Profile
Letizia Protopapa
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About Me:
I’m originally from Italy, but I moved to England 9 years ago for my studies, then started working here. Now I live in Swindon (Wiltshire), and I work as Research Software Engineer. In my free time, I like hiking and dancing!
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My pronouns are:
She/her
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My Work:
I work on improving software that allows scientists to see inside objects, e.g. historical objects, without having to cut through them or ruining them. I also work on software that helps to extract useful insights from the data that has been collected from the object.
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Education:
I attended high school in Italy, in a small town in the south of Italy. I moved to England when I was 18, to study Mechanical Engineering in Southampton. I then moved to London for an MSc in Human and Biological Robotics.
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Qualifications:
Diploma from high school in Italy.
BEng in Mechanical Engineering.
MSc in Human and Biological Robotics.
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Work History:
After university, I worked for one year as graduate data scientist for a private company, but then realised I was missing the scientific world too much so I joined STFC (Science and Technology Facilities Council) on the graduate scheme. As part of this, I did 4 rotations within the Scientific Computing Department, as well as an external placement at Diamond Light Source. At the end of the graduate scheme, I decided to join one of the groups I had already been in, specifically the Computational Mathematics group, where I work as Research Software Engineer.
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Current Job:
Mathematical Research Software Engineer
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Employer:
STFC (Science and Technology Facilities Council), Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire
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My Interview
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What did you want to be after you left school?
After high school, I knew I wanted to go to university, and I knew I wanted to study engineering, but I wasn't quite sure which type of engineering. That's the reason why, at the start, I went for Mechanical Engineering, which is a bit broader / less specialised than other types of engineering.
What's your favourite food?
I'm Italian, so definitely pizza!
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