Affelia Wibisono

Job: Postdoctoral Fellow at the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies (DIAS).

Hobbies: Video games, photography, and watching and playing football.

What three words would you use to describe yourself? Enthusiastic, competitive, inquisitive.

How did you get to where you are now? I’ve always loved looking at photos of the planets, but wonder what they would actually look like in real life. What would it feel like to climb Olympus Mons on Mars, or to sail on the lakes of Titan, one of Saturn’s moons? I studied physics at university and I realised that I liked talking about science more than doing the science. That’s why after university I worked as a science communicator at a few science museums and science centers. I met lots of astronomers whose job was to try and answer some of the biggest questions in the universe. It sounded fun and fascinating and something I wanted to do. In a roundabout way I’m now doing what I’ve always wanted to do – I’m exploring the planets of our solar system even if I’m doing it in an office in Dublin!

What is the best thing about what you do? I learn something new every day. I’m working with images and information about Jupiter and Uranus that no one else in the whole world has ever seen before. It’s also cool to think that this data was taken either by telescopes in orbit around the Earth right now, or by a spinning spacecraft called Juno that’s orbiting Jupiter some 900m km away from us.

Is your job hard or dangerous or fun? It can definitely be hard! The job of a research scientist is to add to human knowledge. That means asking questions that have never been answered before. But it can also be fun. At the end of the day, research scientists are trying to solve a problem – it can be a big problem like trying to cure cancer, or smaller problems like trying to figure out why their computer code isn’t working. The most dangerous part of my working day is if I have to walk through a field of very curious cows to get to the office!

What are the people you work with like? Great to be around! I’m quite new to the team and have just moved to Ireland. They’ve welcomed me and have helped me to get settled in. They’re all great at what they do and seem to genuinely enjoy their work which is very nice to see.

If you were going to space, what is the one personal/luxury item you would bring? Tough one… a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones I think!

Dr Alexandra Ruth Fogg

Job: Space Scientist/Research Fellow at the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies (DIAS).

Hobbies: Dancing, exploring nature, nail painting/art.

What three words would you use to describe yourself? Curious, friendly, cheerful.

How did you get to where you are now? I was always interested in science-y stuff, although it took me a while to realise I wanted to be a scientist. I enjoyed maths, science and engineering at school, which led me to do physics with space science and technology at university. I really loved the space physics parts of university, so I did a PhD in planetary plasma physics, which led to becoming a space scientist!

What is the best thing about what you do? There are plenty of nice things about working in research: opportunities for travel and flexible hours! But in terms of the daily work, I really love coding and visualising data.

Is your job hard or dangerous or fun? I would say overall my job isn’t dangerous – it’s a desk job mostly. But it’s definitely hard sometimes, lots of head scratching. Thankfully I work in a team where we all support each other when someone gets stuck on a problem. It’s definitely fun too – on top of the science/research parts of my job, we get to develop new and exciting exhibits for the public to come and see.

What are the people you work with like? In my close and distant work network, everyone is friendly and all about moving towards the best science. Women and non-binary people are underrepresented in space science and astronomy, but there are ongoing efforts to change this!

If you were going to space, what is the one personal/luxury item you would bring? I really love having my nails painted in bright, fun colours, usually with some glitter. But I’m not sure how well it would work in space? If you look at videos of liquids on the International Space Station, they behave very differently in a low-gravity environment. If nail painting isn’t possible, I’d bring a super-comfy set of pyjamas to wear at night or a really glamourous sequined outfit!

Anna Taylor

Job: Education Officer at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium.

Hobbies: Board games, tabletop role-playing games, crafting, learning languages.

What three words would you use to describe yourself? Enthusiastic, friendly, colourful.

How did you get to where you are now? Sometimes it baffles me how I got here, but I would change nearly nothing about my journey. I went to university with a passion for the natural world (and science in general) and it took a few twists and turns to get me where I am, working in a space-related job.

What inspired you to choose your job? I love learning and helping others learn. However, when I did my teaching degree I found that working in a school environment isn’t ideal for me. The job came up at the planetarium soon after I finished my master’s degree and I applied! I am so glad I did – it was supposed to be an interim job, but I’ve found what I love doing.

