Louise Shanahan and Noam Mouelle: balancing elite sports and a physics PhD

People doing Physics

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Today we're joined by two physicists who have not only distinguished themselves in the sciences but risen to the top of their sporting fields as well. Louise Shanahan is a PhD student in the Atomic Mesoscopic and Optical Physics group, as part of the Winton programme for the physics of sustainability here at the Cavendish. Siting at the borders of physics and biochemistry, her work looks at nano diamonds and there use in measuring cells properties. Alongside this, she has found time to excel in middle distance running, becoming European youth Champion, Irish champion and representing Ireland in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Noam Mouelle is a PhD student with the high Energy Physics Group, part of the National Atom Interferometry Observatory and Network, using Ultra Cold Atom Technologies to investigate dark matter. In his sporting life, he's won several French national junior titles in rowing, competed in the Junior World Championships, and was one of the rowers in the 2023 Cambridge men's team who won the famous Oxford Cambridge Boat Race last March. They talk to us today about balancing training and study, the benefits and downsides their lifestyle brings and what they get up to when they're not out on the track or river.

[00:40] Guests intro

[01:40] What brought you to physics?

[03:08] Working at a similar scale but looking at very different things

[06:50] A PhD as a natural progression from undergraduate studies

[09:07] A typical day balancing studies and sports

[12:23] To say or not to say, a different approach to disclosing a sporting carreer to their supervisors

[16:44] Why running, why rowing? And how it helps in physics (and vice versa)

[23:36] Qualifying for the Olympics - a long term ambition

[26:30] Coming to Cambridge to study AND win the boat race

[29:22] So, what's next?

[34:30] Outro

Useful links

• Learn more about Louise's AMOP group and Noam's AOIN work
• To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to www.phy.cam.ac.uk

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Episode credits

• Hosts: Simone Eizagirre Barker and Jacob Butler
• Recording and Editing: Chris Brock

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