Profile
Christine Simpson
Curriculum Vitae
-
Education:
Imperial College London and University of Edinburgh
-
Qualifications:
Physics (MSci)
-
Work History:
Research at Imperial College and in a Hedge Fund, Secretary, Vets Assistant, Costume Designer, Lifeguard and Baker
-
Current Job:
PhD Student
-
Employer:
-
About Me
I'm a PhD student living in Edinburgh studying Gravitational Waves
-
Read more
I’m a student and I moved from London to Edinburgh last September. In my spare time I love to swing dance, bake and sew. Also, I have an adorable rescue dog called Tesla who I love very much.
Tesla helping me with my homework
-
My Work
I'm interested in training computers to detect real gravitational waves from things like black holes eating eachother
-
Read more
I’m a hybrid maths/physics/computer science PhD student at the University of Edinburgh. I’m currently taking some courses in Maths and Computer science and I’m starting my research project about Gravitational Waves.
-
My Typical Day: Mostly feeling like I don't understand anything, but very occasionally I make a breakthrough
-
Read more
I’m currently doing some university courses in addition to my research project so my life is a little bit like a typical university student with lectures and homework, but I also get to work on a big project with one of the lecturers here, and that’s what I’ll be focusing on for the next 4 years. Most of my time is spent in front of my laptop writing code or reading papers written by other scientists.
-
What I'd do with the money
Make a bunch of Astrophysics comics to explain my research and all the cool stuff I'm learning this year.
-
Read more
I get to learn so many cool things as I work on my research project and I’d love to be able to share them with the general public. I’m a big fan of the webcomic xkcd and I’d like to use the money to produce simple comics that explain all the interesting ideas I come across over the course of my PhD
-
My Interview
-
How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Nerdy, quiet and happy
What's the best thing you've done in your career?
I started my own biochemistry company with my friends when I left University and got to run a lab for a year: I was in charge of choosing all the experiments, processing all the data and fine tuning our inventions.
What or who inspired you to follow your career?
I've been interested in animals ever since I can remember, and that interest expanded to all of science as I learned more about it in school.
What was your favourite subject at school?
I loved chemistry- doing the practicals was really fun at A -Level, and it was the first place I learned about electron orbitals, which I found fascinating
What did you want to be after you left school?
A biochemistry researcher who would find a replacement for animal testing
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Not that much, but when I was, it was always for my incorrect uniform
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
Probably a costume designer- I've worked in theatre and tv in my spare time and I make a lot of my own clothes. Sewing is a very rewarding hobby and I love playing with how costumes define characters.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
It changes all the time, but I'm currently in love with Sylvan Esso
What's your favourite food?
Peppermint Ice Cream
What is the most fun thing you've done?
Learning how to swing dance, it's the best!
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
I'd love to be able to apparate so I could see all my friends around the country without spending hours on trains, I'd like to never have to pay rent again, and I'd love to go swing dancing in California and Germany
Tell us a joke.
What do french people call a really bad Thursday? A tra-jeudi
-