Profile

Read Sophie's CV

I have spent the majority of my adult life in London. Having been kicked out of the University of Oxford, I went straight into the second year in Physics at the University of London and stayed there to do my PhD. My PhD is in theoretical physics and is entitled "Constructing ab initio potential energy surfaces for the ro-vibrational spectra of water". The joke is that this type of qualification is very useful for dropping into conversation with people you want to get rid of at parties and it works!

Career wise, after uni, I started at Thales Research and Technology as an engineer. They quickly realised that I have vision but the attention span of a flea and so moved me into a leadership position. I now work for General Dynamics United Kingdom as a project manager and exploitation lead for the Data Information Fusion Defence Technology Centre (DIF DTC), which involves making the right connections between various suppliers to meet research contracts.

I now live in Wales, with my partner, on the side of a mountain and while away many a happy hour sheep watching but also spend a considerable proportion of my time up in London to address the rural:urban balance in my life.

What I would like to get from 'The Apprentice' experience is to become an ambassador for women in science. It worries me that we allocate people at a very young age to 'creative' or 'scientific' pigeon holes, and that this has the knock on effect of removing some very imaginative people from the sciences and reducing the number of women in scientific domains.