Profile
Peter Williams
My CV
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Education:
GCSEs (1993), A-Levels (1995) both at Hymers College in Hull. Then Edinburgh U. 1995-2000, then Durham U. 2000-2003
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Qualifications:
MPhys in Mathematical Physics, PhD in Particle Physics
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Work History:
Summer jobs during 1st degree, ranging from picking tomatoes(!), to a summer at CERN. After PhD, 2 years postdoc in the US. Been at Daresbury for 5 years.
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Current Job:
Accelerator Physicist – employed by STFC (one of the research councils). Stop press – now Senior Acc. Phys. – I got a promotion 🙂
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I would argue that particle accelerators are THE tool that enabled the scientific advances of the 20th century. The largest ones tell us about the nature of matter and the evolution of the universe. Medium-sized ones reveal the secrets of life, let us design new medicines, higher yielding crops and better materials. Small ones save lives through the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
At Daresbury, we are involved in all these applications of particle accelerators.
My own work at the moment is focused on designing and building a “Free-Electron Laser”. Here’s a toy one at Daresbury that we call ALICE An FEL is a video camera for the atomic and molecular scale. At the moment, machines like the Diamond Light Source give us static information at the atomic scale – like a still picture camera. A free-electron laser would, like a video camera, take lots of still pictures separated by short periods of time. These can then be strung together into a moving image. This is just starting to become reality and will revolutionise chemistry, biology and materials science. For the first time, we may be able to understand the dynamics of chemical reactions like catalysis. As an example of a possible application, this knowledge may enable us to design cheap, 90% efficient solar cells.
Another machine we have at Daresbury is called EMMA (Electron Model with Many Applications) this is the world’s first accelerator of it’s type. If we can make it work the applications are huge – from better cancer treatments to safer nuclear power. The Mail on Sunday wrote an article about it.
Here I am giving a tour of the accelerators at Daresbury
And here’s an interview with me -
My Typical Day:
No such thing really…
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Some days are quiet – I sit in my office and read research papers or write computer simulations. Using these, I can predict effects in accelerators, explain observed data, or design new machines.
Some days are busy – I may give a seminar to the institute, or there may be a meeting of physicists from around the world to discuss recent developments in the field.
Some days I run shifts on our paticle accelerators at Daresbury – trying to put theory into practice, or providing beam to experimental users from the universities.
Some days I am abroad – gaining experience on other accelerators around the world, or at an international conference. In the past 2 years i have been to the US, Italy, Sweden, Germany and Switzerland.
Some days are managerial – participating in technical meetings to decide the next research direction, interacting with senior managers at STFC to secure funding, or going to the Institute of Physics in London. -
What I'd do with the prize money:
It would be great to get a broadcast quality head mounted camera & mic set.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Really. Bad. Jokes.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Of course not! I was a very good boy.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
My last.fm most listened to goes: The Fall, Boards of Canada, Mogwai, Dirty Three, Stereolab, Belle & Sebastian, Delgados, Do Make Say Think, Mono, Squarepusher, Gravenhurst, Flying Saucer Attack
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Well, if you ask anyone on shift with me in the middle of the night they would say that I would wish for pies, cheese and coffee.
Tell us a joke.
What do you call a deer with no eyes? No idea. What do you call a deer with no eyes and no legs? Still no idea.
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