In this article, we follow the journey of Noel Kehoe, a first-year PhD researcher in the School. When we first met Noel, at his graduation, his inspiring story captured our hearts. Recently, we had the chance to see what the next step in his journey looks like - studying a PhD in Physics!

What inspired you to pursue a PhD in Physics?

I was excited to pursue my love of Physics further and I was looking forward to being able to mentor groups of physics students who are starting their own journey through physics. I started my PhD in October 2023 after achieving a first-class honours in my Master’s degree. My PhD project is focused on accelerating ions (charged particles) using really high-power lasers and ultrathin foil targets (1000 times thinner than a human hair) and their applications.

Can you explain the significance of warm dense matter in both scientific research and its applications?

One of the applications I am interested in is how it can be applied to high energy-density physics to create a state of matter called ‘warm dense matter’. This is matter that is solid but has a temperature of thousands of degrees.

It’s interesting as it doesn’t follow physical laws as typical solids do and doesn’t follow physical laws that matter in plasma states follow. This type of matter is also found in many astronomical bodies such as planetary cores and so creating this matter in a laboratory setting allows scientists to conduct ‘laboratory astrophysics.’

How did your experience during your Master’s influence your decision to pursue a PhD, especially considering you applied only a month before the deadline?

Completing a PhD isn’t something I always set out to do. However, the hands-on experience I gained during my master’s thesis gave me a taste of what the world of research is like and served as a stepping stone on my journey.

Despite the spontaneous decision to apply for a PhD, I decided to apply a month before the deadline, I’m glad that I decided to pursue the opportunity!  

What advice would you give to someone considering a PhD but unsure if it's the right path for them?

You need to be enthusiastic and motivated to research your chosen topic, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone who was toying with the idea. I can only really speak for my own research centre here at Queens, but as a PhD student, you get the opportunity to travel to loads of wonderful places whether it’s for experiments, conferences or summer schools.

You also meet a lot of people who have very similar interests and aptitudes as yourself which makes settling in very easy. In my research centre, we have a Journal club every two weeks where one of the students chooses a paper that’s relevant to their current research and they talk everyone through the paper and discuss the method and results.

I know this sounds like the most PhD thing ever! But it’s actually incredibly interesting to see the range of work everyone is working in and as a first year shows you how others analyse papers and pick out the most crucial details.

 

Could you describe the day-to-day life of a PhD student in your research centre? How does it differ from undergraduate studies?

Before starting my PhD, I didn’t really know what to expect or what a typical day of a PhD student would look like. Do they have classes/ lectures? Do they have to teach undergraduate classes? Do you just sit in the library all day and read physics journals or textbooks?

Now that I’m almost 5 months into my course I think I can safely answer these as no, if you want, and no! You get your own laptop and screen along with your own office space in a communal office with other PhD students from your research centre where you can sit and read physics journals or textbooks all day! I’m joking, it’s not just all reading. 

What are some unique opportunities or experiences you've had as a PhD student?

It’s quite surreal when you really think about what you are doing. Every day you’re surrounded by other PhD students, researchers and lecturers, people who were always authority or superior figures throughout your undergraduate degree but now they’re your colleagues, your mentors, your friends and, most importantly, your equals! You are part of a research team that conducts truly world-leading research! 

If Noel’s story has inspired you, check out the range of fully funded opportunities we have in a range of fields from Engineering, Technology and Mathematics and Physics. Click here to find out more.