Rachel Wolf

My job is to learn new things! For someone like me who is so driven by intellectual curiosity, it can’t get much better than that :)

I think I had my first inklings of wanting to be a scientist in middle school, but it didn’t really sink in until a few years later. I always really loved science and math, and was fascinated by astronomy from a very early age. I just loved looking up at the night sky! In high school, I learned just how beautiful using math to describe the natural world really is. I was very interested in astrophysics, and wanted to learn more about cosmology. I attended a two-week cosmology summer school after my junior year and haven’t looked back since!

I’m naturally a very self-motivated person – I always want to learn the most I can in the best way I can. Now, I think a large part of my motivation comes from the people around me. I’m motivated in science by my brilliant colleagues who collaborate with me on interesting projects and I’m motivated in education by all the young people who ask such thought-provoking questions about our Universe.

I love to cook and host dinner parties! I don’t know if hostessing counts as a hobby, but I love getting all my friends together and creating a fun, entertaining, and welcoming space.

Unfortunately, I’m not the most athletically gifted person. I do enjoy watching sports, though! My husband and I are big UCLA football fans (Go Bruins!) and I’m currently in three fantasy football leagues.

Favorite Book: The Phantom Tollbooth

Favorite Movie: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Favorite TV Show: Right now, it’s a three-way tie between The Office, Parks & Recreation, and Better Call Saul

If I weren’t a professional scientist, I’d like to be a professional science educator/communicator, or in some job where I could continue to inspire interest in science in some way.

If I were to leave science entirely, I’d want to be a wedding planner! I love planning parties, especially for other people, and think my organization skills and detailed-oriented personality would be put to good use. I’d also just have so much fun helping people make their day special!

LIGO’s detection of gravitational waves has been absolutely incredible. To verify this prediction of general relativity is game-changing for both theoretical and observational science. Whenever I think about it, I’m just in awe of the people who built the detectors sensitive enough to make these measurements.

I suppose this is probably a bit older than 10 years, but it still amazes me how most people carry around tiny computers in their pockets! Smartphones have completely transformed so many aspects of our society – the way we travel, the way we work, the way we meet people, and much more.

I’d like to give some standard and maybe some not-so-standard advice:

As I think many of my colleagues would agree, taking as many math and computer programming courses as you can is essential! I only really started computer programming in college – I wish that I had started earlier and that I had more time to really explore the functionality of different languages. Also be sure to learn (and appreciate) statistics! So much of my job now relies on knowledge of statistics. I’ve learned a ton on the job, but I wish I would have realized sooner just how important it would be.

While being a scientist is incredibly gratifying, it is also incredibly challenging, both mentally and physically. You’re going to be spending a ridiculous amount of time researching, writing papers, and generally pushing your mind as far as it can go. Learning how to take care of yourself is just as important, if not more so, than learning how to be an effective scientist. Make sure you take the time to learn how and where you research/study best, what relaxes you, and what practices help you be your best self.