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DCU researcher Dr Jennifer Gaughran shortlisted for Institute of Physics award as outstanding female physicist
DCU researcher Dr Jennifer Gaughran shortlisted for Institute of Physics award as outstanding female physicist

DCU researcher Dr Jennifer Gaughran shortlisted for Institute of Physics award as outstanding female physicist

Jennifer Gaughran was one of four finalists for this year’s annual Jocelyn Bell Burnell award, in recognition of her research and exceptional public engagement work 

Congratulations to Dr Jennifer Gaughran, who has been recognised for both her outstanding research in her field and also the work she does in encouraging others to study physics. Jennifer was announced as one of four finalists of the Bell Burnell award on 9 November at an awards ceremony at the Institute of Physics (IOP) offices in London, where the four finalists were also invited to talk about their research and outreach work. 

Jennifer, now a centre manager at the Advanced Processing Technology Research Centre at DCU, had recently completed a PhD through the BioAnalysis & Therapeutics programme in the School of Physical Sciences and the Biomedical Diagnostic Institute, looking at the design and testing of compact devices for rapid disease detection. 

The Bell Burnell award is awarded every year to one outstanding early career female physicist in recognition of her dedication not only to her research but to outreach, public engagement and encouraging others to study physics too. 

Commenting on the nomination, Jennifer said she was extremely grateful for being nominated for the award, and “honoured” for her work to be recognised:

“The endless possibilities that physics brings has given me the opportunity to be nominated for this award and for that I am very thankful.

“I believe that a degree in physics opens many doors and that it is especially important that we encourage more women into the field. If you love figuring things out and are fascinated by everything from the very small to the astronomically big, then physics is the thing for you, whether you’re a man or a woman. 

“It is such an interesting and diverse discipline and the career possibilities from a background in physics are limitless.”

Named after the eminent physicist Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell – the first physicist to discover pulsars and a previous president of the IOP – the award is presented by the IOP Women in Physics (WIP) group, with a judging panel choosing the overall winner from the four finalists. 

The overall winner was announced as Dr Jessica Wade, a visiting researcher at Imperial College London and senior outreach officer at King’s College London.

Dr Heather Williams, chair of the WIP Group and senior medical physicist for nuclear medicine at Central Manchester University Hospitals offered her warmest congratulations to Gaughran:

“Jennifer’s exceptional dedication to her research deserves recognition, and her place in the final is testament to just how outstanding her efforts are, particularly when combined with the work she does in supporting others in her field.

 “Celebrating the success of women in physics is crucial in not only encouraging those like Jennifer, who achieve so much to be proud of what they do, but to highlight the outstanding work women are doing in physics every day and encourage others to follow them. 

 “I offer my warmest congratulations to Jennifer for being shortlisted for this award, and look forward to following her future successes as she progresses throughout her career.”

Pictured (L-R) is Jennifer Gaughran and Heather Williams.