Profile
Chris Bouchard
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About Me:
I’m 52 years old and was born in Missouri, in the USA. I like to read, cook, hike, and travel.
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Before I got a PhD in physics, I was a sailor in the US Navy on nuclear powered submarines. I think growing up in Missouri, which is in the middle of USA and is quite far from the ocean, made me really want to spend time on the ocean and see the world.
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My pronouns are:
he/him
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My Work:
I am a theoretical particle physicist. I use supercomputers to calculate what our theory, called the Standard Model of particle physics, predicts will happen in experiments like those at the Large Hadron Collider.
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A part of our theory of the universe that describes how particle called quarks and gluons behave is called Quantum Chromodynamics. It is notoriously hard to calculate. In fact, the mathematics doesn’t even exist to solve the equations of Quantum Chromodynamics! This is where supercomputers come to our rescue, allowing us to find solutions to the equations.
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My Typical Day:
I wake up about 7am and have an egg with toast, fruit, juice, and coffee while I listen to the radio. Then I shower and walk about 7 minutes to my office where I work at my laptop or on a whiteboard most of the day. I go home about 5pm and cook dinner.
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I have lunch with my colleagues every day and always eat the same thing – oat cakes, cherry tomatoes, and a piece of cheese. I like to cook (usually Thai, Italian, or Chinese food) for dinner and then watch TV. I like Gogglebox, and older American shows like Psych and Seinfeld.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I’d get some professional help to develop a visualisation of quark and gluon interactions at work in my calculations. The area I work in can be abstract and it can be difficult to get the idea across. A high quality visualisation would help!
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Education:
I went to primary (5-12 yrs old), middle (13-14 yrs old), and high school (15-18 yrs old) in Farmington, Missouri, USA. After that, I went to Mineral Area Junior College and then to the Missouri University of Science and Technology. After graduating from university, I joined the US Navy and worked on submarines. Then I returned to physics and went to the University of Illinois, where I got a PhD in 2012.
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Qualifications:
Since I went to school in the USA, the system was different. We didn’t have GCSEs or O Levels. When we graduated from high school, we had a cumulative GPA and we took a standardised college entrance exam. I took one called the ACT. Your GPA and exam score are what colleges used to make admissions decisions.
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Work History:
My first job was helping my dad install flooring when I was 14 years old. He was a school teacher but installed flooring on weekends and over the summer. When I was 16 I worked at a fried chicken restaurant and then was a caretaker at a cemetery! When I was 17 and 18 I worked for the Farmington Parks and Recreation Department, where I mostly mowed grass in city parks. During the summer when I was 19 I worked at Wal Mart as a cashier. My next job was when I joined the Navy after university. After I returned to physics and got a PhD in 2012, I worked for 3 years at Ohio State University in Ohio, USA and then a couple of years at the College of William & Mary in Virginia, USA before coming to the University of Glasgow in 2016.
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Current Job:
I’m a Senior Lecturer in physics.
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Employer:
University of Glasgow
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My Interview
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What did you want to be after you left school?
A professional baseball player for the Saint Louis Cardinals.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
I once called my school, pretended to be my dad and said, "My son is sick and has to stay home today." Then I went fishing. I didn't fool anybody and got caught.
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
I think I'd probably still be a submariner if I hadn't become a physicist.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
What's your favourite food?
Thai stir fry.
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
To live on a boat, to have my own supercomputer, and to figure out how to combine gravity with quantum mechanics!
Tell us a joke.
How do you make a tissue dance? You put a little boogie in it.
How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
I'm quiet, detail oriented, and am a nice guy.
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