Is your job hard or dangerous or fun? Definitely fun, but sometimes a little bit hard. The only danger is getting accidentally launched with one of our water rockets!

What are the people you work with like? Amazing! Very supportive. I have bad OCD and am never afraid to ask for help with anything I struggle to do.

If you were going to space, what is the one personal/luxury item you would bring? My heart would say my cat, my OCD would say extra soap.

Aurora Sicilia-Aguilar

Job: Reader in physics/astrophysics at the University of Dundee. I am also the Theme Leader for Astronomy and Space Physics for the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance.

What do you do? I use telescopes in space and on Earth to look at the places in our galaxy where stars are born. Through the eyes of many telescopes, I see the baby stars and how planets are forming around them. This helps us understand how our solar system formed and if there are others like ours.

Hobbies: Enjoying nature, playing music, writing stories, and raising three trilingual children.

What three words would you use to describe yourself? Perseverant, curious, organised.

How did you get to where you are now? This could lead to a very long story! It goes through many years and different countries. I started by studying physics in Spain, doing a PhD in the US, and then having jobs in Germany, Spain and the UK. I learnt a lot through this international adventure, worked with telescopes on Earth and in space, and with people who were experts in many different things. Moving around with a family was a challenge, but we eventually managed to settle down in Scotland.

What inspired you to choose your job? I always liked learning about nature and space, doing experiments to discover how things worked, and found it tremendously beautiful when you could finally understand things. As a kid I liked rainbows and loved to learn about how they form. Funnily enough, now I work with ‘rainbows’ of star light that tell me what stars are made of, how they form, and how they move!

What is the best thing about what you do? It is very interesting and a lot of fun. When you find the answer to a problem, when you do or find something nobody had found before, it is amazing. And I also like telling (and teaching) people about it.

What are the people you work with like? International. I work together with many different scientists from all around the world. Knowing so many and diverse people is something I had not expected I would ever do; it makes working in research even more interesting.

If you were going to space, what is the one personal/luxury item you would bring? A music instrument, probably a recorder.

Caitriona Jackman

Job: Space Physics Professor at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS).

What do you do? I study planets in our solar system using information from spacecraft that visit them. I want to understand the space environment including whether we could have life on outer solar system moons.

Hobbies: All sports, playing music, reading fiction.

What three words would you use to describe yourself? Determined, fun-loving, passionate.

How did you get to where you are now? I studied science subjects at school, then physics at university. I did a work placement during my degree at a space science laboratory and loved everything about the experience. I then went on to further study, focusing on planets in our solar system – mainly Saturn at first. For the last 20 years I have been doing full-time research into planets, including Mercury, Earth, Jupiter and Saturn.

What inspired you to choose your job? I love solving puzzles and finding out how nature works.

What is the best thing about what you do? I love working with lots of smart, creative people from all over the world and tackling big problems in space physics.

Is your job hard or dangerous or fun? It’s mostly fun! I can often be within a group of the first people in the world to see new data from a spacecraft and that is extremely exciting.

What are the people you work with like? They are smart, creative, motivated, curious. My research team comprises people from diverse backgrounds, and this brings a broad spread of knowledge and ways of looking at the world, and this makes the science better.

If you were going to space, what is the one personal/luxury item you would bring? A musical instrument!

Cáthal McAleer

Job: Postgraduate Researcher at Maynooth University.

What do you do? I make tiny cameras in telescopes to take pictures of stars, planets and the beginning of the universe.

Hobbies: Powerlifting, hanging out with my friends, karaoke.

What three words would you use to describe yourself? Outgoing, curious and enthusiastic.

How did you get to where you are now? I’ve always wanted to be a scientist ever since I was little, but I’ve only got to where I am with the love and support of my family, especially my mother. She’s my best friend and biggest supporter.

What inspired you to choose your job? I loved computers and maths in school, watching the stars at night, and seeing the beautiful pictures of galaxies on the internet. It wasn’t until college that I found out that I could use my passion for astronomy and computers to see the stars and planets up close by building my own camera.

