Dr Sarah Crick

Hello! I'm Dr Sarah Crick. I'm an Academic Tutor and Astronomy Educator, and the creator of the Mission Astro online astronomy course.

MY EDUCATION AND RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

I grew up in Lancashire, where I completed A-levels in Physics, Mathematics and German at a local comprehensive school. I achieved a first-class honors in Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology (MPhys) at Lancaster University, during which I also completed summer placements studying neutrino detection and computational astrophysics through bursaries and studentships. In my time at Lancaster, I was intrigued by the evolution of stars and the peculiar objects that form when stars get too close to each other. I went on to study this topic in depth for my PhD in Astronomy at the University of Cambridge. At Cambridge, I got the opportunity to attend the competitive Vatican Observatory Summer School in Castel Gandolfo, Rome where I received specialist training in the dynamics of stars.

Towards the end of my PhD, I travelled to Australia to work with my collaborators at the Australian National University on the topic of Redback Pulsars.

I have written a handful of academic papers that were published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society journal. Here is a link to them.

MY TEACHING AND SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION EXPERIENCE

During my time at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, I began to really enjoy communicating my research through the Department’s thriving Outreach Programme. I also had the opportunity to create, develop and deliver astronomy courses for various Institutions, including the Institute of Continuing Education at the University of Cambridge. In addition to this, I took on students for private tuition in Astronomy, Physics and Mathematics. For full details, please visit my LinkedIn profile.

After completing my PhD, I spent 6 months continuing with my research at the University of Cambridge, then in September 2015, assumed the position of Teacher of Physics at Tormead School, Guildford. I stayed in this post for 6 years, delivering dynamic, high quality lessons in GCSE Physics, GCSE Astronomy and A-level Physics. I completed a PGCE qualification from the University of Buckingham while working at Tormead. I was awarded a grade of Outstanding for my teaching, and I achieved QTS status.

Currently, I’m the Director of Just Good Science Ltd, my Education Company that offers bespoke tuition in Science, online astronomy courses and astronomy public talks and workshops. Visit the Just Good Science website to discover more.