What's it like doing a PhD at CERN?

Want to research antimatter? Get to grips with quantum mechanics and practice your physics with www.brilliant.org/simonclark
In this video I spend a few days with PhD student Joanna (Asia) Peszka, who is doing her PhD at CERN in antimatter, researching how antihydrogen interacts with the electromagnetic force. Specifically she is improving antihydrogen trapping via berylium ions, which will help us better undertake experiments which will tell us how antimatter interacts with the fundamental forces. Really exciting, cutting edge physics stuff!
Also in this video I show you some less seen bits of CERN, take a tour of the LHC, and even go on a run from Switzerland to France and back!
Watch the other videos in this series: • PhD stories
You can support the channel by donating at / simonoxfphys
Check out my website! www.simonoxfphys.com/
In this PhD stories vlog we learn what it's like to do a PhD at CERN, researching a PhD thesis in antimatter!
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My twitter - / simonoxfphys
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Music by Epidemic Sound: epidemicsound.com
Huge thanks to my supporters on Patreon: Alastair Fortune, Andy Hartley, Anne Smith, Austin Frazee, Benjamin T. Milnes, bitreign33, Charles Bray, Chloayylmao, Chrismarie, Colin J. Brown, Dan Hanvey, Ethan Fuller, Ian Dolan-Betney, Jack Troup, Jackson Dęborkzgórzcski, James Bridges, James Munro, jawad alalasi, Joe Mickleburgh, KASponland, Kedar, Kendall Hendrix, Kendra Johnson, Kenneth Kusmierek, Kodzo, Lachlan Woods, Leighton Mackenzie, Liam, Mat Allen, Omar Miranda, Oskar Hellström, Princess Andromeda, Roger, Sean Richards, SexyCaveman, Simon Donkers, Tim Boxall, Wendover Productions.

[@brylevillaguardia3047]

I'm afraid to go inside the Antimatter Factory. But it doesn't matter

[@pattywan923]

A logical Fractal crash

[@unicockboy1666]

This is lowkey the best joke I have heard in my LIFE

[@brylevillaguardia3047]

unicockboy Wow, thanks

[@mihaidumitrescu6272]

haha. Soo good that is does matter in the end! Good joke

[@facucanale]

Easy, subtle and very funny. 9/10

[@Tetraglot]

My dad took me here a couple of years ago... because there was free parking. He had no idea there was a particle accelerator. He just thought it was a free parking lot.

[@bshaw8175]

classic dad move, goes to something that could change our fundamental understadning of life, the universer and everything in it "Oh yeah i just came for free parking" Classic dad move

[@djwindkind]

magnifique! 😄😄😄

[@hannahlouis8532]

I liked her “cute date” explanation of spectroscopy lol

[@chronohax7186]

Maybe that is her lol

[@Giancarlolol]

Even if you have a timemachine you cannot post a comment if there s no video...

[@hannahlouis8532]

Androva J. Patreon early access

[@hoshizora719]

Just like her, when i was younger, i'd always dream about working in CERN and do fun physics, but life has lead me down the path of programming, which is heart breaking. Seeing her where she is made me want to figure out a transition. Hope that's possible. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

[@deogracias8562]

just fuccing do it asat mgharba chdad

[@adamsrj1999]

Of course its possible. Why would you ever settle on spending time on things you dont care about? Chase what you love

[@lanceanthony5043]

As a fellow programmer I must say i am highly disappointed with your comment. Programming is way better than physics, especially when you add some hacking to it.

[@w0ttheh3ll]

I hope you realize that CERN employs hundreds of programmers.

[@AvadaKedavra943]

If you are not a code monkey programmer but a Computer Scientist, a Computer Engineer or a Software Engineer, you can most definitely get a placement in CERN.

[@TheRetsekShow2236]

Brilliant video Simon! I really appreciate how when she's talking about something that you clearly also know lots about, you don't cut her off, or finish her sentences or steal the explanation. Lots of KZbin 'journalists' fail at this

[@KAIZORIANEMPIRE]

He doesn't know alot of about this field of physics. Sure he did a physics undergrad. His PhD was on calculations on atmospheric modelling which is like classical physics mostly not quntum or high energy particle physics.

[@MarianKeller]

@@KAIZORIANEMPIRE Knowing enough to explain the basic concept, and actually understanding and knowing enough to actually do any work in that field are very different.

[@KAIZORIANEMPIRE]

@@MarianKeller I know that the point is he can't really talk over someone on something he's not well versed in cause he is not stupid. He could make himself look stupid. am sure if she was an atmospheric PhD student he'd have added and or corrected her lol. 100% sure since that's how humans act and there's nothing wrong with it.

[@gshan994]

he likes her

[@brylevillaguardia3047]

One of my biggest dreams is to go to CERN and see the Large Hadron Collider. And watching this video inspires me more. Thank you for this, Simon. Now wash your hands

[@tauhid9983]

Lmao! I have a similar dream. Not just going to CERN but to actually work there with those incredible people.

