Profile
Leigh Kesler
My CV
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Education:
BS, University of Illinois. PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Qualifications:
US Particle Accelerator School attendee, Kaufman Teaching Certificate, Phd at MIT, Wilderness First Responder,
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Work History:
Previous work: Graduate research assistant at MIT, undergraduate research assistant at UIUC. Internships: Los Alamos National Lab, Exelon Corporation, Lawrence Livermore National Lab
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Current Job:
Current job: Postdoc at MIT.
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About Me:
I live and work in Cambridge, MA, USA. I enjoy escaping the city for the mountains on the weekends…
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I live and work in Cambridge, MA, USA. I enjoy escaping the city for the mountains on the weekends, where I hike, rock and ice climb, and find other ways to explore the great outdoors. I love dogs, though I don’t currently own one, and I am looking forward to adopting one in the near future. When I’m not in the woods or the lab, I also like to read, listen to podcasts (favorites: Hardcore History and The Infinite Monkey Cage), watch TV (current shows: Silicon Valley and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), read (currently reading: Alexander Hamilton Paperback by Ron Chernow), and craft, especially cross stitching.
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I study radiation damage in materials. Specifically, I use a particle accelerator to create energetic ions which can be used to imitate the damage created by the neutrons that damage materials in fission and fusion reactors. After damaging materials, I study their properties and compare them to irradiated materials. By understanding how radiation damages material, we can design better reactors, and enable the development of fusion as a clean source of energy.
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My Typical Day:
It’s hard to describe a typical day in my lab!
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It’s hard to describe a typical day in my lab! There are lots of “typical days”. A lot of days are spent running experiments on one of two particle accelerators where I do most of my research.
Days that I run experiments are very important, but can be long and not very exciting. Occasionally, though, these days are really exciting because I learn something new about radiation!
I also spend a lot of time building and designing radiation targets for these accelerators.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Building new demos for my lab to teach students about science!
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Science. Climbing. Loud.
What did you want to be after you left school?
A scientist!
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Occasionally, I would distract my classmates from their work.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Merle Haggard.
What's your favourite food?
Pasta.
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1. See fusion energy put power on the grid. 2. Make the first ascent of a rock climb. 3. Get a dog.
Tell us a joke.
I would make a science joke, but all the good ones argon.
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