Jeremy Bourhill
Jeremy Bourhill was attracted to physics because he wanted to explore the mysteries of the universe.
Postdoctoral researcher Jeremy Bourhill is driven by a combination of passion and pragmatism in his scientific career.
Initially attracted to physics to explore the mysteries of the universe, as the academic landscape evolves Jeremy also embraces the opportunity to combine fundamental and applied research, finding practical applications with real-world benefits.
Jeremy is a member of the Dark Matter Centre and ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS) and operates out of the Quantum Technologies and Dark Matter Research lab at The University of Western Australia in Perth.
He believes delving into the puzzle of dark matter calls for innovative solutions that often result in the creation of groundbreaking technologies that can be used for alternative means.
"It's the big reason to ask fundamental questions like, ‘What is dark matter?’ By the very nature of asking those questions, you require solutions that don't exist yet. If we don't know what dark matter is because no one's been able to see it, we need to come up with new solutions to see it."
At the time of interviewing, Jeremey was preparing for one such new technology with industry applications, "We came up with a new thing in the pursuit of searching for dark matter, and it turns out it might be really important for the pharmaceutical industry."
His passion for physics ignited during his high school and university years, where he demonstrated remarkable prowess. He recalls, "I was always strong at it [physics] in high school, then coming into undergraduate, I was strong in science and math, but I didn't know what pathway to go down. I started looking at physics, chemistry, mathematics, nanotechnology. I did a couple of engineering units, and in the end, I settled on physics, particularly because there were so many mysteries left to solve in that field. In all fields, there are, but the ones from physics are the big ones, like the universe's origins, quantum mechanics - weird and really fun things to think about."
In a family where no one else pursued or held a deep interest in the sciences, Jeremy sought guidance and inspiration from his teachers, particularly one influential high school teacher.
"I had approached my science teacher, wondering whether I should do engineering or physics," Jeremy recalls. "He pushed me towards physics, saying, 'If you do engineering, you will be an engineer. If you do physics, you can do so many different things. You can end up in engineering, or you can end up in many other industries.” Keeping my options open was why I started going down the pure science pathway." This path unexpectedly landed him in academia: "I never planned to [be in academia]. The opportunities just kept presenting themselves."
One of those opportunities was to be one of the first members of the QDM lab at UWA as it began its search for dark matter. "This lab was initially a frequency standard and metrology lab – essentially, precision timekeeping and measurement - building really accurate clocks," he explains.
"From there, we pivoted into quantum technologies and quantum systems, where I joined. At this time, we figured we could apply our ability to use quantum systems and precision measurement to do really low noise searches for dark matter.
“I remember when we started down the road of dark matter searching and being excited by this new direction for us, thinking, 'This is such a cool area to work in.’ He continues, "Many opportunities are available because there's so much unknown and loads of experimental space. It's a fascinating topic and a huge mystery we're trying to solve using technologies I was already familiar with."
Settled in academia currently, the question of 'what next' is an open-ended one for Jeremy.
"I've been asking myself that question more and more recently because new opportunities keep presenting themselves. The landscape of academia is different from what it was 30 years ago. Fewer tenured positions are available, particularly in Australian universities, making it much harder. I've just started a family, so I'm based in WA now, for good. I want to stay here, but it can limit your opportunities, so those pressures exist.
“In saying that, industry, fundamental research, and applied research are converging on common ground now, as in, solutions being developed in labs in universities across the country are the solutions that industry is looking to adopt. This is where industry fellowships and ARC industry fellowships come in because their needs are closely aligned, making industry and research work hand in hand and offering more opportunities for research people like me.
“I'm pursuing a commercialisation pathway, with opportunities that could look like a spin-off company with me as its CEO or licensing the technology to an instrument manufacturer while continuing my academic role. There are now so many pathways that exist beyond just tenure track professorship. Researchers, postdocs, and PhD students are in a transitional time in the industry where many different opportunities are becoming available, not just the conventional ones."
Jeremy Bourhill is a researcher and mentor, collaborating with CDM and EQUS and involving himself in outreach efforts such as the National Quantum and Dark Matter Road Trip.