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Katie Knowles

    • About Me:

      Hi! I’m Katie, and I’m a Physics PhD student. I love all things to do with space, especially planets! I’ve lived by the river in Newcastle for just over a year now, and in my spare time, I enjoy climbing, hiking and cooking food from all over the world.

    • My pronouns are:

      She/Her

    • My Work:

      I’m a PhD student at Northumbria University in Newcastle. I spend my time researching all about the atmospheres of the largest planets in our Solar System – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. I use the largest telescopes on Earth and in space to look at the Giant Planets and study them. As part of my PhD, I have been to lots of cool places like Hawaii, Japan, Texas, Switzerland, and more!

    • Read more

      To see the Northern Lights on Earth, you have to travel very far North and keep your fingers crossed. But if you really want to an amazing show, you should go to Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system!

      Jupiter has the brightest northern lights in the entire solar system, and they are always glowing brightly (they never switch off). They are made differently to Earth’s because they are powered by one of Jupiter’s moons, instead of the Sun like at Earth. This moon is called Io, and it is the most volcanic place in the solar system. Io’s volcanoes erupt and spit out a tonne of stuff every second, which moves towards Jupiter and hits its atmosphere, making these dancing ribbons of light – the northern lights!

      The weird thing is that Jupiter also has dancing lights and shadows away from its North Pole, and we have no idea why… so its my job to find out!

    Candidate CV questions (extra)

    • Education:

      I did both my GCSEs and A-Levels at John Taylor High School in Burton-upon-Trent (where I’m from). I then did my Foundation Year and Masters degree in Physics with Space Science at the University of Leicester, before I moved to Newcastle where I am currently doing my PhD at Northumbria University.

    • Qualifications:

      When I was 16, I got 10 GCSEs with grades at A* – B (before the numbers system started) and a BTEC in Health and Social Sciences. Maths was my one B at GCSE so my school wouldn’t let me do Maths at A-Level.

      At A-Level, I did Physics (grade C), Chemistry (C) and Biology (B), and then I did Psychology (A) at AS-Level.

      At university, I passed my foundation year as the top student and got a first class with honours degree in Physics with Space Science. During my degree, I was awarded the Photonis Prize for Physics and the Airbus Space Science Prize.

      In my PhD, my research project has been approved and I have passed my first year.

    • Work History:

      My very first job was actually when I worked as a Christmas Elf for Santa’s Grotto at a local garden centre. It was my job to operate the sleigh ride and give kids presents after they met Santa, and I also had to entertain the kids while they had breakfast with Santa in the mornings. When Christmas was over, I worked on the tills.

      In High School, I was a House Leader, so I spent a lot of time doing fundraising for charity, including lots of bake sales, and talking to younger students.

      When I was at university, I was a Student Ambassador, which meant that it was my job to show people around the Physics department on Open Days, and share personal experiences about studying at Leicester.

      Also while at university, I did a 3-month internship at Space Park Leicester where I had to replicate the small spacecraft they were building on my computer and show how it would fly in space. I did lots of research projects during my degree, and all of them were about Jupiter!

       

    • Current Job:

      I am a Physics PhD student, and I study planetary science.

    • Employer:

      I work with Professor Tom Stallard at Northumbria University.

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        Enthusiastic planet geek

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        I wanted to study physics and space science so that I could one day work for NASA. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that it will one day happen!

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        I would have loved to be an voice actress or an athlete of some sort.

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        I love all kinds of music, so there are too many and it changes every few days!

        What's your favourite food?

        Cheese. All the cheese. Or anything spicy.

        Tell us a joke.

        What did Earth say to the other planets in the solar system? You guys have no life.

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