Sophie Middleton
She/Her
I am a lesbian and I am a physicist.//
I’m an experimental particle physicist at Caltech. I work on three international particle physics experiments. I spend a lot of time at Fermilab, where I work on the Mu2e experiment. Mu2e is searching for the conversion of the muon (a heavy electron) into its lighter cousin, the electron. If observed this will have huge ramifications for particle physics.
I’m originally from the UK, I completed my PhD and Masters degree at Imperial College London, also in muon physics. I came out in my early 20’s and as a PhD student I ran the postgraduate branch of my university’s LGBTQ+ group. I try to display rainbow flags in my office, at Fermilab and on social media. I hope to help create an inclusive environment within all the collaborations I work on.
When not working I enjoy exploring various cities around the world. I also enjoy traveling internationally and have visited many countries during my PhD years.