Jeff Barber

What did you major in?
Nanotechnology

What exactly does your work/job entail?
As a clinical physicist, I monitor and calibrate linear accelerators for radiation therapy and other X-ray equipment such as CT scanners.

In addition, I maintain the models and systems that we use to plan radiotherapy beam treatment. Together with Oncologists and Therapists, I develop and implement new techniques to improve the accuracy and precision of treatments, as well as doing research in my own projects. In cancer treatment, even a small improvement can mean a difference between survival and death, and can reduce the side effects of treatment.

Do you find the skills you learnt during your degree useful and versatile?
In my work there are always new problems to solve and I often have to approach a problem by understanding the fundamentals and working up solutions. These problem solving skills, honed in my physical sciences degree, allow me to develop solutions that translate to better outcomes for patients.

What did you personally gain from your studies?
What I liked in my UTS Science studies was the direct link to research and applications of what I was learning rather than just the theory. There was a broad scope to the degree and over time the concepts all fall together into the big picture of the physical world. You might not realise it, but you are learning how to think and communicate scientifically as much as you are learning the content. This is a good foundation for work and for further studies.