Dr. Ruth Livingstone

Dr Ruth Livingstone with machinery

Experimental Physicist, Centre for Free-Electron Laser Science, Germany

MPhys Physics (1st Class) and PhD Molecular Physics

I found the undergraduate Physics programme both exciting and practical, and after graduating I knew I wanted to go into research. I liked the friendly atmosphere at Heriot-Watt and decided to stay for a PhD, where I used lasers to study photo-protective energy flow in molecules that model biological systems like DNA. After my PhD I moved to Germany to work at the Max-Plank Institute for Polymer Science and, more recently, at the Centre for Free-Electron Laser Science. I love my job and feel privileged to explore how our world works. 

The undergraduate programme at Heriot-Watt was great for launching my career. The courses were very practical, teaching me the skills I’ve needed in my research work as well as the theories behind them. The small class sizes meant the lecturers got to know you and it made it easy to ask questions.