What is the best thing about what you do? The best thing about working on microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID) cameras is getting to travel all around the world and meet other people like me who are building their own cameras to see the universe in so many different ways! I get excited when I see new images of galaxies and supernovas and I’m always wondering “How did they take that picture?”, so meeting new people and travelling all over the world is amazing.

Is your job hard or dangerous or fun? My job is hard, fun and dangerous all rolled into one! It’s hard because not many people want to build their own cameras but so much fun because I get to learn about the circuits and computer side of astronomy. It can be dangerous sometimes because we need to cool our cameras down to the coldest temperatures in the universe, so we must be extra careful.

What are the people you work with like? The people I work with are great fun to be around and very intelligent. They are always encouraging me to look at an issue from all angles and find the best way to solve a problem. Every day in the lab is always full of jokes and hard work.

If you were going to space, what is the one personal/luxury item you would bring? I would bring some sunscreen!

Catherine Heymans

Job: Astronomer Royal for Scotland.

What do you do? Try to answer the biggest questions that there are, like how did the Universe begin, how is it going to end and are we alone in the Universe? To help us in our quest we build huge telescopes and send them into space to collect light from the birth of time.

Hobbies: Stargazing and wild swimming.

What three words would you use to describe yourself? Enthusiastic, excited, inquisitive.

How did you get to where you are now? I studied astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh and completed my PhD at Oxford. I travelled the globe, using some of the world’s largest telescopes in Chile and Hawaii to survey the cosmos and map the mysterious web of invisible dark matter that dictates where galaxies form. I became a Professor in Edinburgh and in 2021 the Queen appointed me as her Astronomer Royal in Scotland.

What inspired you to choose your job? I had the most amazing physics teacher at school who didn’t mind that I had never grown out of the toddler phase of constantly asking “why, why, why?”. With such an enquiring mind, I knew I had to be a researcher, to seek answers to the biggest questions there are, such as: “How did the Universe begin, and how is it going to end?”

What is the best thing about what you do? I love collecting new data with the latest space technology, peering deep into the Universe to collect images of galaxies that have never been seen before.

Is your job hard or dangerous or fun? Definitely fun! I work with wonderful people from all around the world and we spend a lot of time laughing. It’s sometimes hard, especially when you have deadlines to meet, but never dangerous.

What are the people you work with like? Astrophysics is a global community of all different ages and nationalities. We work together on large international projects to find answers to those big questions about the cosmos.

If you were going to space, what is the one personal/luxury item you would bring? A hard drive packed with photos, music, movies and books to remind me of all the wonderful things back on planet Earth (or maybe just a jar of mango chutney – I really love the stuff).

Hans Huybrighs

Job: Planetary scientist at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS).

What do you do? I study the moons of Jupiter because we think that some of those moons have huge underground oceans. Perhaps life could even exist in those oceans! In my job I study information collected by spacecraft that have visited those moons from close by.

Hobbies: Hiking, traveling, plus observing bats and other animals.

What three words would you use to describe yourself? Curious, motivated and patient.

What inspired you to choose your job? While I was very passionate about space from a young age it took me a while to realise I could be a part of the space world myself. Initially I thought I would develop rockets and satellites, so I studied space engineering. However, I realised that while engineers design and build really cool things, they are not usually the ones who make the new discoveries about space. That’s a job for the scientists. When I realised that I decided to focus on space science, which is what I do now.

What is the best thing about what you do? It blows my mind that I am helping to discover new things about space that nobody knew before.

Is your job hard or dangerous or fun? Space is dangerous, but I don’t have to travel to space myself. Instead, I use information collected by robots in space that do the work for us. I can investigate that information safely from my office in Dublin. Making new discoveries about space is hard and fun at the same time. It’s very rewarding when you make progress, even if it’s just a very small step. Also, the exploration of space is a job you don’t do on your own. I really love working with my colleagues at DIAS and elsewhere in the world.

What are the people you work with like? While they are all different, I would say that all of them are very curious people who are really motivated and interested in space. They also come from many different countries, just like me.

