You may think of lab coats and pocket protectors or wrinkled plaid shirts when you hear the word "scientist." But @caltech.edu astronomy postdoc and influencer Clarissa Do Ó shows that a physicist can look like anyone. In her case, that means lots of pink. #whatcanphysicistsdo #astronomy
After earning a bachelor’s in physics, Janine Abyad realized she wanted to work hands-on. She moved into pavement research, which led her to a career in airport design and construction. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics
Theoretical physicist @ekindogus.bsky.social started the company Periodic Labs to accelerate physics R&D and discover new materials. In his experience, the hottest research in his field is happening in the private sector. #whatcanphysicistsdo #ai
Alexandra Loubeau combines her interests in music and physics at NASA, where she studies how sound travels through the atmosphere and works to dull sonic booms. #whatcanphysicistsdo #astronomy
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As an instrument scientist at NIST, David Hoogerheide splits his time between his own research and helping users do experiments with the world’s highest-flux neutron reflectometer. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics #NIST
Tyler Drye’s interest in patents was piqued at a jobs fair. After a spell at the US Patent and Trademark Office, he went to law school. The chemical physicist now has a rewarding career as a patent attorney. #whatcanphysicistsdo
Pivoting from his original plan to stay in academia, Kevin Ingles decided on a change of pace and to prioritize location: In a private-sector job in Columbus, Ohio, he applies his computational skills from particle and nuclear theory to electrical engineering applications. #whatcanphysicistsdo
Through internships as an undergraduate physics major, Jenna Tempkin learned about physics education. Now she’s a STEM educator at the Liberty Science Center, an interactive science museum in New Jersey. #whatcanphysicistsdo
Grass in the breeze. Big hair. Flowing clothing. When Henry Garcia got the opportunity to work at Pixar, he left his physics PhD program. Now a simulation supervisor, the first-generation college graduate says he loves “the combination of technical and artistic work.” #whatcanphysicistsdo
The collapse of Lehman Brothers got @elissadunnlevy.bsky.social interested in finance. But after eight years on Wall Street, she decided to pursue an earlier dream: teaching high school physics. Eight years on, she says that it's as amazing as she had hoped. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics
Physics provided a leg up for getting into law school, says Louisa Eberle. It also gave her a skill set that she uses for her work in energy policy at @regassistproj.bsky.social. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics #energypolicy
Home run! David Gagnon took a detour from his path to becoming a professor focusing on fluid dynamics. He now analyzes baseball for the @nationals.com. #whatcanphysicistsdo #mlb #nationals #physics #baseball
In search of better work–life balance, @spendier.bsky.social gave up her job as a tenured physics professor and looked for jobs in industry. The transition required repackaging her skills. She now runs @xprize.org’s competition in quantum applications. #whatcanphysicistsdo
Lexie Weikert landed her dream job: Since earning her BS in astronomy and astrophysics, she now works at the interface of commercial and government space activities at @astroscale-uk.bsky.social, which services satellites and develops technologies to remove space debris. #whatcanphysicistsdo
Matt Price, an R&D technical leader at Physik Instrumente, has worked in industry since earning his master’s degree in physics. He’s worked in research, sales, and now management, and says what he likes most is the creativity. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics
Merida’s curly red hair. Elio’s flowing cape. Explosions and stunts. At Pixar, physicist Henry Garcia uses motion to help tell a film’s story. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics
Steluta Dinca parlayed her academic research in renewable energy into an industry career, which involves testing the performance of solar shingles. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics
Axel Hübner is a quantitative analyst at Deutsche Bank. He likes applying his physics knowledge to the real world. It helps that the work pays well. #physics #whatcanphysicistsdo
As director of technology at a video software company, Eric Frederick programs software that can track particles and analyze ballistic flight, among other scenarios. His physics background is essential for helping customers collect data and create models. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics
After Liting Xiao branded herself with a personal website and on LinkedIn, recruiters reached out. She soon moved from academia into the financial sector and found the switch to be easy: in both cases she was sifting through noisy data for patterns. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics
Jovana Andrejević Kim's graduate research examined how paper crumples. She's now a research scientist at CLO Virtual Fashion, where one of her recent projects focused on minimizing fabric waste. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics
Joyful Mdhluli woke up one day and realized she didn’t want to stay in academia. She now works at a nonprofit in Cape Town, South Africa, where she coordinates major projects that use astronomy for social benefit. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics
Astrophysicist Josiah Schwab hasn’t looked back since he stepped off the academic ladder to become a software engineer at Waymo. Conversations with other physicists who had moved into industry helped him realize that he wanted to change directions. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics
While working on her PhD in neutrino physics, @katrinamillerphd.bsky.social realized that she was more interested in learning about science than doing it. She's now a science writer for @nytimes.com. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics #physicsjobs
Jack Lambert was headed for a PhD in physics when he realized that he was more interested in sharing science with others. After shifting gears, he now teaches physics at a public high school in Utah. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics #physicsjobs
@physicstoday.bsky.social is starting a new interview series highlighting physics degree holders who took nontraditional career paths after graduation. Check it out! #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics
About two-thirds of US-trained physics PhD recipients work outside of academia. In a new interview series, Physics Today is profiling physicists who opted for careers outside the ivory tower. #whatcanphysicistsdo #physics #physicsjobs
