Episode notes
Today on People Doing Physics, we’re delighted to welcome Charlotte Simmonds, an astronomer with an incredible journey and a woman on a quest. Of all the guests we had the pleasure to welcome here, Charlotte stands out as one of the most determined, driven by an unshakable fascination for the universe, and our place within it. If astronomy was always her end goal, she first studied and started her career as a music teacher. But when the time was right, she finally embraced her first love and passion and navigated her way through the various challenges that academia invariably presents. Now a…
Podcast
People doing Physics
Cavendish Laboratory · Tech & Science · English
As fascinating as physics can be, it can also seem very abstract, but behind each experiment and discovery stands a real person trying to understand the universe. Join us at the Cavendish Laboratory on the first Thursday of every month as we get up close and personal with the researchers, technician
More from People doing Physics All episodes →
-
E40 · 2 Apr 2026 · 31 min
Jocelyn Bell Burnell: a star among the stars
We are so happy to be joined by Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, legendary astrophysicist who made the first observations of pulsars during her PhD at the Cavendish, and went on to become a fierce advocate of diversity in science. Dame Jocelyn is visiting Cambridge to give a special talk organised by the Cambridge University Women in Physics Society for International Women’s Day and we’re really excited to be able to spend time with her and ask her about her journey. -- A brief note for our listeners: this episode includes personal reflections on life in academia and physics in past…
-
E39 · 4 Dec 2025 · 34 min
Verity Allan: From ancient words to distant worlds
Today we’re joined by Verity Allan, who works as a project manager, developer, and programmer of architecture and software for the Square Kilometre Array, which will be the world's largest radio telescope. A graduate of Cambridge, Oxford, and The Open University, Verity came to Cambridge from a town in the Midlands to study Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic. How did she go from studying ancient languages, to coding, designing security for telescope software systems, and pursuing a PhD in high performance computing for astrophysics? These are just some of the twists and turns we hope to explore…
-
E38 · 4 Sep 2025 · 47 min
Creativity in science: a conversation with Akeelah Bertram and Kevin Lim
I’m delighted to welcome Akeelah Bertram and Kevin Lim to this episode of People Doing Physics. Akeelah, a British multi-disciplinary artist and the current Cavendish Arts Science Fellow, creates immersive installations that blend digital and interactive art, performance, creative technology, and sculpture—all with a focus on collective storytelling. Her work often experiments with new modes of communication, crafting experiences that connect people across different locations and contexts. Over the past year, Akeelah has been deeply engaged with scientists at the Cavendish Laboratory as part…
-
E37 · 3 Jul 2025 · 48 min
Teuta Pilizota: The itch that drives research
Today in People Doing Physics, we’re delighted to welcome Professor Teuta Pilizota, a physicist who works at the intersection of biology, chemistry and physics. Having set up her first lab during her PhD, Teuta is no stranger to the challenges of moving a lab, and she recently brought her innovative biological physics work to the Cavendish Laboratory. Teuta brings a unique perspective to science. She’s someone who finds the complexities of maths more straightforward than those of human nature, and who will choose excitement over logic when selecting scientific questions to research. Her…
-
E36 · 3 Apr 2025 · 45 min
Russell Cowburn: physics, faith... and nanotechnology
We’re excited to welcome Russell Cowburn, professor or experimental physics at the Cavendish Laboratory, serial entrepreneur, and a man of faith, newly appointed Canon Scientist at St Albans Cathedral . Russel’s journey to becoming a physicist started with a light bulb moment, quite literally. From his early interest in electronics to his education and career in Cambridge, with a couple of detours through engineering and France, his profile sits at the intersection between science and technology. With over 60 patents granted, Russell is a master at translating discoveries into technologies.…
-
E34 · 6 Feb 2025 · 43 min
Simone Eizagirre Barker: Taking research to the world (Replay)
This episode was first published in May 2024 This month on People Doing Physics, we have a voice very familiar to listeners; Simone Eizagirre Barker, PhD student in the Quantum Optical Materials and Systems group at the Cavendish. Following a winding path into Optical Physics, Simone previously dipped her toes into Nanotechnology in the Cavendish’ NanoDTC, and Chemical Physics at the University of Edinburgh. Her interdisciplinary background builds on her fascination for figuring out how the world works, whether looking at quantum systems or how to structure the perfect argument. Outside of…
-
E33 · 9 Jan 2025 · 40 min
Richard King: From Cambridge with Love (Replay)
Welcome back to a world of People Doing Physics! For this first episode of 2024, let us introduce you to Richard King, the Undergraduate Lab Manager at the Cavendish Laboratory. Richard oversees the practical side of the undergraduate physics course, managing the team that designs, develops, and deploys lecture demos and undergraduate experiments. A former electronic engineer, his background was in circuit design and computing before he joined the Cavendish in 2008. With Richard, we talk about how Cambridge has changed over the years, what it’s like going from fast-paced industry to the…
-
E32 · 5 Dec 2024 · 44 min
The Bad Boy of Science: Particle Physics meets Science Communications
This month, our guest is Dr Sam Gregson, better known as YouTube’s Bad Boy of Science. Formerly a Cavendish particle physicist working on the LHCb experiment at CERN, Sam found that he enjoyed finding ways to engage non-specialist audiences with fundamental physics more than submitting himself to peer-review and moved into science communication. The founder of LHComedy, CERN’s first ever comedy show, he now runs science education shows that have played in venues as diverse as the Royal Institution and The Green Man Festival. His Hunting the Higgs talk was recently performed for hundreds of…
-
E31 · 7 Nov 2024 · 35 min
Behind the lab coat: Oliwia Zawadzka on apprenticeships in physics
This month, we are joined by Oliwia Zawadzka, a Research Laboratory Technician at the Cavendish Laboratory. Oliwia grew up in Poland before moving to the UK aged 9. Dropped in at the deep end, she spent the next few years learning English just in time to sit her exams. Despite doing well, she decided the typical path through university wasn’t for her and set about finding an apprenticeship that suited. This brought her to the Cavendish, where she started as a laboratory technician apprentice, helping the technicians in their work supporting the research of the department. Today, we’ll talk…
-
E30 · 3 Oct 2024 · 38 min
Exploring the Intersection of Physics and Business with Sam Stranks
Today we are joined by Professor Sam Stranks, Professor of Optoelectronics and Royal Society University Research Fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, and a Joint Member here at the Cavendish Laboratory. Growing up in Australia, Sam graduated from the University of Adelaide with a BA in German and Applied Mathematics, alongside a BSc in Physics and Physical Chemistry, before completing a PhD at Oxford University. His research focuses on developing novel materials for low-cost electronics applications, such as solar cells and LEDs, and he is co-founder of Swift…
Take it with you
The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.