If you were going to space, what is the one personal/luxury item you would bring? Something to stay in touch with my wife (assuming she wasn’t joining; we usually travel to exciting places together), family and friends. If that was a given, then I would bring something to listen to music or read books.

Lovisa Redpath

Job: Education Assistant at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium.

Hobbies: The gym, running and rewatching Friends multiple times!

What three words would you use to describe yourself? Hardworking, adaptable and independent.

What inspired you to choose your job? Curiosity about the physics side of science and the educational purpose. There is so much to learn as new information comes in all the time.

What is the best thing about what you do? The best thing about working in a planetarium is getting to be a ‘tour guide’ to the Universe! Imagine taking people on journeys through black holes, flying them across the rings of Saturn, and introducing them to distant galaxies – all without leaving your seat. Every day is a cosmic adventure where you get to ignite the spark of curiosity and wonder in others, making space exploration feel like the ultimate fun and educational experience.

Is your job hard or dangerous or fun? Working in a planetarium is mostly fun, occasionally challenging and rarely dangerous. The fun part is the tours we provide, making astronomy accessible and exciting. The hard part is keeping up to date on things! Astronomy is a fast-evolving field, so continuous learning and staying current with new research is essential. Also, public speaking! I struggled with this at the start. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me, but with more experience, I can now confidently present a show to more than 80 people without getting sweaty hands.

What are the people you work with like? Everyone is different. What helps us work together as a team is that we’re all compassionate, resilient, and we want to do our best for our customers. We all add to the team in our own way, and we embrace and celebrate each other’s strengths.

If you were going to space, what is the one personal/luxury item you would bring? Hands-down my sassy grey cat, Beans. Can you imagine the chaos of zero-gravity zoomies? Beans would be like a furry astronaut on a mission, careening off walls and doing mid-air somersaults like she’s training for the Kitty Olympics!

Meg Schwamb

Job: Astronomer, Planetary Scientist and Reader at Queen’s University Belfast.

What do you do? I use telescopes to study how planets are formed, grow, and evolve. I study our solar system and planets around other stars in our galaxy.

Hobbies: Cooking, baking, watching movies, going to the theatre with friends.

What three words would you use to describe yourself? Passionate, hardworking and funny.

How did you get to where you are now? I was born and raised in the US. I studied physics in university, then went on to get a PhD in planetary science. My career has taken me to live across the US and in Taiwan. I eventually made my way to the big island of Hawaii where I worked for three years at the Gemini Observatory, which hosts one of its telescopes on the dormant volcano Mauna Kea. I moved to Northern Ireland in 2019. I now work at Queen’s University Belfast as a reader in the Astrophysics Research Centre. I currently teach physics and astronomy to undergraduate students, mentor a research group, and pursue my own research projects.

What inspired you to choose your job? Ever since I’ve been a little girl, I’ve been fascinated by the night sky and studying our solar system. I learned what an astronomer was, and that it was something I could do, after reading a book by Professor Stephen Hawking. I was really inspired seeing the first photos from Nasa/the European Space Agency’s Hubble space telescope and Nasa’s Mars Pathfinder mission.

Is your job hard or dangerous or fun? Most days, I have fun learning new things, plotting up new data, and figuring out what my results mean. Some days my job is hard because things don’t go to plan or there’s an obstacle to overcome. But that’s the fun and challenge of being a scientist. There’s nothing that makes me happier than when I can fix the software I am writing, or figure out what my observations are telling me after being puzzled by them.

What are the people you work with like? Amazing and fun! People have to share knowledge and work together when doing astronomy and planetary science. I am so lucky that I get to work with a bunch of smart and caring people. Everyone brings unique skills and experiences that make the team better.

If you were going to space, what is the one personal/luxury item you would bring? I would bring some good chocolate.

Ruhee S Kahar

Job: Stellar Astrophysics PhD Researcher at the University of Dundee.

What do you do? My job is to study how stars and planets work. Using telescopes to see the stars, I find out more about them. I specifically study young stars so that I can help to figure out how our solar system evolved into what it is now.

