Centres

SET Women - Leicestershire Women in Science Engineering & Technology

e-Book - Dr Gillian Butcher - Postdoctoral Researcher in Physics & Astronomy

"At primary school I liked the idea of being a mad scientist - being eccentric, but no-one minding as you were a genius!"

Even though physics was her favourite subject at school, Gillian also hoped for a career that would let her have some positive impact on people's lives. "I wanted to care for the world and change it." Now, as a successful scientist, she has a clearer picture of how much physics is useful to the rest of society. "Whatever your interests - whether it's art, music, history, medicine, sport, or whatever -- there is a way in which you can use physics with it. The skills you learn as a physicist are much sought after by all types of employer."

Gillian attended Strathclyde University and remembers the thrill of it, "My lab partner and I spent weeks trying to set up a holography experiment. When we finally managed to produce our first hologram, we were literally running up and down the corridors, grabbing people to drag them off to show them what we'd achieved!"

She received an Honours Degree in Applied Physics but hesitated about going on to pursue a PhD. Like many women considering the sciences as a career, Gillian was unsure of whether or not she could handle it. "I didn't think I'd be clever enough. I guess I also needed confirmation that I would do OK at the next level (which I kept needing and still do)." Her parents supported her at every turn, and good advisors encouraged her to realise her abilities and raise her confidence until doing a PhD was all she wanted.

Determined to get into a good programme, Gillian decided to take a slightly different route into her PhD. "My first degree wasn't good enough (a 2:2) to go straight to do a PhD, so I chose to work for a company that sponsored staff to do further study." For three years, she worked part of the week as an airfield lighting engineer at Thorn Lighting and the rest as a postgraduate completing an MSc in Architecture: Light and Lighting. With the MSc, Gillian was accepted onto the Physics PhD at Essex University. "Getting my PhD was one of my proudest moments, with all of the hard work, dedication, planning and personal sacrifice."

She then came to the University of Leicester as a post-doctoral researcher and member of its acclaimed Space Reseach Group. There, she has worked on designing, building and testing various scientific instruments that have flown in space or are currently in orbit. "I also have an instrument working/waiting to work/splatted over or buried on the surface of Mars!" She is referring to the Beagle 2, the robotic geologist built by Gillian and her team at Leicester that was to be Europe's first Mars lander – had its spacecraft functioned properly. "It was a thrill watching Beagle 2 being launched, feeling part of a great team and thinking about how momentous this could be. OK it didn't work out, but we'll be back!"

Currently, Gillian is working on an X-ray interferometer that is still in its design phase in the laboratory. To illustrate the investment scientists make in their work, Gillian says, "If all goes well (and we continue to get funding) then we would maybe see our telescope being launched into space in twenty years time." She says that the reality of being a space scientist is "challenging in both the negative and positive connotations of the word, but there is still the thrill of getting your experiment to work, particularly after days/weeks/months of hard work."

In addition to working on space missions, Gillian is involved in several projects that support women in Physics, including serving as the Treasurer for the Women in Physics Group of the Institute of Physics. She is also the mentor coordinator for the University of Leicester's SET for Women programme and an advocate for getting more women into the physical sciences.

Like many scientists, Gillian does find time for a hobby. She enjoys playing the piano for her own enjoyment and more recently in local recitals. "I love all aspects of the piano, not just the sound and music I can create, but also the physics, engineering and craftsmanship behind it."

Gillian is an example of how SET is more than just white coats and steel labs. "Whatever your motivation, whether it's money, changing the world, contributing to the knowledge base, teaching the next generation ... there is something there for you in SET."

Learn more about Gillian Butcher's work: Space Research Centre