Andre Kyme graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Physics in 2000.

Before my honours year I had approximately zero desire to go into research, or bumble after a PhD. A careful hunt for an honours project lead me to an elegant beast at Westmead Hospital, one that, importantly I think, inspired many a thought of how to wrestle it to the ground.  Research suddenly became for me quite the gem it is, mainly because here was problem solving that was relevant to humans in an obvious way. It combined the fascination of human physiology with an understanding and application of knowledge that we had been taught! An opportunity to stay on as a research assistant in nuclear medicine physics at Westmead after university came up and was most gladly taken. Now I spend my time primarily on the motion correction problem in brain imaging that I began as an honours project.

For me, and for many science students I suspect, the initial opportunities that crop up at the end of university are jumped at: this is not a bad thing, because they become perhaps the first inkling of life as an educated science student outside university walls. You get a taste to find out where your appetite really is. And lo and behold I developed a keen desire to pursue research in medical physics. I plan to begin post graduate study some time soon. Postponing study for the couple of years experience at Westmead will be very helpful for me, allowing me to consolidate knowledge that’s come my way for the last 20 odd years.

At this point I might mention that overseas looks very appealing as an avenue, whether for completing study begun here or for work. That’s not to say there aren’t some great opportunities and keen research groups right here in Australia for medical physics; but to experience new places and people, venturing abroad for some length of time sounds good to me.

There is massive scope for attacking stimulating science-based problems, whether in medical fields or elsewhere. Personally, I could say that quite apart from nuclear medicine, the space industry and the solid-state nano-fabrication physics field are titillating areas that I may yet give serious thought to. Many problems needing original thought are out there. And physicists have the minds to solve them!

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