This week, we speak with Justine Munich, a PhD student in physics at Simon Fraser University who also works with the ALPHA Collaboration at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research). Justine fills us in on the truth about life in academia from the perspective of a woman in STEM. She candidly tells us about her struggles, but also about her successes and proudest moments. Find out what furry friend she hangs out with in her spare time, what her favourite book is, and how her career is relating to the world at large.

Guest: Justine Munich (website)
Justine is a PhD student in the physics department at SFU. She works with the Antihydrogen Laser Physics Apparatus (ALPHA) Collaboration, a group of about 40 scientists that is based at CERN. CERN is the European Organization for Nuclear Research, where physicists and engineers are researching the fundamental structure of the universe. The ALPHA Collaboration makes, captures, and studies atoms of antihydrogen and compares these with hydrogen atoms. Justine is responsible for developing and characterizing a new microwave resonator, then using that resonator to study the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and antihydrogen. ALPHA hopes to study the fundamental symmetries between matter and antimatter. When she is not busy in the lab, Justine volunteers extensive time to support minority communities, including women in physics.