Profile

I’m working on writing a program that will test a large set of gravity theories using something called redshift space distortions. In this context, redshift space distortions are an effect we see when looking at groups of thousands of galaxies caused by their individual movement, a movement caused in turn by gravitational attraction.
The reason we want to test new theories of gravity is because our current theory ONLY works as well as it does if we include a mysterious, ubiquitous and possibly frightening ‘dark energy’ which is many times more dominant than matter in the universe. The search is for a new theory that would work without a need for this unseen elephant in the tiny tiny room.
Thinking about the biggest unanswered questions and open mysteries in Science,  then dreaming up the most beautiful possible solutions to those problems.

My typical day would start early with a game of squash, volleyball or football (squash being my favorite!). I’d then go home, prepare lunch – I very much enjoy cooking and always bring my own food to work- and then head to work, getting in anywhere between 10am-12pm.
I usually have a chat with people in my office when I get in while making a cup of tea. We talk about all sorts of things from philosophy to society to science to mushrooms. I’d sit at my desk and check emails, write up a list of things to do that day (I usually include some very easy things such as ‘check emails’ so I get to cross them out and feel productive hehe).
Throughout the day I’ll work through my list which will include things like meetings, talks, fixing a bug in my code, reading a scientific paper that’s been collecting dust on my desk. The great thing about the institute I work at is there is always a meeting or talk breaking up desk work, with topics such as the universe many fractions of a second after the beginning of time, the creation of matter and it’s evolution into galaxies, simulating dark matter among many others. The latest talk I went to was on how the earliest emitted light, the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), is bent because of the matter in the universe and how we can use that to test gravity.
Because I usually arrive at the office late, I stay past most of my office mates giving me the great opportunity to prank them. Pranks I’ve pulled in the past include wrapping a friend’s desk in wrapping paper, barring a friends desk with chairs and hiding little pictures of David Hasslehoff around the office.
In the evening I’ll either go to a pub showing live music with some friends, spend time playing guitar at home or skype/write letters to friends/family abroad.