[@brylevillaguardia3047]

EPIC Tube HD That's great! Good luck for your journey

[@okaberintarou8480]

@@tauhid9983 Same

[@tauhid9983]

@@brylevillaguardia3047 thx, u too mate!

[@R3lay0]

Cern is open to vistors every 5 years (I think) the last time was in 2019 so you'll have to wait some time. Unless you do research there ofc.

[@user-xk9td5kk3p]

University: Exists. Me: I've got a PhD in Procrastination of Relativity.

[@maryammanahil1005]

and I relate to u my friend

[@blackclover4375]

time itself might be relative but like the speed of light, it's constant and so is procrastination lol

[@karthikeyanvaiyapuri6789]

@black cover no way that procrastination is constant.you might have to prove it 😂

[@grass5697]

@@Pewwwww_2025 it's basically laziness, but in terms of having task in procrastination we tend to do it until the deadline is closed...

[@Ashu_18213]

Constant.yu

[@mrabdii7765]

That raised my spirit to change the future of our species in this blue dot or die in an attempt to do that. Thanks Simon

[@FisicoNuclearCuantico]

Go for it.

[@kavish2307]

pale blue dot

[@pseudophd1073]

This was nice. I certainly remember starting my PhD and being worried that I would be asked questions I couldn't answer. The confidence in your work builds over time. CERN must be an amazing place to do a PhD!

[@AhmedLazrak95]

21:09 many students can relate to this moment

[@aliriano15]

This seems like an excellent series! Good job Simon

[@adamfreed4015]

Can't wait to see the next in the series. This is a fantastic set of videos that really helps to shine a light on PhD projects around the world. Love it.

[@igorfrancetic3]

Freakin' awesome. This series is great (#1 included), keep 'em coming!

[@aditi_05]

Nice one! And congrats on getting to see the LHC! It's indeed incredible. Thanks for giving us an inside view!

[@otiagomarques]

I love this series! The guest was also pretty amazing at explaining everything, and seem pretty excited about the subject! I guess all this enthusiasm is also part of what science is!

[@jasonwasham7204]

I really love this series! So fascinating seeing how passionate people are about their research.

[@GabBy19961]

I'm so excited about the series 😍♥️

[@PapaFlammy69]

Hey! :3

[@FirstnameLastname-iq9oo]

h-h-hey there, Daddy . . .😳😖👉👈

[@tanmayjyothis5329]

Inflammable Maths...

[@Simone-uu8ne]

This is Physics, not Mathematics though :o

[@noether9447]

I knew you secretly loved physics! When are you coming out?

[@EstiagoGaming]

Wtf are you doing here 😂😂😂

[@l00narcy]

This was a really interesting and informative video! I'm excited for my school trip to CERN next year and I'm now excited for it.

[@AdityanBorkotoki3136601]

Great concept . This is gonna be a great series. Please do interview people from fields other than physics as well.cheers . Best wishes

[@NorthEndLeader]

This series is so great! I really enjoyed both of them so far. Such a shame the first one performed so poorly. Hope it is still worth for you to keep making these !

[@Hiddenkeymaster3]

This was excellent. It is so interesting to see the premier atomic research facility in the world and the people who do the immense and important work within it.

[@isabellawalser4150]

I can only repeat myself: great, great series!

[@alijassim7015]

Love the idea of the series!! Keep it UP

[@cameronduchatel]

You've hit a spot! More of this please (PhD reviews + runs 😉)

[@hilmijohari4821]

Loving these series Simon! Motivates me for my PhD later this year.

[@sameerdambal8495]

Absolutely amazing place and a thoroughly great coverage of the place, ambience, daily routine, and the work done at CERN!! Thanks a ton for the video! Best wishes from a physics enthusiast! Hope to work there in the future :)

[@TenzinKonchok]

This video is helpful in many ways for someone who's aspiring to do PhD even in Theoretical Physics.

[@dailengarciarosales5041]

Simon, I didn't fully understand what her experiment was about but your videos are so engaging that I watched the entire thing. Love this series!

[@ButzPunk]

Man, everything about this is so cool!

[@anamarta7539]

My story for choosing to study physics is exactly the same haha! I loved this video! Keep up with the good work :)

[@masie8810]

So cool. Thank you for giving us some more insides!!!

[@anugrahmathewprasad172]

She was really cool. Thanks for this series man. After masters, to and through PhD is such a tough time. So these are really helpful personal stories.. Also, stay safe

[@kavish2307]

Thanks a ton for posting this video. Out of all things I do or study, this is what I really wanna do. Thanks for keeping me motivated :)

[@ornestebuitkute9720]

Loved it! I am a first year PhD student as well and ohhh boy there is so much work to be done! Inspiring!

