Profile

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Hannah West

Curriculum Vitae

  • Education:

    I went to school in Doncaster, then did my A levels in Pontefract, then went to University in Southampton and then London.

  • Qualifications:

    GCSE's, A levels, Masters degree in Physics, Masters degree in Medical Imaging, PhD in the mathematics of Cancer

  • Work History:

    During A levels I worked in a gym, then during university at Southampton in my first summer I worked in the Haribo sweet Factory. I then did a few internships, including looking at the maths of satellites. After uni I worked for an IT company for a year before returning to uni to do a PhD.

  • Current Job:

    PhD student

  • Employer

    I am doing a PhD at UCL (University College London). I love working here and my job is quite flexible. I have a good office space with great colleagues and then after work I can go out for dinner and to see shows in the West End with friends.

    • About Me

      I love maths, running and baking

    • Read more

      I live in the countryside outside of London. This means I can go into London for work and to see friends but spend the weekends running in the countryside.

    • How I Use Maths In My Job:

      I use fractions, decimals and percentages, geometry and measurement, statistics and algebra.

    • My Work

      I use maths to help understand how best to deliver cancer treatment and to design fighter jets.

    • Read more

      I use maths to study cancer treatment. I use computers to simulate how treatment is delivered so we can help cancer patients best. I use equations that tell us how blood flows in our veins and how oxygen and nutrients, as well as treatments, move through our cells.

      I’m starting a new job in November where I will be using maths to design fighter jets. I will use maths to look at important data and work out how best to avoid obstacles to keep pilots safe.

    • My Typical Day

      I get to work at around 9am and make a cup of tea. I then drink my tea whilst I read emails. I then check my to do list for the day. A normal day will be doing maths on paper, coding, writing reports and attending meetings.

    • Read more

      9am: Get to work and make tea

      9:10-  Check emails, check to do list and make plan for the day

      9:30 – Do some maths calculations by hand. This is normally finding new equations that will describe how cancer treatment works.

      11:00 – Go to a meeting with Colleagues. It’s important that we keep each other up to date on our work so we make sure we can help each other and work as a team to get the best outcomes for our work.

      12:00 – lunch break

      12:30 – Coding. It’s important to be able to work with computers as a mathematician as they can do calculations that we can’t. I use the computer to work out the answers to my equations and then to make nice diagrams.

      15:00 – Go to the gym. It’s important not to spend all day sat down and exercise is really good for your body and your brain. I find I work much better after going to the gym

      16:00 – Grab a coffee and then writing. A big part of my job is being able to communicate my work to other people so I spend a lot of time writing down what I have done and making presentations for my colleagues.

      18:00 – Go home

    • What I'd do with the prize money

      Organise engagement activities to connect women working in STEM with school girls to encourage scientific pursuit in women

    • Read more

      In order to make my work better I could do with some more bits for my computer to help it do maths faster.

    • My Interview

      • What or who inspired you to follow your career?

        Katherine Johnson (a NASA mathematician)

        What's your favourite use for maths in everyday life?

        Helping rockets go to space.

        What did you think about Maths when you were in school?

        I thought it was okay. I didn't start to love it until A level.

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        An astronaut.

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        No, I always worked hard and played by the rules.

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        A personal trainer, I love maths but I also love sports.

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        I couldn't choose one, I love so many.

        What's your favourite food?

        Pasta!

        What is the most fun thing you've done?

        Water skiing

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        To be able to concentrate more, to run faster and to have an endless supply of chocolate

Questions answered by Hannah

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