Profile
Nawapat Kaweeyanun
My CV
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Education:
I spent my early years in Bangkok, Thailand, under the local school system. I moved with my family to California during Year 7-9, where I took classes in English for the first time. Afterwards, I returned to Bangkok and attended an international school and finished secondary school in the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme. I moved to the UK to complete a 4-year Physics masters degree at Imperial College London. I am now in my 2nd year of the 4-year PhD degree also at Imperial College.
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Qualifications:
I have an MSci Physics with Theoretical Physics degree with 1st-class honours from Imperial College London.
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Work History:
As I am still a student, my past jobs are mainly summer internships and placements. I have interned at the National Science and Technology Policy Office in Thailand, a government organisation dedicated to developing science education in the country. I have also worked as an undergraduate researcher at Imperial College London, during which I helped do research for a university faculty member.
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Current Job:
Ph.D. Research Student in Physics at Imperial College London.
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About Me:
I am physicist-in-training (read: PhD student) at Imperial College London. I am passionate about how physics explain our universe and if all goes well, I will get a (not very useful) Doctor title in a few years! I love playing/watching football, and used to be a housemate with 15 dogs.
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Read more
I originally came from Bangkok, Thailand. I was inspired to study physics by my secondary school science teacher, who helps me see physics as a vast web of knowledge going back to the beginning of our universe! I came to London for university over 5 years ago and fell more in love with scientific research. As a PhD student, I am very excited to tackle problems no one ever answered before and share my findings with the world. I hope to work as a professional researcher in the UK or Europe after my degree, with a longer-term goal toward helping scientific advancements (research or outreach) in Thailand.
In my spare time, I cook a lot of Thai food to fight homesickness and spend my weekends catching a football (I’m a goalkeeper!). I can play the piano at an average level. I grew up in a house with 15 dogs!
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(Ganymede)
Ganymede behaves like a giant bar magnet and generates its own magnetic field much like Earth. The moon’s magnetic field is shaped by 1) the surrounding Jupiter’s magnetic field, and 2) magnetic contents inside the moon which include the underground ocean. My work looks at Ganymede’s magnetic field in detail, especially how plasma flows (very hot gas) create weather-like events near the moon. This knowledge will help us not only keep our satellite safe, but also help us look into the ocean and see how big and salty they are.
(Ganymede’s underground ocean)
To do this, I use computer programming to create a model of Ganymede’s magnetic field. These programs use a lot of maths to mimic the real moon as closely as possible, so we can be sure that our results are accurate. This also means that I can do all my work with nothing but a computer. Not all science involves a big lab with expensive tools!
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My Typical Day:
I wake up around 8 AM in the morning, then travel to my office at university that I share with other PhD students. I turn on my computer and plan computer program(s) I want to make, and then spend my day coding away! I often take a lunch break with my friends and sometimes an afternoon tea too. I leave my office around 6 PM in the evening, but sometimes later if my program is not finished.
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After I arrive at my office in the morning, I plan my goals for the day and write them on a sticky note as a reminder. My typical goal is to write a computer program to perform a specific task. To do this, I first write out the maths needed to make a program in my notebook. Then I start coding on Matlab, an app used for advanced programming. The coding can take a few hours or a whole day. If I finish my program, I perform checks to see if there are any errors with the program and then produce some graphs if needed. Once this is done, I look at my next goal and start programming again.
(My work computer with Matlab on screen)
I meet my PhD supervisor once every week for an hour. During this time we discuss the progress I make in the last week. Our talk is mostly about the science rather than the coding, as I know more about my code than he does! I also have a research group meeting where I meet other PhD students and scientists working on similar research topics and share our findings. Otherwise, I am an assistant teacher to a class of ~20 university students at my university, where I help them learn various concepts in their curriculum!
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What I'd do with the prize money:
If I win, I want to use £500 to kickstart an online website promoting science from outside of Europe/North America, where scientific advances do not appear as much in our media. The money will help me buy and maintain a website for several months or even a year!
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Learner, Passionate, Perfectionist
What did you want to be after you left school?
A research physicist
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Sometimes when I was younger!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Dodie Clark
What's your favourite food?
Big bowl of cereal in the morning!
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1. A teleporter to visit my family at any time. 2. A chair that can fit any work desk. 3. A pen with infinite ink that I can call to me any time no matter where it is.
Tell us a joke.
Why is electricity an ideal citizen? Because it conducts itself so well!
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