Abel Manuel Lorente Campos (Spain)

PhD Candidate in Physics

Abel is researching particle physics and working on the G-2 experiment, an international collaboration centered at Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois. He has always enjoyed the sciences and mathematics, and he credits his interest in physics to an outstanding high school teacher who was a physicist. "He challenged us," Abel said. "I like those challenges. I see physics as a challenge."

Abel holds a B.S. in Physics from the Universidad de Granada in Spain. He spent his last year of undergraduate studying in Geneva, Switzerland, which is where he met his girlfriend - a UK undergraduate student at the time. After hearing about UK, Abel investigated. "I liked it. I liked the system of TA-ing, it's very different in Europe and more difficult to find similar opportunities to teach."

The faculty and students in the Physics department are welcoming and helpful, he said. With a diverse international group of students at UK, Abel enjoys learning about other people's cultures. He taught for two years and is now a Research Assistant.

"What I like here the most is campus life," he said. "There are lots of things going on. I go to debates, I go to the cinema, I eat here almost every day. I like taking a walk and going to the gym. I spend most of the day on campus."

After graduation, Abel said that it feels like many doors are open for him. Whether he applies for a post-doctoral fellowship or works for a company or applies for faculty positions, he is confident that he has many options.