Profile

Photo:

Hazel Garvie-Cook

My CV

  • Education:

    The Stephen Perse Foundation for GCSE and 6th Form, Durham University for my undergraduate degree, Bath University for my postgraduate degree

  • Qualifications:

    11 GCSE’s (5 A*’s, 6 A’s), 3 A-Levels (3 A’s), Masters in Physics (First Class), PhD

  • Work History:

    Before starting this job, I worked as a Researcher at the University of Bath in drug delivery to the skin

  • Current Job:

    Applications Scientist in the Spectroscopy Products Division

  • About Me:

    I’m a scientist at an engineering company, applying Physics to really varied applications.

  • Read more

    I’m new to Bristol after moving here from Bath. I love the city and can’t wait to get to know it better. I started climbing when I moved to Bristol – I’m leaning the ropes on indoor walls at the minute but am hoping to get outdoors over the summer. In general I’m happiest when outdoors, camping, walking or swimming.

  • Read more

    I work as an Applications Scientist at an engineering company which makes microscopes. What this means is that I work towards selling and developing a particular kind of microscope for use by companies or universities. This microscope uses powerful lasers which interact with samples and produce a tiny signal of light that the microscope then detects. Using this signal, you can work out all kinds of information about the sample, including what it’s made of. The microscopes have been used for picking up small traces of drugs in people’s fingerprints, finding cancer in biological tissue and  imaging single layers of carbon atoms (graphene) for use in future technologies.

  • My Typical Day:

    Days are really varied; I could be in the lab, working on some samples sent in by customers, attending conferences, holding training workshops, or writing scientific papers or magazine articles.

  • Read more

    What I really like about my job is the variety – every week we’re sent different samples from people around the world interested in our kind of microscope. These samples can come from companies in really varied industries or from people working on cutting-edge research at universities. We also get people coming in for demonstrations and training on the equipment. I really enjoy meeting people and hearing about the interesting work they’re doing and what they want to find out about using the microscope.

  • What I'd do with the prize money:

    Set up projects to encourage lots of young people from all backgrounds to go into science

  • My Interview

    • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

      interested, enthusiastic, easygoing

      Were you ever in trouble at school?

      Not really

      Who is your favourite singer or band?

      My taste in music is pretty terrible! I love a bit of Abba.

      What's your favourite food?

      My grandmother’s Greek, so I’ve been brought up with a love of Greek food.

      If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

      I wish I’d cared less about what people thought at school, I wish I had more holidays and I wish I had a dog, I love dogs.

      Tell us a joke.

      Never trust an atom – they make up everything.

Questions answered by Hazel

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