I’ve been curious how many working researchers we’ve got in this community, and what you all do!

If you’re working in science (physical or social), engineering, etc in a research capacity, give a shout in the comments and let us know what you work on! Same goes for students and amateur scientists at any level. (And by amateur I mean those of you who are working on your own experiments but just not being paid for it / not working on a degree; I’m upset that “amateur” has a negative connotation, it shouldn’t.)

I’m currently a PhD candidate, working on transmission electron microscopy and electronic materials (mainly ferroelectrics). In the past I’ve been involved in research / product development in a few different industries, including medical devices, aerogels, and materials for RF devices.

  • Dr_Cog@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    I’m a research professor of neurology, and my research focuses on developing novel cognitive assessments for measuring early-stage Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.

    • realChem@beehaw.orgOP
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      1 year ago

      That’s a field where it seems (to an outsider) like a lot has been happening recently! Glad to have you here!

      • Dr_Cog@beehaw.org
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        1 year ago

        You’d be correct! The new anti-amyloid drugs are very exciting, and it makes my work on preclinical Alzheimer’s even more fulfilling as it can have a real impact on getting people tested and treated as early as possible.

  • Salamander@mander.xyz
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    1 year ago

    I’m a PhD candidate too - my contract is finished now, but I am still writing my thesis. So I am currently at the awkward intersection of finishing a thesis and looking for a job.

    My PhD focus is in applying time-resolved spectroscopic techniques to study the excited state dynamics of molecules. Basically, these are experiments in which a pulsed laser is used to excite the sample and a second probe light is used to measure a change in the absorption in response to the light. By measuring these changes in the absorption as a function of time, and applying quantum chemical methods to calculate the spectra of potential intermediates, one can sort of recreate a movie of what the molecule is doing after it absorbs light with a time resolution of femto to picoseconds. The materials that I study are organic dyes that are useful for microscopy, as well as molecules that respond to EUV light for applications in photonanolithography (for making the very small transistors in computer chips).

    I am also an “amateur” scientist when it comes to biology, as many of my hobbies are nature-based and it’s not like I can turn off the science bug when it comes to hobbies.

    • realChem@beehaw.orgOP
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      1 year ago

      Well that’s fascinating! The technique sounds a little bit like a cross between Raman and EXAFS/XANES? (Probably just because those are two techniques I happen to be familiar with though.)

      • Salamander@mander.xyz
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        1 year ago

        Raman and EXAFS/XANES are techniques to probe different types of molecular transitions. Vibrational raman probes molecular vibrations, and XANES probes electronic transitions due to excitation of core electrons. Each technique will help you obtain different molecular properties. The standard approach is to apply these methods to do “static” absorption studies, meaning that one studies the transitions induced by these light sources in order to obtain molecular information of a given sample. The time-resolved techniques expand these measurements along the time dimension, so you can measure these properties but in a sample that is changing extremely quickly in response to a trigger (usually light).

        So, it is not that the technique is a cross between these, but rather an approach to take Raman, or XANES, or IR-spectroscopy, or UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy, and then apply it in a time-resolved manner. You can usually take any spectroscopy technique and add “time-resolved” at the beginning and you will find someone doing that. Of course, some techniques are easier to perform in practice than others. I have done some time-resolved XANES experiments, and for those we need to go a synchrotron and the experiment is really tricky. A time-resolved UV/Vis can be done in many university labs. I don’t have practical experience with Raman experiments.

  • TheAlrightGatsby@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    PhD in Geology. Now am a research scientist working in more general materials science/chemistry/gas adsorption. My thesis was on lunar petrology where I studied Apollo 16 samples. My current research is much less exciting. Haven’t touched a rock in ages and my geologist heart hurts from it haha

    • realChem@beehaw.orgOP
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      1 year ago

      Dang we gotta get you some cool rocks!

      (I’ve always kinda wanted to thinly section some rocks with nice big grains and put them in the TEM; so many natural minerals have really interesting crystal structures!)

  • Maddypip@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    I’m working on my Astrophysics PhD. I study “galactic cannibalism” aka how galaxies grow and change by eating smaller galaxies. My big focus is on teaching and outreach though rather than research.

    • realChem@beehaw.orgOP
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      1 year ago

      Cool! Is this the kind of thing that’s going to happen between Andromeda and the Milky-way, or is that fundamentally different because they’re more similar in size?

