Case Study: Tristan Canfer
At a glance
Tristan learned design and building skills through an apprenticeship. He uses these skills to build electronics to measure and control the series of actions that his scientist colleagues need to reach their results. These can be from the movements of particles in an accelerator (a machine that uses electricity and magnets to move particles almost as fast as the speed of light) to the temperatures of cryogenic experiments (below -150 degrees Celsius).
Tristan’s STEM journey
Tristan studied Maths, Physics and Electronics, at A level and then did a four-year engineering apprenticeship at Rutherford Laboratory. While he was working at ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, he did a part-time engineering degree with the Open University- it took him 6 years!
Using electronics to control extreme environments
Tristan works on a particle accelerator, used by researchers from all over the world to investigate samples. These might be anything from futuristic new materials to plants or ancient artefacts. For their experiments, the researchers often need to put the sample under extreme conditions – like extreme heat, cold, pressure or magnetic fields. Tristan makes the electronics to control these weird environments.
It never gets boring because there’s always new custom work to do!
Tristan loves the fact that he is helping to make new science possible. Researchers use ISIS to make progress in fields like healthcare and green technology, so he gets to feel good about his work, knowing that it improves lives.
Tristan’s STEM attributes
Tristan is collaborative when he works with scientists to understand what they need him to design and build. He is logical because he needs to think through engineering problems. He has to be organised so he can work on lots of projects at the same time.
Tristan describes himself as resilient because:
Things don’t always work the first time (or the third time!) and I need to keep trying.
He is also a good communicator when he shares knowledge with other engineers with different skills.
In his spare time…
Tristan plays the guitar in a dance band, and he likes to knit and sew. He also loves learning about nature in my local area and helping with conservation efforts.
Tristan’s advice to young people is:
In engineering all your skills are transferrable! I learned to communicate with customers while working in a shop, and now my customers are scientists. I developed fine motor skills through needlework, and now I apply them to detailed electronics assembly. Whatever you do outside STEM classrooms, you’re developing useful skills there too.
This case study is featured in our STEM Person of the Week STFC set 1. You can download the whole set, which includes a poster of Tristan using this link.
Job: Electronics Development Engineer
Key Attributes: collaborative, logical, organised
Qualifications: Engineering apprenticeship, part-time Engineering Degree
