Zoe Leibowitz
Role: First year PhD student in Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London
Subject area: Computational mathematics
Nationality: British
I am a first year PhD student from North London, working in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial. I help to develop powerful computational tools that make it easier for scientists to build models of the world around us.
Education
GCSE (or equivalent): Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, Spanish, Physical Education, Art, English Literature, and English Language
A-level (or equivalent): Maths, Further Maths and Physics
Degrees:
• BSc Mathematics, University College London
• MSc Environmental Data Science and Machine Learning, Imperial College London
• PhD in Earth Science and Engineering (on-going), Imperial College London
Detail about Zoe
My research
My research focusses on developing mathematical software that makes it easier and simpler for scientists to build simulations of the real world. The platform I work on, known as Devito, helps to create models as efficiently as possible. My PhD looks at applying Devito to study wind farm development.
My inspiration
The pressing issue of climate change and its impact on our environment has been a major inspiration for me to pursue a career in science.
Who is your STEM hero?
Sofya Kovalevskaya (1850-1891) is a hero for women in STEM due to her remarkable achievements in mathematics. She made valuable contributions to the theory of partial differential equations, and was a pioneer for women in academia around the world.
Most significant discovery/invention?
Wind turbines - during the oil crisis in the 1970s, a 19-year-old Danish man named Henrik Stiesdal designed one of the first wind turbines representing the so-called “Danish Concept”. His invention kick-started the global wind industry and became the prototype for many of the wind turbines seen today.
Career options after study
- Environmental consultant
- Software developer
- Climate scientist
- Data engineer
My hobbies
I like to make fermented goods, like kombucha and kimchi. I also enjoy yoga and live music.