on a mission to get theoretical physics out to the masses. We sat down with her to discuss her passion:
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How did you end up at King's College London?
After graduating from the University of Oxford with a degree in engineering, I qualified as an accountant and worked in London for six years in finance. During this time period, I took an Open University qualification in physics and realised that this is what I enjoyed and what motivated me, and that I missed the analytic and creative nature of science.
I then began to apply for PhD positions with specific interest in King’s College London and the Department of Physics’ numerical general relativity programme. Luckily it is what I’ve ended up doing, ‘modelling the equations of gravity on a supercomputer.’
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Why Soapbox Science? - Why did you choose to do it, what does it mean to you? and what influence do you think it could it have on wider society?
I systematically volunteer for public speaking and women in science events. It’’s important that as a woman in science, you are visible, that you show women are doing these careers, are good at them and are enjoying them. I also think there is a real appetite in the public to know about fundamental science and thus believe initiatives like Soapbox Science are essential in educating the public about what scientists do on a daily basis.
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What was taking part in Soapbox Science actually like?
It was exciting and the atmosphere was fantastic. I was amazed at how many people stayed to listen for the entirety of my hour long slot, particularly as speakers had been advised to prepare 30 mins worth of material which you would then recycle as people moved on. It was important that I took questions , engaging the people present, particularly the younger members of my audience.
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“69% of students studying medical technology-related degrees are women, as are 86% of those studying degrees in polymers.” - The UK Higher Education Statistics Agency.
However these figures aren’t representative of the low numbers of women in science careers. What are the challenges (if any) that you face as a woman in science? And what advice would you give a woman embarking on a science career?
The first thing I’d say about being a woman in physics, is you are certainly a minority, particularly as you climb the career ladder - often I go to meetings and out of 10-15 people, I’m the only woman present. My personal experience has been that there is an unconscious rather than conscious bias ingrained in the system. People are keen to get women into physics so there needs to be an emphasis on raising awareness, challenging the status quo and encouraging more women to progress to higher levels within the field. My advice to women in science is to not give up, physics is a good career path and it is worth some of the difficulties of the career overall.
5. What are the challenges (if any) that you face as a PhD student?
Before starting my Phd, I had these ideas that conformed to common stereotypes of theoretical physics - I’d have to sit around and come up with genius ideas like Einstein. However, I’ve found that I am set defined projects to work on and that I receive an enormous amount of support & guidance from my supervisor.
It is also worth noting that in comparison to an undergraduate degree, what is hardest with a Phd is working on something for a long time with no results. However, don’t be deterred, this is a normal part of research and certain things just don’t have an answer. This encourages a shift in how you work and manage that frustration and is guided by the support you receive from your supervisor. In the end, it is worth it overall because of the interesting, challenging & creative nature of what you are doing.
To hear more of what Katy had to say, please click here.