Unpicking nature’s supreme source of energy

Stars are arguably one of the most indulgent things to look at but are also nature’s example of a working fusion reaction. As amazing as that statement is, it amazes me even more that ordinary researchers made this observation, passing down integral bits of information over time. Remarkably, their important observations could now translate into solving the very real climate emergency we have found ourselves in today.

The popular perception of scientists being lone geniuses was once a perception of my own. Hence, until after my A-level studies, it never occurred to me that a career path in science could be so well suited to me. Ever since I have found myself to become one, I would now define a researcher as someone who harnesses their curiosity to try and unpick the mechanics of nature.

In fact, my journey to becoming a researcher stemmed from my curious nature more than an explicit passion for science. As a bright-eyed 18-year-old student enjoying the fresh university environment, I knew I had made the right choice to study chemistry at university. Throughout my degree, I always loved physical chemistry much more than ‘classical’ chemistry, so many typical graduate roles such as analytical testing, medicinal chemistry and even computational chemistry were fields that I could not see myself gratifyingly working on. But, I remember sitting through my first lecture in quantum mechanics being fascinated by the fact that many of my questions did not yet have answers. Since then, I began to consider the prospect of further study after university – a direction that became much more fixed when I took a gap year after graduation.