Daisy Shearer

Choosing Surrey

The main reason I came to Surrey in 2014 was that I really liked the sound of the MPhys course. I wanted to experience a research placement and I also had an interest in the research the physics department was doing.

I visited during an applicant day and felt that this was somewhere I’d feel comfortable. I already had Surrey as my first choice of university, but visiting the campus confirmed that this was where I wanted to study.

My research

I completed my MPhys in 2018 and now I’m studying for a PhD at the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI). I’m primarily an experimental physicist working in quantum technology and my research focuses on a compound called indium antimonide.

I use a lot of the amazing equipment we have at ATI, including the Microfabrication Clean Room and the Focused Ion Beam. Apart from that, I’m most likely to be found in the spintronics lab working with our superconducting magnet.

Professional placement

I did a 10-month placement at the Centre for Integrated Photonics, which is now Huawei Research and Development (UK).

I was a Research and Development Intern, primarily focusing on telecommunications. I did a variety of activities, such as testing devices, data analysis and developing programmes to quantify the data I measured, then I’d present my findings and design recommendations.

I loved doing experimental research and working with semiconductor devices! I also developed my data analysis and coding skills, and became familiar with how a research team operates in industry.

Life at Surrey

I’ve been at Surrey for a few years now! I was diagnosed with autism in December 2017, which gave me access to the University’s amazing Disability and Neurodiversity (D&N) services, including my specialist mentor. I’ve grown as a person and as a scientist thanks to her help.

In my free time, I like to read, garden, bake and knit, but one of my biggest hobbies is science communication. I love exploring science topics in accessible ways on social media and on my blog, Notes From the Physics Lab.

My gardening and science communication hobbies inspired an outreach project I ran last year called The Quantum Garden.

I also run an online project called Neurodivergent in STEM, which aims to amplify the voices of neurodiverse people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

The future

I want to continue being a researcher in quantum technology and eventually transition into industry as a research and development scientist.

I also want to develop my freelance science communication work more, particularly my writing and making accessible videos to teach a wide audience about cool physics concepts.

I also hope I can continue amplifying the voices of neurodivergent people in STEM to show the younger generation of budding neurodivergent scientists that there is a place in STEM fields for them.

Find out more about our Advanced Technology Institute.