• Question: How many hours do you usually stay in the lab?

    Asked by anon-187797 to Stewart on 12 Nov 2018.
    • Photo: Stewart Martin-Haugh

      Stewart Martin-Haugh answered on 12 Nov 2018:

      I normally work 9-5, Monday to Friday. Sometimes (e.g. if I have a deadline or a busy period) I have to work a bit later, but I usually go home first: I just need an internet connection and a laptop. I find if I work too hard for an extended period I’m less effective, so I try to make sure I don’t spend too many hours each day working.

      Particle physics experiments rely on recording a lot of data, so you run the experiment 24 hours a day. Physicists working on the experiment are expected to contribute to the running: I did maybe 30 11pm to 7am shifts during my research degree (PhD).

Comments