Physicists in the Wild
It might surprise you, but most physics PhD students eventually end up in careers outside of academia. Some leave before graduating, some leave straight after, while others pursue an academic career for years before making the transition. Yet, despite the numbers, current PhD students often find it hard to envision any career beyond the academic horizon. Why? They're simply not exposed to the countless other exciting opportunities available to them.
"Physicists in the Wild" aims to change that.
Join Aggie Branczyk as she interviews physicists who have turned their PhD training into diverse and often unconventional careers. From the corporate world to government, from education to finance, discover the “other” paths traveled by those with graduate training in physics.
Tune in every two weeks to hear the stories of physicists in the wild.
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Aggie works at IBM as a Senior Research Scientist on the Quantum Computational Science team, and the opinions shared in this podcast are her own and are not in any way endorsed by IBM.
Physicists in the Wild
Rohan Dalton - Quantum Optics PhD to Software, Data & Fin Tech
In this first episode, Aggie Branczyk sits down with Rohan Dalton, a former experimental quantum optics researcher turned data engineer in the fintech industry. Rohan shares his personal journey that took him from the University of Queensland (Brisbane, Australia) to a hedge fund in New York City, discussing how he leveraged his problem-solving skills and self-taught programming knowledge to excel in his new role. This episode offers valuable insights into the importance of adaptability, the transferability of skills acquired during a physics PhD, and how to effectively learn new technologies on the job. Tune in to hear about Rohan’s day-to-day as a data engineer, his book recommendations, and his advice for physics students pondering their career paths.
Aggie Branczyk on LinkedIn
Rohan Dalton on LinkedIn
Podcast video on YouTube
Opening music by Alexey Ivanov from Pixabay.
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Aggie works at IBM as a Technical Program Manager for the Quantum Working Groups, and the opinions shared in this podcast are her own and are not in any way endorsed by IBM.