Profile
Nathan Langford
Nuts! Fell at the last hurdle... Thanks to everyone who voted for me to get me to the last 2. Had a lot of fun doing this...
My CV
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Education:
Kenmore State High School in Queensland, Australia (1991 – 1995); University of Queensland, Australia (1996 – 2007… yikes!!)
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Qualifications:
B.Sc. (hons.), B.A., Ph.D. (physics)
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Work History:
University of Vienna, Austria (2007 – 2009); University of Oxford, UK (2009 – 2011); Royal Holloway University of London (2011 – now)
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Current Job:
I’m a postdoctoral researcher studying nanoscale superconducting quantum circuits.
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My Typical Day:
Right at the moment, I’ve just moved fields (from lasers to superconductors), so I’ve kind of gone back to being a student (but with no classes) – my typical day involves a lot of reading (textbooks mostly), doing calculations and learning to build and operate new types of lab equipment (complicated electronics, etc).
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What I'd do with the prize money:
In the spirit of the X Factor style of “I’m a Scientist”, I want to let the students decide how I’m going to use the money. Option 1: I would commission a custom glass liquid-helium dewar which would allow students to see inside “live” to watch demonstrations of superconductors and superfluids. Option 2: I would buy a range of equipment and materials, including lasers, optical fibres, a plasma ball and a smoke machine, to allow us to give students demonstrations about lasers – how they work and what they’re used for. You decide!
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
No off switch.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
No, not really. I was a bit of a nerd who also played sport. The main thing I did that used to get into trouble sometimes was reading under my desk during class and not paying any attention to my teachers.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
The Cat Empire – one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen.
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
This week? Buy a car. Short-term future? Getting my baby-grand piano tuned – it really needs it. Long-term future? Find the time to travel around Australia and see the things that I’ve only heard about.
Tell us a joke.
How do you tell the difference between an extroverted physicist and an introverted physicist? An extroverted physicist looks at *your* shoes when they talk to you, rather than their own. (I normally tell this joke about mathematicians…)
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