Rhiannon Boseley’s journey through life and science

Rhiannon’s journey into the world of synchrotrons and, in particular, Diamond Light Source, started in her last year of undergraduate study. Though at first, she was advised to go into engineering, Rhiannon found her true passion studying forensic and analytical science after experiencing the Australian Synchrotron. Discovering what a synchrotron was and what it does, changed her whole future. Now a postdoctoral research associate on I18, Rhiannon has shared how she made her way to Diamond. 

During her exploration of synchrotron science, Rhiannon collaborated with a surgeon in a research group at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. They studied how different drugs could treat or attempt to prevent strokes in animal models, and the findings influenced the neurosurgeon's approach to patient care. This experience stuck with Rhiannon as she saw how science could be applied to the real world. 

From Australia to Canada and now to the UK, Rhiannon has travelled the world in the name of research and science. When Rhiannon first saw that a job had come up at Diamond Light Source, she applied thinking that it would be a good opportunity for her to practice the interview skills. Despite thinking she wouldn’t be successful, she was offered the position and now she couldn’t be happier. When asked about her favourite part of working at Diamond Light Source, Rhiannon said: “When it is experiment time and you can walk around the beamline and be met with people from different corners of the world and different industries, all doing different fields of research."

Rhiannon Bosley talking with student Maggie Cinque on the I18 beamline.

Rhiannon is currently working with the Preston Group, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, to apply synchrotron imaging methods (a combination of X-ray fluorescence imaging and X-ray absorption spectroscopy) to plant tissues. She is investigating plants with increased metal content and exploring how this may help defend against plant pathogens. This will lead to improvements in our environment and further our understanding of plant resilience and her work on the I18 beamline is a testament to her commitment to this important matter.

Working on a beamline is a very collaborative venture and one that Rhiannon has completely embraced and used to her advantage. “Beamline teams are so big,” Rhiannon explained, “and there are so many different people from different areas, so if I have a problem or a challenge or a question, there’s someone who has those skills that I can ask for advice from.”

This sense of collaboration and partnership is a strong current throughout all of Diamond Light Source. This is evidenced in Diamond’s strive to share scientific knowledge with all. “Everyone that works at Diamond is so passionate about science." Rhiannon said. Scientists such as Rhiannon truly endeavour to share their expertise and research with everyone. Whether that be amongst schoolchildren, graduates or between researchers, she loves to see people relate to what scientists like her at Diamond do in their everyday work so that they can see, as she said: “why we do it and why we love it”.

Whether it’s in her current plant project or many other areas of research Rhiannon truly loves the applications of synchrotron science and would like to be a “synchrotron advocate”. She hopes to convince people to come and use the synchrotron and, with any luck, fall in love with it. When talking about her future, Rhiannon expressed how she currently never wants to let go of synchrotron science, and she sees herself in academia as a full-time researcher, connecting with many different research groups. Rhiannon is the embodiment of a scientist who loves their work, and her passion and thirst for knowledge is a perfect example of why synchrotrons such as Diamond Light Source are so important in the nurturing of eager young scientists.