Wi Han Ng

• PhD student
• CDM
• University of Melbourne
• Road-tripping Karratha to Perth (2025)

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

You know how light bulbs take in electricity and produce light? Well the devices I work with are like giant reverse light bulbs, where they take in light and produce electricity; they are called photosensors. It’s my job to make sure that when we collect information from these devices that the information is correct. To do that, I use a robotic arm to shoot light at different points of this reverse light bulb, and study how the electricity output changes (if at all) at each different point. I can then use the bulb that I’ve studied to adjust or correct the other 20,000 bulbs used I’m the experiment I’m working on

Extra: Imagine you have a metal cube that you are absolutely sure is 1kg. You want to check if your weighing scale is working, so you place the cube on the weighing scale. If the weighing scale reads let’s say 0.8kg, you now know that whenever you put anything on the weighing scale, you need to add 1-0.8kg=0.2kg. This adjustment of a measurement is what we call calibration, and is what I do when I shoot light into my reverse light bulb, and check the output.

TL;DR I shoot light into a giant bulb using a robotic arm and study the information from the giant bulb.

How did you get to where you are today?

I had an interest for physics since high-school, and decided to continue studying physics at university. When I arrived at deciding between of Master of teaching or a Master of physics, I figured I could still teach while doing physics, but I wouldn’t be able to do as much physics if I pursued teaching. Was it the right decision? Who knows. But being able to do outreach has definitely helped in this regard.

Why did I choose particle physics? I like how the Standard Model seemed to make everything fit into nice little boxes and categories. But to say that I ‘chose’ my research topic might be a stretch. I had no idea what I wanted to do at that point of my life and this was simply a direction my supervisor had nudged me towards, and I’ve been going with the flow since.

What’s the best thing about your role?

While I’m not necessarily a fan of traveling, I’ve had the opportunity to travel roughly 2-3 times a year, which is definitely a privilege that I appreciate.

What advice would you give to someone considering pursuing science or physics?

 

My advice would be to make sure you’re going into physics/science for the right reasons, and there’s no shame in deciding if it’s not for you at any point of your STEM journey. The skills you learn from physics/science can be carried over onto many other disciplines/facets of life.

 

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