Nuclear Engineer

Nuclear engineers design, build, maintain and decommission nuclear power plants. Their work involves measuring and monitoring radiation levels, ensuring the plant meets legal requirements for safety and security, supervising power station technicians and planning safe methods of nuclear waste disposal. They maintain the systems which transfer the electricity from the generators to the outside world and design ways to improve the efficiency of nuclear power plants.

Attributes: committed, patient, resilient

Live Sound Engineer

A live sound engineer works at live events to make sure the sound is of appropriate value and high quality. Live sound engineers work in music, theatres, conferences, sports and other events that require sound projection. They work with producers to identify places where changes in sound level are required. Sound engineers are responsible for pre-recording sound effects needed, the wireless microphones used and the sound that performers hear on their monitors during a live event.

Attributes: hard-working, patient, imaginative

Acoustics Engineer

Acoustics engineers are concerned with the science of sound and noise vibration. They are involved in designing and constructing buildings where sound improvement or noise reduction is a major priority. This could be the construction of sports stadiums and recording studios to improve how sound carries, but may also look at reducing noise interference for local residents. Acoustics engineers assess the noise impact of any construction to ensure there is minimum impact. Some acoustics engineers are involved in designing medical acoustic equipment such as ultra-scans.

Attributes: communicative, committed, open-minded

Medical Physicist

Medical physicists specialise in the healthcare profession. They work on developing new machines and technologies to help within the field of medicine. They look at making new systems to help investigate patient’s illnesses and conditions. They also look at making sure equipment within hospitals is safe and kept up to.

Attributes, curious, creative, passionate

Sound Engineer

A sound engineer works specifically with the mechanical and technical aspects of recording, mixing, reproducing and manipulating the electronic effects of sound. They control microphones, sound levels and outputs along with their experience of acoustics to produce the best quality of sound suitable for purpose. Sound engineers don’t always work in music. There are specialist areas of sound engineering to become involved in, such as studio engineering, live sound engineering, game and audio design or audio post engineering which involves mixing and editing sound for television and movies.

Attributes: creative, self-motivated, organised

Crystallographer

Crystallographers study atomic and molecular structures. They work in many disciplines, including chemistry, geology, biology, materials science, metallurgy and physics. They study diverse substances such as living cells, protein molecules, superconductors and ceramics. Crystallographers use methods such as x-rays, atomic force microscopy, neutron diffraction, electron crystallography, molecular modelling and high-pressure diffraction in order to discover how the atoms in a material are arranged and understand the relationship between the atomic structure and the properties of these materials.

Attributes: collaborative, passionate, hard-working

Nanotechnologist

Nanotechnology is chemistry, biology, physics, materials science, engineering and technology conducted at the nanoscale, which is about 1 to 100 nanometers. Nanotechnologists find ways to deliberately make materials at nanoscale to take advantage of their enhanced properties such as higher strength and weight, increased control of light spectrum, and greater chemical reactivity than their larger-scale counterparts. They also look at how matter and particles can be changed or manipulated and altered at nanoscale and the affect that these alterations have on the overall molecule or piece of matter.

Attributes: curious, creative, resilient

Solid State Physicist

Solid-state physicists study rigid matter, or solids using quantum mechanics, crystallography, electromagnetism, and metallurgy. They study how the large-scale properties of solid materials result from their atomic-scale properties. Solid-state physicists study the mechanical and thermal behaviour of solids including the thermal conductivity, the amount of energy that must be absorbed by a solid to produce a given change in temperature and the melting points of crystals. It is the electrical properties of a solid that are of most interest, in particular its electrical conductivity. This knowledge is used in the production of transistors and semi-conductors.

Attributes: committed, resilient, imaginative

Particle Physicist

A particle physicist is someone who looks at subatomic elements of matter, radiation and subatomic particles to discover how they exist, interact and shape the natural world. They seek to identify the most simple objects of which matter is composed of, and to understand the integral forces that drive their interactions and combinations. Experimental particle physicists design, build and develop the technology required to discover new particles beyond the Standard Model such as sensors, detectors and superconducting magnets. They use machines such as the Large Hadron Collider to find particles such as the Higgs boson. Theoretical particle physicists develop the advanced mathematical quantum theories which underpin the observed physics.

Attributes: imaginative, patient, resilient

Diagnostic Molecular Scientist

A diagnostic molecular scientist performs diagnostic testing, designs and processes DNA and RNA isolation tests and completes research medical diagnoses including types of cancer, genetic disorders and infectious diseases. They work primarily in laboratory settings. Diagnostic molecular scientists study various human samples including blood and bone, foetal cells and hair follicles. Duties can include preparing samples, sequencing DNA, analysing data, and reporting findings.

Attributes: observant, organised, collaborative