Spotlight: The Making of a Particle Physicist

Name:Tomasz Skwarnicki
Job Title: Professor of Physics, Syracuse University

Educational Background:
High School: Poland

M.S. Physics, Jagielloniah University, Krakow, Poland.

Ph.D. Physics, Instate of Nuclear Physics, Krakow, Poland.

How long have you been working in the field of high energy physics? 25 years

Why did you choose high energy physics as a career path? Solving puzzles of a microscopic scale appealed to me. I have a mathematical mind, but I preferred physics over mathematics since physics has an experimental aspect.

Were there any barriers that you had to overcome in order to pursue high energy physics as a career? This field is very international. My research took me to different countries, first to Germany and then to the united States. Moving from country to country was both a challenging but rewarding experience.

Before coming to SU, what other types of experience in this field did you have? Four years of Ph.D. research in Poland and Germany and two years of postdoctoral employment in Germany.

Is there any advice you may have for today's high school students regarding a career in the sciences? If you are smart enough to do it, you should pursue it ...a scientific career is very rewarding.