We work among extraordinary people doing extraordinary things; get to know some of them by reading these quick-fire interviews.
Name: Ramy Aboushelbaya
Job title: Postdoctoral Research Assistant
What are you currently working on?
Right now, I am working on the physics of the orbital angular momentum of light and how it can be used to control certain undesirable instabilities that occur in interactions between high power lasers and plasma. I am also the CEO of Quantum Dice, an Oxford spinout that is commercialising the world’s first compact high-speed source device independent quantum random number generator, based on technology developed right here at the Department of Physics.
Describe a typical day
While taking my morning caffeine boost, I usually start the day catching up on emails and hopping between a few catch-up meetings. After that, I try to do a quick daily literature review to make sure I am up-to-date on relevant publications. Then, the type of work I do for most of the day can depend on the project I am focusing on at the moment, it can range from working on an analytical study or running simulations, or analysing some data from one of our experiments. If it’s in term time, I may also be preparing some material for the subjects that I am teaching.
If you had an entire day at your disposal (not at work), what would be your ideal way to spend it?
Taking the train to London for a day trip and enjoying a film at the BFI IMAX.
What is your favourite place in Oxford?
I am particularly biased to the grounds around the college boat houses (and not just because they are a 10 minute walk from my place).
What discovery would you like to see in your lifetime?
I would love to see true room temperature superconductivity. I think it would change the world in ways we can now only imagine.