[@zenithone1235]

she explains so excitedly it makes me excited and motivated for my high school science

[@TranquilSeaOfMath]

Great video! Your run to France was inspiring too. It looked so beautiful and pleasant.

[@Banana-df7jj]

Thank you and thank you to Joanna. It's amazing to be able to see this.

[@Zedstergal]

Great episode Simon! Can't wait to see how you've edited together my PhD in the next one! Maybe it will give me some clarity?

[@johndoex94]

The best of what you've been doing since graduating IMO

[@BelgianGeneral]

This is very well-produced by the way. Top content.

[@evanmiles7252]

Most of this went over my head but I love the series! Keep it up man!

[@robertschlesinger1342]

Interesting and worthwhile video showing sections of CERN working on anti-matter.

[@edwardlee2794]

Thanks Mr Clark. Not only educating , it's entertaining too. But for the retired, highly aspired, what to do to further aspire our intellect (. So to speak ) looking forward to hearing in the future. Thanks again and keep up with the good work. From HK

[@GenerationBright]

god I wish I was smart

[@SimonClark]

Same, honestly

[@ttrash6404]

You are

[@chibuokearinze6286]

God I wish I had those accents..

[@emad3241]

all people have a close intelligence rate (albert einstein) you don't need to be smart you just need to learn what you like or don't complain because (not being smart) is just excuse

[@still_have_chaos]

HungerCake I envy you. People like you can never understand what it feels like to pursue a field for years, only to find out that no amount of practise or acquired skill can substitute for your lack of intelligence. It is possible to work hard and achieve desirable results, but then there is always this idea in the back of your mind, that you'd have gotten much, much better results had you worked the same but were much more smarter, which demotivates you to such an extent that you don't even feel like putting the effort you could have put.

[@cristinaalexe7454]

Loved to listen about Asha's project and pushing knowledge with her PhD!!

[@khushib9390]

Thank you so much for the video. Looking forward to seeing more such videos in this series. Am also an ongoing PhD student and, although currently in theoretical condensed matter, my master's project was in high energy physics and since the going to CERN is a dream. Hope I get to visit some day.

[@justadreamerforgood69]

Which college are you in?

[@OlgaMythago]

Thank you, Simon and Asia, loved the episode :)

[@nadiaouerfelli4798]

So inspiring. Thanks Asha and Thanks Simon!!!

[@samuborostyan9047]

Phenomenal video Simon! :)

[@Jonago.]

She's so excited I love it

[@azzamfs]

Very interesting vlog! Can't say i understand 100% of what is being researched, but i enjoyed this whole CERN trip overall

[@rreell4372]

You earn a new subscriber, this is very good stuff. You are amazing at conversations.

[@stijnboeren3943]

Brilliant video Simon!

[@JMAssainatorz]

Witnessing this girls shear joy in talking about her work brings quite a smile to my face!

[@randomcommenthere]

I love this format!

[@iasdlondres]

Another awesome video! Hats off

[@MegaKakaruto]

her explanation is easy to follow.. big respect

[@martinjensen9928]

Great work, Simon.

[@jimhiggs6281]

With you having a PhD in Physics, I assumed you would at least have visited CERN before attaining a PhD. Good to see you’ve gone there. #CERNfortheWin

[@liverpoolfugl]

I can relate. I had a terrible chemistry and biology teacher (same guy) in high school. After doing a massive amount of self studies I fell in love with different aspects of the two fields. Now I'm doing a PhD in ecotoxicology.

[@paul4105]

Man this is so cool. Thanks for the amazing insight.

[@jollyjokress3852]

She is so adorable. I could listen to her all day - she is so smart.

[@greenqueenn]

Hahahahaha this is so wild I literally just found out today that I'm gonna be doing a summer studentship at the antimatter factory doing exactly what Joanna is doing, so thanks for such an informative video for me personally😂🥳

[@gabriellem6080]

Great video, really interesting!!

[@samanthaghostlady]

This is an awesome video. My eldest just finished her freshers year studying particle physics and cosmology, and would love to do an internship here one day. PHD here also looks very interesting too, and the back drop of the mountains, very beautiful.

[@alexanerzuev3676]

Great video, also if you explain more and do separate video on what is Standard Model it would be great

[@Luemm3l]

This is such an intersting idea for a video series (interviewing phds about their projejcts), CERN itself is also highly interesting, and I couldnt help but notice the 3d-printer, a Prusa (czech start up specializing on 3d-printers) in the background at 3:00, which I used with a student team as well for some time! It is so interesting that in science so many different disciplines come together to unravel the mysteries of our world and at the same time connect so many people from different backgrounds as well (as you probably know, science is very international and diverse with students from all over the world studying at CERN, whether it is eastern european states like Poland, Czech Republick or Russia, Chinese and indian researchers or americans, swedes or even african physicists!). As a measly biologist (who didnt have the balls to go for a PhD) things like antimatter and CP-Violation are just too hard to wrap my head around, even just from their wikipedia articles.

