Flynn Linton

"UQ offers some of the best research experience an undergraduate can ask for."

Why did you study science at UQ?

UQ offered a competitive science degree which would allow me to quench my insatiable thirst for understanding the fundamental building blocks of nature.

After moving overseas, I realised that UQ offered some of the best research experience an undergraduate can ask for. Very few undergraduate students from other universities around the world have the opportunity to do research as part of a semester project, summer research or honours thesis, which gives UQ students an advantage when applying for graduate schools overseas.

What was the best part of your time at UQ?

Through UQ, I had the opportunity to present at Australasian Council for Undergraduate Research (ACUR) and Australian Institute of Physics (AIP) research conferences.

The atomic theory group, whom I completed several research projects with, are continuing the research I did during my honours thesis and working towards publishing the results.

I also had the opportunity to participate in a student-staff partnership project which focused on redesigning first-year physics courses to enhance learning outcomes for students.

Besides research, my most memorable experiences at UQ often involved giving back to the community. Whether it was organising club events or running orientation days for new students, I was able to develop my soft skills such as leadership, public speaking and building meaningful relationships with peers and mentors to grow my network. I really enjoyed being part of clubs and societies like the UQ Stargazing & Astronomy Club and UQ Physics Club where I was surrounded by like-minded students with similar passions/hobbies to me.

What kind of work do you do as part of your job?

I am completing my MSc Physics at ETH Zürich, specialising in theoretical particle physics.

I have also begun working with a research group at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) who are looking for signatures of new physics in existing data sets from the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.

After my Masters, I intend to complete a PhD in theoretical physics and then continue into Academia.

What do you enjoy most about your field?

Physics aims to build a more complete picture of the universe, using mathematics as a tool to uncover some of the weirdest and most unintuitive phenomena you can think of. I grew up thinking physicists were like the rock stars of the academic world; the kind of people who can be presented any problem thrown at them and come up with a creative and accurate model to describe and solve the problem. Studying physics proved me right. Physicists are very cool.

What advice would you offer to anyone thinking about studying at UQ?

UQ is a great university with an excellent reputation, especially within the Asia-Pacific region. If you're a science student, take advantage of all of the research opportunities available to you. I seriously cannot stress this enough. Do it.

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