Making an impact by using theoretical physics to throw light on space, time and the universe
With Claudia de Rham, expert in cosmology
"One of the great features of our Department of Physics is its large size and scope, with research across the board from the very fundamental to very applied."
Professor Claudia de Rham spends her days developing and testing models that tackle the most mind-blowing questions of life, from the beginnings of the universe to the irresistible nature of gravity – a passion she is keen to share with scientists, students and people everywhere.
Claudia’s research focuses on quantum fields and fundamental forces: abstract topics that hold the key to a very human fascination. She says: “Nature’s forces are all around us. We can’t extract ourselves from space and time, and gravity is at the heart of everything.”
Today, cosmologists like Claudia are looking to the stars and how galaxies are distributed for clues to gain a deeper understanding the fundamental laws of nature – going beyond Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
“When probing the universe at large distances, not everything matches our intuition based on Einstein’s theory of gravity (General Relativity), which tells us how anything present in the universe bends the fabric of spacetime,” she explains.
Claudia and her colleagues are therefore exploring alternative models – such as tweaking Einstein’s theory ever so slightly so that its effect is different on large distance scales. This idea was first proposed almost 90 years ago but, Claudia says: “Only recently have we understood how to make sense of it. It may help to explain one of the universe’s greatest mysteries: why the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate."
“Ultimately, we are trying to connect our understanding of the world we see in our everyday lives with an ‘ultimate theory of everything’ - but we are having to do this without all of the information. It’s rather like not understanding the structure of every grain of sand on a beach, but still knowing that it is a beach.”
Claudia de Rham, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London
Claudia de Rham, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London
Claudia and her colleagues are exploring one of the universe’s greatest mysteries: why the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate.
Claudia’s work at Imperial sees her collaborating on research with institutes across the world, teaching undergraduates about relativity and mathematical methods, and spreading the word through public engagement – including through her popular science book The Beauty of Falling.
One of the messages she’s most keen to convey is that it is okay to ‘fall’ in life by changing direction. Her original dream was to become an astronaut, a job that aligned with “everything I loved to do – scuba diving, learning to fly, and exploring nature”. From 8,000 applicants to the last European programme Claudia got through to the very final stage of selection.
“It didn’t work out in the end,” she says. “It was an intense period of my life, but so useful. For example when you learn to fly and begin to stall your plane, your natural reaction is to pull the nose up but actually, you need to put it down. You are learning to apply the laws of physics in a very uncomfortable situation.”
This experience has served Claudia well in her research career, where: “Things sometimes stop making sense and you need to learn to get comfortable with that level of discomfort.”
About Claudia
Asked when she first became interested in physics, Claudia says: “I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t. Young children love to drop objects on the floor repeatedly to test what happens. I think I never grew up!”
Having studied physics and later interned at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, she realised her interest ultimately lay in theoretical cosmology. After stints in academia in Switzerland and the US she came to Imperial as Professor of Theoretical Physics.
She says: “One of the great features of our Department of Physics is its large size and scope, with research across the board from the very fundamental to very applied. The best thing for me is being constantly exposed to young people coming in with fresh energy. It’s constantly stimulating!”
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