Prof Alexandra Olaya-Castro

Professor of Physics

MAPS Vice-Dean (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion)

University College London

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Prof Alexandra grew up in Bogotá, Colombia, where she did her undergraduate and master studies in Physics. In 2002 she moved to the UK to do a DPhil at the University of Oxford and since then has found the opportunities in England to flourish in her personal and professional dimensions. 

UCL has been her professional home since 2008, when she first joined the Department of Physics and Astronomy as an EPSRC Career Acceleration Fellow.

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Her current research aims to bridge quantum science and biology by understanding the non-trivial quantum processes that may influence the performance of biomolecular systems, such as the molecules that absorb light in photosynthetic organisms. She loves the diversity of colleagues and students she has found, both in her department and in the wider world of UCL. 

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Her commitment as a MAPS vice-Dean (EDI) is to facilitate the conversations and actions that will help the departments and institutes across the Faculty to strengthen their ongoing efforts to address the challenge of building a more inclusive academia. She hopes that by sharing experiences within the Faculty and across UCL, we will develop the best EDI practices that will transform our academic environments in more welcoming and sustainable intellectual and working spaces. 

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Email: a.olaya@ucl.ac.uk

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