Introducing Kyle Leaver in lead up to StawellBiz Easter Extravaganza

What is your area of study?

I am a PhD student in physics. I study dark matter direct detection with the SABRE South experiment.

Where did you grow up and where do you live now?

 I grew up and live in Adelaide.

Why did you decide to pursue your particular area of study?

 Dark Matter is one of the most important unsolved problems in physics. I was very excited by the opportunity to work on such a big mystery.

How/why did you first get interested in science/maths?

I have always been interested in discovering how things work, I think science lends itself naturally to that as it is all about how the world around us operates.

What are the best things about working in physics?

I think it is interesting to see people approaching problems from many different directions. We are working on things that have never been done before, problems that have never been solved. People think of many creative ways to try solving these problems.

What inspires you to search for dark matter?

I am very motivated by the fundamental research involved in physics. We know so much about the universe and can explain most of it very well, however the existence of dark matter is a glaring hole in all of our models. We have no idea what it is at all, and only a small amount of knowledge about what it isn't.

Are you involved in the SABRE South experiment? What has your experience of SABRE been like so far?

Over the last two years of my project, I have been working on the experimental side of SABRE South, working towards getting it operational at Stawell. I think it is great that we have a large collaboration here in Australia working on such an advanced experiment.

Why are you looking forward to the Stawell Easter Extravaganza?
It will be fantastic to visit Stawell again, I am looking forward to sharing my passion for physics with all comers. Hopefully there will be some spare time for browsing the markets and collecting some easter eggs too.