From Postdoc to Quantum Physicist: How NIST Made Me a Better Scientist and Leader

As a physics graduate student, I considered myself more of a "user" of intricate lab equipment, such as spectrometers and lasers, rather than an expert in how it works. When you're in a group of over a dozen Ph.D. candidates, it's not practical to have that many people tinkering with expensive instruments. We relied on research associates with more expertise to fix things when needed.

That's not to say I didn't learn a lot and have a wonderful experience. But after completing my Ph.D., I was eager to be the one who had expertise in tinkering with complex hardware.

I also wanted to delve into really cool physics research. That's always been the trifecta of science that I love - solving problems, being a part of a great team and working with cutting-edge lab equipment.

Completing my postdoctoral research at NIST provided the exact opportunity I was hoping for in the next step of my career - hands-on work with advanced scientific instruments, overseen by a supportive mentor who helped me flourish as an early-career researcher.

In fact, when I started in Angie Hight Walker's lab in 2017, she had recently installed a new apparatus that can measure material samples at low temperatures and in high magnetic fields, known as a magneto-cryostat. I helped set up the magneto-cryostat, learned how it worked and got experience troubleshooting problems with it.

Angie encouraged me to open up an instrument that measures light, known as a spectrometer, to diagnose issues. She wanted me to learn every aspect of the experiment, whether it was working with the cryostat or various lasers and other cool equipment in the lab.

During my postdoc, I continued my studies in a specialized field called Raman spectroscopy. Put simply, Raman spectroscopy involves shining laser light on a material and then measuring the properties of the light that the sample scatters back with a spectrometer. This technique can tell you a lot about a material, such as chemical structure, defects and even whether or not a material is magnetic.

Raman spectroscopy is a nondestructive way to learn about materials, and it has many practical uses in biotechnology, forensic sciences, pharmaceuticals and more. In Angie's lab, we used Raman spectroscopy to study magnetism in two-dimensional (2D) materials. These materials are composed of weakly interacting layers, and scientists can pull apart or isolate a single layer that is atomically thin (100,000 times smaller than a human hair!).

When I started at NIST in 2017, the scientific community had just discovered that some of these 2D materials could still be magnetic like their 3D counterparts, even when thinned down to individual atomic layers, and it was a very hot topic at the time.

We were interested in studying waves in a 2D magnet, known as spin waves or magnons. In the future, we could potentially use magnons as information carriers in devices instead of electrons in transistors that we use today for things like computers and phones. Ideally, magnon-based technology would operate with very little heating, which would be a huge advantage and could make for more powerful devices!

Mentoring Matters

As much as I loved the research and lab-based experience, my time as a postdoc at NIST was so much more than that. As my mentor, Angie pushed me not only to be a great scientist but also to be a well-rounded professional. I organized conferences, was invited to speak about my research at events, sat on panels that awarded grants, gave tours of our laboratory to directors and elected government officials, and even participated in outreach events with young kids (and hopefully future scientists!)

These other experiences were crucial to helping me build my confidence and my professional network. Additionally, they provided me with opportunities to give back to the scientific community, which has always been rewarding to me personally. I gained skills to help me succeed as a scientist in industry, which is where I am today.

But as much confidence as I built during my postdoc, I almost didn't apply to my current job as an experimental physicist testing novel quantum experiments. That's because I worried I wasn't qualified for it because I didn't have every experience the job posting asked for. Unfortunately, I'm not the only woman who has thought this way about an opportunity. In fact, one study showed that women tend to apply for a role only if they meet 100% of the qualifications listed, whereas men will often apply if they meet as little as 60%.

Luckily for me, Angie had the confidence in my abilities when I had doubts in myself! She went through the job description point by point and gave examples of work I'd done for her that would count toward the requirements. I remember Angie saying something like, "What's the worst that could happen? They tell you no."

So, I applied. When I interviewed, I had numerous examples to cite from my time at NIST of how I'd developed skills that would benefit my future employer, Northrop Grumman. I cited specific examples of how I'd done troubleshooting of lab equipment, managed projects from inception to completion, had numerous public speaking events for all groups of people (ranging from scientists of every background to public figures) and more.

I was so excited when I got the job, making more money than I did as a postdoc. But Angie wasn't content with that either. She convinced me to find the courage to negotiate an even better offer for myself, and I did. Her mentoring molded me into the scientist I am today. I'll always be grateful, and it taught me how to be a mentor myself.

Quantum Testing

Today, I love my work running experiments in Northrop Grumman's Microelectronics Design and Applications business area. My group is using superconductivity and quantum mechanics to develop revolutionary, energy-efficient computing systems. I run experiments on superconducting devices and quantum bits, known as qubits.

As an experimental physicist, it's my job to figure out how we're going to test our novel superconducting circuits, troubleshoot both software and hardware, and analyze data and measurements that we are acquiring. I then report results and conclusions to a variety of stakeholders.

One of the skills I developed from my time at NIST was attention to detail. The experiments I work on today are very complex and involve a lot of "moving parts." Everything has to work together perfectly to get the results we need. So that's a skill I use daily - thinking through each step of an experiment and how different parts may affect each other. I think of it as figuring out what strategy to use when solving a puzzle; do you start with all the edge pieces, or group everything by color?

My postdoc at NIST also strengthened my love of working with scientists and engineers from all different expertise areas and learning from them. The mentality that "it takes a village" to solve complicated science problems was instilled in me during graduate school and solidified at NIST. I believe that the more complicated the problem, the more true that statement is.

Becoming a NIST Postdoc

NIST is full of talented, hardworking researchers who are also great people who love to mentor and nurture the next generation of scientific talent. NIST is also a really welcoming environment for postdoctoral researchers, and the experience researchers get is invaluable.

Had I not done my postdoc at NIST, I don't think I would've been able to enter the scientific workforce at the high level I did. My postdoc experience boosted my confidence and my capabilities in a way that's still setting me up for success years later. I'll always be thankful for my time there.

Recently, I was promoted to a team lead role. I strive to lead others the way Angie led our team, since she showed me exactly what it means to be a great leader.

Even now, I still call her when I occasionally need a confidence boost. Like any good mentor, Angie always provides one. It usually involves an enthusiastic "YOU ROCK, GIRLFRIEND."