An interview with Ben Britton

Name: Dr Ben Britton

Current Job: Reader

Scientific Discipline/Field: Materials Science and Engineering

Country: United Kingdom

Pick some letters (L,G,B,T,Q,+, etc.): GQ

Website: www.expmicromech.com

Twitter or other social media handle: @bmatb

What does your job involve?

I lead a research group who explore how materials work and how we can use them better. We look especially at structural materials and how they are engineered at the nano- to mm- scale, using electron microscopy and small scale mechanical testing to extract fundamental properties of materials. Our findings have been used to engineering better materials (and better use of materials) for aerospace, oil & gas, and nuclear power applications. I also teach as part of my job and I’m actively involved in trying to improve things in STEM for everyone.

How did you get to this job (education etc.)?

I have a MEng and DPhil in Materials, and I was in the right place at the right time (after a few times of not being in the right place…).

Do you feel being LGBT has affected your career decisions?

These days I spend a fair bit of time engaged in equality, diversity, and inclusion activities, and that is influenced by the network of people and friends I have built up, in part due to my membership of the LGBT+ community. From a personal perspective, I’ve made a few career decisions based upon where I want to live and be comfortable being Out. This limits where I look for jobs typically to major metropolitan areas and was one of the attractions that drew me to my job in London.

Have you had any reactions from colleagues about being LGBT, either good or bad?

Most of my experiences have been positive, with colleagues and friends being encouraging. Shortly after writing a coded tweet about me (recently) coming out to my parents, my former Head of Department stopped me on the corridor and shook my hand in congratulations. This was very heart warming and important. There have been a few microagressions along the way, but on the whole my employer and places where I have studied have been supportive.

Did you have any role models growing up (LGBT, STEM, totally unrelated.)?

I spent quite a lot of time trying ‘not to be gay’ growing up, so it was tricky to look up to a role model. As I progress in my career, the number of Out and senior folk is limited, which is a bit disheartening – though this is getting better.

What are your plans for the future?

I’m exciting to develop our research forwards – we’ve started playing with some machine learning approaches to improve our microscopy. This is interesting and fun, and more importantly, it’s turning out to be quite useful! We continue to help understand materials used in the extreme environments that we work on, and I don’t see that changing as I progress in my career.