John Davies
Gender
Male
Age
46 - 65
Status
Working
Broad Subject Area/s
Physics
Job description
Astronomer
Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths
Astronomy
Education and route to your job
I did science A levels and then a degree in chemistry at Nottingham. I stayed at Nottingham to do a PhD but I wanted to be an astronaut so when I finished the PhD I went to British Aerospace as a flight test engineer on the Tornado jet so I could get some hi-tech aerospace experience. I did an astronomy PhD in my spare time for fun. Then I left British Aerospace and moved around some Universities working on various space astronomy missions for a while. In the 1990's I spent 8 years in Hawaii working at the UKIRT telescope. I came back to the Royal Observatory in 2001.
Job route: typical, unusual, or a bit of both?
Unusual
Day in the Life
I'm a project manager now so I don't do as much of my own astronomy as I would like, but I still work with telescopes and astronomers every day. Mostly I organise things so that other people can do astronomy. I also do TV and radio programmes and give talks about astronomy.
Happiness
5 - Contentedly happy
Life outside work
Aeroplanes!!! (I've been a plane spotter since I was 13). Photographing aeroplanes. Building model aeroplanes and model spaceships. I teach air cadets about aeroplanes. I can fly a glider but don't at the moment, I play with MS flight simulator 2004 instead. Also, I love my wife and kids (but they don't fly).
Work Environment
Friendly
Hardworking
Sociable
Mixed gender
Experimental
Creative
Intellectual
Academic
Other ways to decribe your job
I'm a rocket scientist, I really am.
Family background
My Dad was an accountant and my mum a full time mum, but they always encouraged me to do what I wanted, which was science. They helped me at school and supported me to go to Uni. I never pushed my kids into science, just let them do their own thing, so my girls are into retail and nursing. My son is, ironically, working in the finance sector like his grand-dad.
What attracted you to your career?
I wanted to fly in space. Always have, always will. I got an interview for astronaut once, but didn't get the job ;-(. Still I have done lots of interesting things along the way, so I don't feel so bad about not being the first man to Jupiter.
Starting salary
21K - 25K
Potential salary
46K - 50K
Employer
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Employer website
Employer career page
Does your employer support staff with further training or education?
Yes
Do you volunteer your Time?
Air Cadet Civilian Instructor
Air Cadet Civilian Instructor
What type of scientist are you?
Explorer
Advice
Get good science qualifications and then you can do almost whatever you want. Take a few risks, I changed subject 3 times (Chemistry > Aviation > Astronomy). Now there is an asteroid named after me, who would have guessed that when I left school?