Hobbies: I do aerial gymnastics (silks, hoop, trapeze, etc.), I play rock guitar, and I also enjoy hiking and crocheting.

What three words would you use to describe yourself? Ambitious, witty, analytical.

What inspired you to choose your job? I have been obsessed with stargazing and space since I was a little girl and that interest developed as I grew older and led to me studying astrophysics at university. During my degree I had the opportunity to work with telescopes in Arizona and got to see galaxies that were in deep space, directly with my own eyes instead of in a picture!!

It greatly inspired me, and I decided from that moment to pursue a career in observational astronomy and now I get to research and learn about young stars as part of my PhD!

What is the best thing about what you do? I get to look at these beautiful stars and figure out why they behave in the way they do. I also get to work and collaborate with other people who are just as passionate about the same things as I am.

What are the people you work with like? The people I work with are incredibly intelligent and knowledgeable about their own niche fields. As we are all experts in our individual fields it’s a lot of fun to learn from each other and understand other people’s perspective on scientific concepts.

If you were going to space, what is the one personal/luxury item you would bring? I would bring my guitar with me because I think it would be super-cool to be able to ‘rock out’ in space!

Sarah Casewell

Job: Lecturer and STFC Ernest Rutherford Research Fellow at the University of Leicester.

What do you do? I travel the world to use large telescopes to observe failed stars (brown dwarfs) and planets around stars outside the solar system. I look for small dips in light caused as planets move in front of their star. From the size and shape of the dip I can determine how big the planet is.

Hobbies: I’m a runner and I like to swim, and I like making things – I knit and sew a lot.

How did you get to where you are now? I have always been interested in science, ever since a trip to Jodrell Bank as a young child! I did physics and maths at A-level, went to university for a physics degree and stayed to do a PhD. I then worked as a researcher on brown dwarfs, and white dwarfs – I even helped propose a new space mission! In 2018 I started working on irradiated brown dwarfs, and then I became a lecturer, and joined the Ariel Space Mission.

What inspired you to choose your job? My parents took me to watch the film Apollo 13 (which I didn’t want to do) and I came out loving the creativity and problem solving involved in working on a space mission. That then defined my choice to take physics and space science and technology for my degree.

What is the best thing about what you do? Every day is different! Some days I am using huge telescopes to observe new planets, and the next day I am teaching undergraduates, or visiting a space agency, or even visiting a school to talk about my work.

Is your job hard or dangerous or fun? I would say it is definitely fun, sometimes hard, and not really dangerous – although we do need to be careful when visiting the mountains in Hawaii or the Atacama Desert in Chile to use the telescopes as the altitude can make you ill, and the air can be really dry.

If you were going to space, what is the one personal/luxury item you would bring? That’s a hard question! Probably my Kindle or a book – I’d love to bring my knitting, but I just think the yarn would get tangled on everything!!

Saskia Schlagenhauf

Job: PhD student at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium.

Hobbies: Dancing and hiking, board games, movie nights with friends.

What three words would you use to describe yourself? Enthusiastic, adventurous, creative.

How did you get to where you are now? In school, I was always interested in maths and physics. So studying physics felt like a natural step for me. During my studies I could follow my fascination for space by taking elective subjects in astrophysics. In the last year of studying at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena in Germany, I participated in a remote internship with Armagh Observatory and Planetarium. This is where I found out about their PhD programme.

What is the best thing about what you do? The best thing is to solve a puzzle that no one knows the solution to yet. The questions we ask as scientists are usually unanswered so far and it is our task to change that.

Is your job hard or dangerous or fun? My job is fun and hard at the same time. Facing new challenges every day is part of the fun. If a task is too easy or repetitive I get bored easily and I find it hard to motivate myself. In contrast, finding a solution for an interesting problem always feels rewarding.

What are the people you work with like? My colleagues are all fun and friendly, but all of them are unique in their personality. I think the one thing that connects us all is our enthusiasm for trying out new things.

If you were going to space, what is the one personal/luxury item you would bring? An extra-comfy pillow.