Profile
Tom Ross
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About Me:
I live in Cambridge, where I am currently doing a PhD in Nuclear Energy Futures. I enjoy rugby, rowing, swimming, and athletics. I also play the violin, tenor horn, and piano in my spare time. I regularly volunteer for charity work.
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I went to school in Portsmouth, and completed my bachelor’s degree at Loughborough University. I love reading about politics, science, and economics, and my favourite fiction book genre is fantasy (think Lord of the Rings/Game of Thrones).
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Some nuclear waste can be mixed with what is essentially sand at high temperatures to create glass. When nuclear waste glass is buried underground, it will come into contact with groundwater eventually. When it does, many of the elements contained within nuclear waste glass will dissolve out of the glass into the surrounding water. This process should start relatively fast, and then slow down. However, in practice, diffusion of the nuclear waste glass slows down, and then the rate of diffusion (how fast the elements within the glass diffuse into the surrounding water) actually rises to above the initial rate (very strange). I am currently investigating why this occurs.
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My Typical Day:
I get up at 6am, work from 8:30am-5:30pm, and then go home.
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I get up at 6am, have breakfast, and then get changed into my sports kit for rugby or rowing training at 7am. I then travel home, have a shower and get changed again, and arrive at work around 8:30am. I then do a mix of reading scientific journals (between labwork), and experiments in my lab with a short break for lunch. I go home at 5:30pm, and will usually have either rugby training or a music group between 6-7pm. The rest of the day is just free time to relax.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Buy physical resources to use in school outreach programmes.
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Education:
Portsmouth Grammar School
Loughborough University
Cambridge University
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Qualifications:
13 GCSEs
4 A levels
1 degree, 2 degree-level qualifications in music
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Work History:
Student
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Current Job:
Researcher (PhD student)
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Fun sport-loving researcher
What did you want to be after you left school?
Didn't know
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Yes, more often than I'd like to admit
Who is your favourite singer or band?
No idea, depends on my mood
What's your favourite food?
Roast dinner
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
I'd want to live forever, stop aging, and have lots of money
Tell us a joke.
What's the worst word you can hear at a nuclear power station? "Oops!"
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