Name: Nikita Salvi

Job title: PhD student in Astrophysics

What education and qualifications do you have?

B.Sc (Maths, Physics), M.Sc (Space Science)

Give an outline of your career so far

I graduated from the Univ. of Bombay (India) in 1989. I worked as a flight attendant for an international airline for about 6 years from 1991-1997. My time spent with the airline was a continuous learning process, about myself and others. Visiting different countries and meeting people of various cultures was a lot of fun but above all it helped me to broaden my horizons, most importantly in the field of Astronomy and Astrophysics. I enrolled for an MSc in Space Science with the Univ. of London in 1998. On completion I was offered a PPARC grant to do a PhD in Astronomy at MSSL. I am currently writing up my PhD thesis.

Why did you choose this career path?

The universe as we see it has always fascinated me and the choice of career was largely due to my love for the subject.

What does your current work involve?

Current work involves analysing data from the XMM-Newton X-ray satellite in space. I study objects called Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) which are extremely luminous. These objects are thought to have black holes at their centres which power their enormous energy output. I am currently analysing data from various AGN and at the moment I am involved in working out the physical processes that could power the central engine in these sources.

Hobbies and interests outside work

I like keeping fit and a substantial fraction of my time outside work is spent at the gym with swimming, aerobics and yoga being my favourite forms of exercise. I cycle a lot especially in summer and also indulge in a bit of salsa dancing during the weekends. I also enjoy watching movies, reading books and exotic food.

Update

Nikita completed her PhD in May 2003 and embarked upon a career in investment banking.