Regen Petu-Stiles

Nationality: British
Degree Programme: MSci Physics
Year of Programme: Year 1
What A-levels did you take? Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry

Studying physics

Tell us where your passion for physics started

It started from YouTube videos and books. I found them incredibly fascinating, so I fell down the rabbit hole of looking for answers to questions I had about the world and never looked back.

Why did you decide to study physics at Imperial?

I wanted to be in an environment where I was close to students and experts with the same thirst for knowledge surrounding the subject.

What aspects of the programme do you enjoy the most?

I enjoy the close-knit community that forms from the research culture here. There are always research talks and events being hosted by experts in each field. We are constantly being supported to learn and think deeper about anything we may come across. I consider this valuable in many respects.

Which has been your favourite module so far and why?

So far, my favourite has been the Vector Calculus module. It took the intersection of maths and intuition to a place I had not seen before, and it lays the groundwork for topics such as electromagnetism. Extremely exciting.

What has been the most challenging part of the programme so far?

Managing the workload.

How would you describe the physics community at Imperial?

A group of talented and inspiring people, driven to improve.

What clubs, societies or other activities are you involved in at Imperial?

Afro-Caribbean Society, Basketball, Cross Country, Data Science, Entrepreneurs, Fintech, Enactus, Muay Thai Kickboxing.

Career

What advice would you give to someone thinking about applying for your programme?

Go for it. Take the leap and see where you land because you won’t forget it.

Before you go…

How do you find living in London?

Scenic. Somehow both peaceful and hectic at the same time.

When you’re not studying, what do you enjoy doing?

I try to keep busy in any way possible. Whether that be by playing sports, watching movies, or reading, just to name a few.

Who inspires you, inside or outside of Imperial, and why?

I’m inspired by my mum because of her dedication. My dad because of his work ethic. My grandad because of his intelligence. My grandmother because of her unconditional kindness. And my sisters and friends because of the fun we have together.

Meet more of our physics students

Rebekah Christie

"We recently completed a course on Fourier Analysis. It was really tricky to understand at times, but it has so many interesting applications. Who would’ve thought that you could use maths to increase or decrease the resolution of a picture?"

Meet Rebekah

Linus Deluca-Perry

"My tutor was recently responsible for the discovery of phosphine within the atmosphere of Venus (a possible sign of life) and one of my lecturers is the principal investigator for the magnetometer for the Solar Orbiter satellite mission... two examples of exciting projects our Department is involved in."

Meet Linus

Inès Jimenez

"I'm considering a career in research and/or something related to climate change. For this reason, this summer I will be doing a research project (UROP) in the Atmospheric Physics group which will allow me to gain some experience in the field."

Meet Inès

Viraj Patel

"Vector calculus is a very complicated and important topic but was taught so well and so clearly last year that it was easily my favourite lecture course. It satisfying to learn how electricity and magnetism link together and where the infamous Maxwell’s equations came from."

Meet Viraj