Imogen Gingell

Imogen Gingell finished her PhD in fusion plasma physics at Warwick in 2013, and went on to join space physics groups in London before establishing herself as a research fellow at Southampton in 2019. Her research tackles the interaction between Earth’s magnetic field and the solar wind, especially at shockwaves where the solar wind slows from super-sonic to sub-sonic speeds.

"I grew up in Doncaster in South Yorkshire, and was fortunate enough to go a selective state grammar school in Lincolnshire. My parents are both graduates - my father worked as an optometrist, and my mother worked as a civil servant - and they gave me a lot of support during my education in physics.

My career has been all about transitions, and not just at shockwaves! I adapted my skills from nuclear fusion to space physics during my first postdoc at Queen Mary. Next at Imperial I jumped from using computer simulations to spacecraft data. Now as an independent research fellow at Southampton, I’ve had the chance to develop my own programme of research combining all these areas of expertise. It’s been very rewarding to get more closely involved with the workings of the department as I build my research group here.

“Along the way, I’ve also faced the challenges of being an LGBTQ+ woman in physics. I’m pleased I get to spend some of my time pushing for representation and making sure LGBTQ+ perspectives reach all levels of leadership.”