Amelie Read

• PhD student
• CDM
• University of Sydney
• Road-tripping in Tasmania in 2026

How would you describe your work to a 10-year old?

When we look up at the night sky, from our little planet earth, we can see countless stars shining above us. But many of the tiny points of light we see are not stars at all — they are actually entire galaxies, each containing billions of stars of their own. So if we were to imagine we had a picture of our local universe on our phone, we’d see our own Milky Way galaxy surrounded by a couple of neighbouring galaxies. And if we just kept zooming and zooming out, so so far that we have millions of galaxies on our screen, we would actually see that their locations aren’t random, these galaxies fall into an incredible pattern, which we call the cosmic web. The cosmic web looks a bit like a giant spider web. Long, string-like structures called filaments stretch across space and connect together at brighter regions called nodes, where huge numbers of galaxies gather. So to try tackle those massive questions like “how did the unvierse form, what is it made of, what is dark matter”, my research looks at this web-like structure of the Universe. Like a forensic surgeon I am trying to dissect it and break it apart to try uncover its history and many mysteries.

How did you get to where you are today?

I knew I wanted to do research before I knew exactly what in. I was drawn to the idea of grappling with the forefront of our limited human knowledge and helping, even in a small way, to push it forward. I was actually a bit unsure and intimidated by physics at first when I tentatively picked it as a subject in Yr 11. But I fell in love almost immediately! I found it so exciting, the way it could take the biggest, strangest questions about reality and actually give you tools to answer them.

What advice would you give to someone considering studying physics/science?

Don’t be intimidated by lengthy equations! Physics can be explored through big ideas, stories, and imagination just as much as maths, which you can build towards gradually over many years of study. What matters most is a personal passion and curiosity for the subject. If you’re curious about studying physics, I suggest checking out accessible and fun science communicators like Veratasium to explore the very broad range of fields that phsyics covers.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work/besides physics?

Outisde of work I love the sport of Fencing, and am challenging myself to take on national competitions this year! For a relaxing change of pace, I love knitting accessories and little animals, especially frogs.

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