{"podcast":{"title":"People doing Physics","slug":"people-doing-physics-4852314","podcast_index_feed_id":4852314,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/people-doing-physics/","website_url":"https://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/e5480daf-2a6f-4ebf-9b5d-9a02d5faa32e/roqmM8Bs4Lyt1GpYR51AA0Ru.png","author":"Cavendish Laboratory","episode_count":46,"summary":"As fascinating as physics can be, it can also seem very abstract, but behind each experiment and discovery stands a real person trying to understand the universe. Join us at the Cavendish Laboratory on the first Thursday of every month as we get up close and personal with the researchers, technicians, students, teachers, and people that are the beating heart of Cambridge University’s Physics department. If you want to know what goes on behind the doors of a Physics department, are curious to know how people get into physics, or simply wonder what physicists think and dream about, listen in! Join us on Twitter @DeptofPhysics using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy","last_synced_at":"2026-06-04T14:21:08.688439+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/people-doing-physics-4852314"},"episode":{"title":"Exploring the Intersection of Physics and Business with Sam Stranks","slug":"exploring-the-intersection-of-physics-and-business-with-sam-stranks","published_at":"2024-10-03T04:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/people-doing-physics-4852314/exploring-the-intersection-of-physics-and-business-with-sam-stranks","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/people-doing-physics-4852314","url":"https://people-doing-physics.captivate.fm/episode/exploring-the-intersection-of-physics-and-business-with-sam-stranks","audio_url":"https://op3.dev/e/podcasts.captivate.fm/media/6329f6d2-8c81-4720-94bb-a8fda00471f1/oct24-ver-2.mp3","summary":"Today we are joined by Professor Sam Stranks, Professor of Optoelectronics and Royal Society University Research Fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, and a Joint Member here at the Cavendish Laboratory.  Growing up in Australia, Sam graduated from the University of Adelaide with a BA in German and Applied Mathematics, alongside a BSc in Physics and Physical Chemistry, before completing a PhD at Oxford University.  His research focuses on developing novel materials for low-cost electronics applications, such as solar cells and LEDs, and he is co-founder of Swift Solar, a company taking this technology to market by developing lightweight perovskite solar panels.  If working in business and academia wasn't enough, Sam teaches at the university, setting up several new PhD programmes, and is one the co-founders of Sustain/Education, a national charity developing content for Primary Schools looking at climate change solutions.  In this episode, we talk about his multidisciplinary route through science, how he manages to keep a foot in both research and industry, and just how many times he came close to dropping physics entirely...  Learn more about Sam Stranks’ research by visiting his group website . Sam’s spin-out company: Swift Solar - Next generation lightweight and efficient solar technology The new PhD programme PhDin Sustainable Energy Materials Innovations is now open for applications! Visit the Sustain/Education website to learn more about their actions in primary school classes across the country. Listen back to Stuart Macpherson , co-founder of Sustain/Education, talking about his own journey into physics on this podcast. And finally, explore the Cavendish Laboratory , which is celebrating its 150th anniversa…","meta_description":"Today we are joined by Professor Sam Stranks, Professor of Optoelectronics and Royal Society University Research Fellow in the Department of Chemical Engi…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2255,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/people-doing-physics-4852314/episodes/exploring-the-intersection-of-physics-and-business-with-sam-stranks/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/people-doing-physics-4852314/exploring-the-intersection-of-physics-and-business-with-sam-stranks.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}