Matthew Tamsett
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I was born in 1984 in Kent in the southeast of England. Science and maths were always my favourite subjects, and, fairly predictably given where this biography is being published, physics was the one that interested me the most. I've always enjoyed the way experiments deal with matters much smaller and more fundamental than the other sciences, yet at the same time, much larger and of grander scope.
My passion for science in general lead me to a rather indecisive choice of degree, physical sciences, at University College London. This was promptly changed to a fully fledged physics masters. Initially, degree level physics failed to recapture the wonder I'd experienced at school; everything was more mathematical and rigid and lacked the exploration and discovery that had first captured my interest. This was until the final two years where two courses really stuck out for me.
Rather surprisingly, the first of these was a course in computer programming. This was my first exposure to programming, and I very much enjoyed the building up of trivial problem-solving into something much larger and more capable.
The second was a course in particle physics. For the first time, I felt I was studying a cutting-edge field, one where discoveries were still being made. There were pieces missing and new fundamental particles to be found. My master's dissertation included both programming and particle physics, along with my first exposure to working on a real high-energy physics experiment, ATLAS. I worked on training artificial neural networks, basically pattern recognition tools loosely based on the way neural networks work within our brains, to identify electrons within the ATLAS trigger system. I thoroughly enjoyed this work, and it inspired me to follow this up with PhD studies.
I moved university to Royal Holloway, University of London, to study leptonic Supersymmetry and "exotics" searches, still maintaining a trigger theme. Throughout my four years of study I was based partially in the UK and partially at CERN, including an extended period of 16 months which included the infamous 2008 start up. After a successful defense, I recently began a post-doctoral position working for the University of Louisiana Tech, based in Ruston, LA, on a joint grant with Brookhaven National Laboratory in Long Island, New York. I currently work on the development physics analyses of jet production and interpretation of results.
In my spare time I enjoy exercise, reading and computers, as well as exploring America for the first time.
