Szymon’s research interests are mainly the observational properties of Superluminous Supernovae. He’s part of the Supernova working group within DES. During the observing seasons, he tries to identify Superluminous Supernovae in real time so that we can target them for spectroscopic follow-up and classification.
We asked Szymon a few more questions — here’s what he had to say:
What is your favorite part about being a scientist?
There is a lot of great things that come with being a scientist. Many people would probably say that travelling all around the world is an amazing perk. For me, as I’m not really a morning person, the favourite part must be the freedom to work whenever I want without having strict working hours.
Any advice for aspiring scientists?
I think the most important advice is to be open minded. Very often younger students develop strong preferences for specific projects, forgetting that if you really enjoy science then the project itself is of secondary importance and it’s the fun of doing it is what really matters.