Agnes Wojtusiak

• Course: Physics and Mathematics
• Placement: Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
• Role: Laser scientist
• Find out more about the Placement Fair here.

What kind of things did you get involved with during your placement?

During my time at STFC I worked with the research and development section of the Central Laser Facility. My work involved conducting characterisation tests of optical components (such as mirrors and beam-splitters), computational modelling of a design for their next-generation high power laser, and using LabVIEW (a visual programming language) to design software that automatically collects data from 5 different instruments. The latter is even now saving everyone a lot of time in taking measurements, as a result of which 2 papers have been published in peer-reviewed journals, with myself as a co-author.

I learned so much, while also contributing to world leading research! The placement was very challenging, but I had so much support from all my colleagues.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of going on a placement?

Do it! Start applying early on in your degree, to give you an idea of how the process works. I applied for a summer placement with STFC when I was in my second year, but got rejected. After gaining some more experience (volunteering and a summer job) I applied again for a full placement year - and this time was successful!

What do you feel you gained from going on a placement?

I gained so much more than I imagined. I became more confident and independent and gained many technical skills. I was invited to scientific conferences, which gave me the opportunity to network with scientists in my field. My greatest achievement, however, was performing an experiment, which produced publishable data: I am now a named author on my very first scientific paper in a peer-reviewed journal!