  • Track_Shovel@slrpnk.net
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    1 year ago

    I work in mine closure. I create plans to re-integrate them back into the surrounding landscape, and provide valuable end land uses (not just those centred around ecosystem re-establishment).

    • realChem@beehaw.orgOP
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      1 year ago

      That’s so cool! Sounds like an incredibly rewarding job. (Also I love visiting old mines that are no longer working but are open to the public for viewing. Always a cool experience.)

  • appel@whiskers.bim.boats
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    1 year ago

    working in a cultivated meat startup, msc in biotechnology, but now disillusioned and wanting to do something academic/more down to earth and helpful

    • realChem@beehaw.orgOP
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      1 year ago

      If it’s not too personal, may I ask what lead to your disillusionment with the field? “Lab grown” meat (assuming that’s what you mean by cultivated) has seemed like a promising idea to me for a while, in terms of environmental impact and the ethical consideration of animals.

      • appel@whiskers.bim.boats
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        1 year ago

        no, the technology is underdeveloped, and very resource intensive. I don’t think it is a viable alternative at all. Better to just eat what grows from the ground than spend so much time, money, energy forcing cells that don’t want to grow in such an artificial environment. I’ve also started to notice how it seems to be quite tied to EA and longtermism crowd, who are investing in it a lot.

        • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
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          1 year ago

          True. It could still have benefits from a vegetarian or conservation perspective, though.

          Have you thought about trying to get into genetically modified plant crops, then?

          • appel@whiskers.bim.boats
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            1 year ago

            I did consider it yes, but those companies are evil too, they make a farmer reliant on a super crop that can’t produce its own seeds, and then make a mint by selling them seeds every year.

  • sensibilidades@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I’m a professor of chemistry, I mainly do organometallic research but we’ve been branching out into other areas.

    • realChem@beehaw.orgOP
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      1 year ago

      Very cool! My only experience with organometallics is with CVD and related technologies (like we’ve got one machine we use called a FIB – focused ion beam – that uses an organometallic as a carrier for platinum deposited as part of the process). Mainly I think of them as “probably toxic, probably pyrophoric, treat with extreme caution” sorts of chemicals.

  • oofinsprouts@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    I’m a Data Scientist (physics PhD) for a large enterprise company. I’ve been in this field for the last decade and I’m kinda bored with it. I’m not exactly sure what to do next though…

    • realChem@beehaw.orgOP
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      1 year ago

      Mmm yeah, I can imagine things might get a bit stale after a decade working on similar things. What was your physics PhD in, something you’d be interested in pursuing again maybe?

      • oofinsprouts@beehaw.org
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        1 year ago

        My thesis covered optoelectronic measurements of nanomaterials for novel photovoltaics. Even as a kid, I wanted some sort of career researching alternative energy, but those jobs sadly don’t exist.

  • IrritableOcelot@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    I’m a PhD candidate in inorganic and biochemistry! Loving the chem representation here, and loving OP’s username.

  • thedarkfly@feddit.nl
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    1 year ago

    I’ve got a PhD in nonlinear vibrations. I’ve left academia for the space industry though.

    • realChem@beehaw.orgOP
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      1 year ago

      That definitely sounds like something that could be useful in a lot of different ways - including in the space industry!

      • thedarkfly@feddit.nl
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        1 year ago

        Yeah well most industries pray that everything stays all good and linear, but sadly it isn’t always the case haha. The next level is to design a structure with nonlinearities on purpose.

  • Pelicanen@sopuli.xyz
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    1 year ago

    Development engineer working with autonomous vehicles.

    Worst part of it is having to interact with Tesla bros who think that they have self-driving figured out despite what experts in the field tell them.

    Best part of it is being able to code functionality then sit down inside an actual physical vehicle and see, hear, and feel it act out what you programmed. Incredibly satisfying.

  • hiwigiwi@lemmy.nz
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    1 year ago

    trained physicist with 2D materials background, turned all-round engineer with an ultrafast spectroscopy startup.

  • AFK BRB Chocolate@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I work at a company that makes large and small rocket engines (e.g., the ones on SLS/Artemis, and solids for a number of defense programs), and various electrical power systems (e.g., for the ISS and some of the Mars rovers). I manage the space software engineering organization.

  • Hellstormy@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    I’m a software developer who works on Backend/APIs/Cloud/AI. Currently browsing Lemmy instead of actually doing work in my home office…

    • realChem@beehaw.orgOP
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      1 year ago

      Currently browsing Lemmy instead of actually doing work in my home office…

      Some days just turn out that way lol