[@ChickenWingzz]

Love this series! Please do one on biology :)

[@henrygreen2096]

I'm so jealous! I love this kind of environment and research and stuff. But I will never be good a physics. But am so happy for these people and the work they do. It's beautiful.

[@Unknown42Life]

Thanks a lot for putting this video Simon.. it is really inspiring.. And I really wish her good luck.. she seems really nice and sweet..Simon can upload another video after she gets her PhD..

[@bazoo513]

Asia is terrific! Kids like her make the world move along.

[@mjl7810]

Being a physics major, I love this channel

[@tobogansky]

That Monthy Python reference is golden, made me laugh. Great editing and all throughout very entertaining. Thank you

[@The102Master]

Great video!

[@a.kataoka2917]

Exactly the dawn of a new-age science communication, brilliant!

[@BestKhosa]

I loved this vlog...I did my master’s degree in nuclear power, I had an opportunity to meet some friends from South Africa who have also been visiting to CERN as part of their studies

[@j99701]

She is so cute and so smart that I almost died watching this video lol

[@alisonlaett9625]

@Natural order of things supporter @ Natural order of things supporter lol good luck ever dating anyone with that attitude. smh

[@everlastingideas8625]

@@alisonlaett9625 Sadly, people like him only have that attitude on the internet so people irl don't know. If only there was a mark on these specimens so they would get filtered out.

[@rickskeptical]

Women like her are too few in the world. Actually people like her are too few in the world. I have always found extremely intelligent and educated women as beautiful. Too bad there is too little funding for education, too little emphasis for it - and too much acceptance and popularity (at least in my country) with ignorance, superstition and anti-science.

[@marcialabrahantes3369]

Super girl look a like ! Nerds rule

[@lm2182]

it is so cool how motivated she is :)

[@nicholasandert9579]

More of Joanna! Also more of Simon!

[@freyaeilene6080]

This spectroscopy explanation made my day. From now on I am explaining it to my undergrad students like that. XD

[@apurva845]

She explained it so nicely and excitingly also she is adorable

[@collinsngetich3588]

This one sparked a lot of curiosity. Kindly revisit this topic and update us on how the study went.

[@monferno71]

These videos make me pumped to do a PhD, even though I'm still an undergrad lol

[@sevearka]

Nice video! Really liking this series. Makes me want to do a PhD myself, though it wouldn't be nearly as interesting as this (Archival science... Ahaha).

[@doriannamjesnik3007]

Hey, maybe you could go into Vatican's archives..

[@itsbdullah]

Love this series there really isn't any exposure on the lives of PhD's or people in academia. Would love to see Robotics and/or CS PhD's :)

[@themcscientist6003]

Every Steins;gate fan: SHE MUST BE WORKING FOR THE AGENCY!!!

[@lestersanchez5534]

Time to rewatch it!!!

[@kunxv15]

el psy congroo

[@themcscientist6003]

😂😂

[@drprocrastinate4719]

kunxv15 el psy congree

[@theonionpirate1076]

Watched most of that show stoned. The last few episodes and ending were an effing frightening mindfuck.

[@Kievlar]

I love your narrating voice. Well-modulated. Fine, fine.

[@fernandorahn5807]

Can we get a follow up video about what turned to be her PhD once she have finished it? Great work with the video.

[@uditnarayan8804]

She seems so energetic and enthusiasm wow ..♥️

[@roiferreach100]

Wow! I heard a lot about CERN's contributions to our technology. I wish I could go there.

[@jadoei13]

Awesome stuff, wish I could go there one day, thanks for the video! Small constructive bit of criticism: around 7:50 the footage is pretty unstable, it made me a bit dizzy. Maybe it is because you're filming something further away, but a bit of stabilisation might be nice.

[@SimonClark]

Yep that's very fair! This was a very ad-hoc production so it was filmed in a non-ideal way. Will bear this in mind in future :)

[@Epicurean999]

The Thumbnail - Ph.D in Anti matter.....PHEW!!!!😍😍😍 The coolest thing on Earth to do. I've always had crush on guys who even dare to mention Anti matter in tandem with quantum mechanics in casual conversations. Big Brains= Big Crush💋

[@kunspuns200]

Please make this an official series!

[@varvara3199]

This is amazing thank you

[@djwindkind]

I hope you took asha on a nice date later! the chemistry was really lovely! how about an update to her PhD?

[@AndyFyon]

Interesting and energized.

[@shashanks.k855]

Love this video

[@sandipdaw5023]

I love that physics and chemistry comparison part 😅.

[@Oi....]

I love the scene in Big Bang Theory when they guys were "working". Work = thinking!