University PhD student lands Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund

A University of Leeds PhD student from the School of Physics & Astronomy is one of ten awardees of this year’s Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund.

Karolina Szewczyk, who applied for the physics and astrophysics integrated master’s course at the University in 2019, hopes to use the fund to support her research into planet formation and hybrid discs, which could in turn help us learn more about the Earth’s origins.

Speaking to the Institute of Physics (IOP), Karolina said: “Without this scholarship, I wouldn’t be able to take on this PhD project. The research group I’ll be part of is very supportive and has already helped me be the best version of myself, ensuring the high quality of my research and work.

“I’m very much looking forward to doing my PhD project here, where I know I’ll thrive and make contributions to our understanding of planet formation.”

The Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund was established by leading physicist Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell and the IOP in 2019 after Dame Jocelyn was awarded the Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for her role in the discovery of pulsars.

She immediately donated her entire £2.3 million prize award to the IOP, with a goal of countering “the unconscious bias that still exists in physics research”. The fund aims to improve diversity in physics through doctoral scholarships from underrepresented groups in the physics research community, including women, people with refugee status, ethnic minorities, disabled, and financially disadvantaged students.

Rachel Youngman, Deputy Chief Executive of the IOP, said: “This year I am delighted that we have been able to continue the amazing legacy of Dame Jocelyn in supporting ten incredibly promising students in furthering their studies and building their careers in physics.

“We desperately need physicists to help us meet the challenges of the next industrial age; whether that is in helping make nuclear fusion a viable source of energy production, exploiting the opportunities of quantum computing or helping design faster, smaller and more powerful semi-conductors.”

Professor Helen Gleeson, Cavendish Professor of Physics at the University of Leeds and IOP Representative to Council for Inclusion and Diversity, is the Chair of the Fund Committee, and said: “Every year, the standard of applications for this fund gets higher and higher, and the ten successful applicants have all done incredibly well.

“There is no doubt that physics will provide the scientific applications and solutions to so many of the problems we face in our society and economy today and these Bell Burnell award winners will be at the very heart of that work.

“I wish them all the best in their future work and will watch their careers with interest!”