Want to share your experience and achievements with current PHAS students and other PHAS alumni? Let us know how you are doing!

Olivia Lowe

Degree: B.Sc. Physics (2024)
Job title: Medical Isotope production technician
Employer: BWXT Medical at TRIUMF
What did you do during your degree? During my time there I participated in a variety of on-campus activities such as the UBC Astro Club, Physics Olympics and Girl Guide outreach visits. I also gained work experience by joining the UBC Co-op program. 
What was your path from being a student to your current employment? My first co-op at the SFU Fuel Cell Research Lab, based at Ballard Power Systems, focused on hydrogen fuel cell degradation and durability research. After this I did a co-op term at the Max Planck Institute in Dresden, Germany, where I helped conduct research on the growth and characterization of nitride thin films and their semi-conductive properties. Now at BWXT, I work on the purification of nuclear isotopes used in medical applications. My most recent project involves the production of Actinium-225, an isotope used for its promising applications to cancer therapy via targeted alpha radiation. This job not only requires interdisciplinary knowledge of nuclear processes and chemistry, but also physical skills that are essential to the operation of equipment
If you were able to go back in time: what advice would you give to your younger self? Diversify your courses to gain a breadth of knowledge, get as much experience as you can while studying - even unpaid work, and don’t forget the power and importance of networking. Finally, pursue your passions outside of school and work to have fun and build your unique skillset!

Sajjan Grewal

Degree: BSc in Physics, Minor in English (2025)
Job Title: R&D Technician
Employer:  Mangrove Lithium 
What experience did you get from your program? 
I spent lots of time volunteering, and eventually working for, the Outreach department in initiatives such as teaching the Girl Guides, running the Physics Olympics, and organizing the Phenomenal Physics Summer Camps, where I learned I had a passion for teaching and discovery with others. While I didn't have any Co-op or Research Projects under my belt, I found my home in the lab courses at UBC and eventually landed [this job] a few months after graduation. It's a role that requires a lot of the same problem-solving skills I honed during my degree, and while I'm not crunching integrals on the daily anymore, it's the fearless approach to explain the world around me that serves me best. 
Do you have any advice for students? If I had any quick advice to you all it'd be to embrace every opportunity and think of no task too above or below you. The ability to prove a concept is just as important as being able to bring it to life, so follow through; learn that code, solve that problem, get comfortable with that tool, and explain that concept to someone who is curious. 
 

Andie Buenconsejo

Degree: BSc in Physics (2018)
Job title: IT & Dev Support Specialist
Employer: Distillery VFX
What do you do in this job? This job supports and creates visual effects for films and shows. My day-to-day can vary wildly, but I generally build software and automation tools and develop our IT infrastructure to ensure the smooth operations of the studio’s workstations, render computers, servers, and networking devices, as well as provide tech support to artists and production staff in a fast-paced environment.
Describe your academic career: I graduated from UBC with a BSc in Physics in 2018, where I was active in student organizations and leadership positions, including being Co-President of the Physics Society. During my undergrad, I sought out research experiences in different fields of physics, including particle physics, cosmology and biomedical optics. After graduating, I worked at BC Cancer to continue a cancer imaging project that I started during the last year of my undergrad degree. I eventually pursued an MEng in Biomedical Engineering at UBC, where I focused on developing optical imaging technologies for medical applications. 
What is your advice to students? Being an undergrad is valuable for self-discovery and exploring potential career paths. Take advantage of opportunities at UBC, don’t be afraid to seek connections with professors and professionals in fields you are interested in, and be active in a few student organizations. Above all, try to find time doing the things you enjoy so that you can take care of yourself, too!

Ishann Trivedi

Degree: BSc in Physics (2024)

Job title: Backend & Systems Engineer; 
Employer: Entrepreneur: Co-founder of Skyward Wildfire
Tell us about your company: I co-founded an adventure-tourism tech project with friends. Now I’m part of the tiny but mighty team at Skyward Wildfire (https://www.skywardwildfire.com) trying to stop lightning strikes to prevent catastrophic wildfires! My title is Backend & Systems Engineer, but in a team of ten that means everything from integrating aircraft sensors and writing data pipelines to climbing aboard as the on-plane tech/operator during missions. It’s been an amazing ride.
Describe your undergrad experience: I graduated from UBC with a Physics degree (Co-op) in 2024. It was awesome. Go PHAS! During my undergrad I dove into every hands-on opportunity I could find: hydrogen fuel cell systems at Mercedes-Benz Fuel Cell, optics research and a custom AFM-image analysis project at Meta Materials, and hardcore astrophysics research at the National Research Council’s Herzberg Observatory. I took fantastic courses that had me building demos for outreach, tinkering with hardware and software, and exploring the mysteries of the universe. 
What is your advice for students? Keep on pushing p (positivity), and in the wise words of Shia LaBeouf circa 2015, “Just do it”. 
 

Jeremy Pratt

Degree: BSc in Physics; Minor in Astronomy (2019)
Job title: Engineering Technician
Employer: General Fusion
Summarize your undergrad experience: While at UBC, I was a member of the UBC Physics Society and worked as a Teaching Assistant for first year physics courses. Since then, my interest in physics has led me to a number of career opportunities at laboratories throughout Vancouver. 
Tell us about your job: After graduating, I worked for 3 years as an Accelerator Operator at TRIUMF, Canada’s particle accelerator centre, tuning beamlines to deliver rare isotopes to experiments in TRIUMF's Isotope Separator and Accelerator facilities. In 2022 I left to work at General Fusion (https://generalfusion.com) as a Plasma Injector Engineer, then later as an Engineering Technician. 
During my time at General Fusion, I've built, maintained, and operated a number of plasma injectors, machines capable of creating plasmas at fusion-relevant scales. Most recently, we've been compressing these plasmas electromagnetically with an aim to demonstrate that our technology can reach fusion-relevant temperatures. Beyond my job at General Fusion, I've worked producing radioactive medical isotopes with BWXT and as a high 
school physics and math tutor. In each of these roles, my passion for physics and the variety of new problems to be solved keeps me excited to continue working in these industries.
What is your advice to students interested in a career in physics? Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Every new opportunity in the physics industry brings with it new opportunities to learn and grow, as long you have a passion for the sciences and a physics intuition that you're ready to use.