I graduated from the University of Surrey with a Master of Physics with Nuclear Astrophysics. Part of the degree was a research placement year at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, working on developing a new detector to be used on an upcoming European Space Agency Earth observation mission.

I am now studying for a PhD in extragalactic astrophysics at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, which is part of University College London, looking at galaxy formation and evolution.

The placement year was a valuable part of my degree as it gave me an insight into how scientific research is conducted. It also equipped me with the tools I needed to stay in the field of space science. My experiences during the placement year were very enjoyable and it was because of this I decided to take my PhD. From the time my career in space science started, I haven’t looked back!