A former pupil of St Margaret’s School for Girls, who co-led research at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, returned to her old school today (25th June) to encourage students to explore their interests without limitation, reminding them that they do not need to have their future mapped out to achieve extraordinary things.
Particle physicist, Professor Sinead Farrington, delivered a powerful talk during the school’s annual Speech Day, held during the last week of term.
Originally from Torphins, Aberdeenshire, Sinead has gone on to lead the way internationally in her field, currently serving as the Director of the Particle Physics Department at the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the UK’s national laboratory for particle physics.
A pioneer on the global stage, Sinead co-led research at CERN’s (the European Organisation for Nuclear Research in Switzerland) Large Hadron Collider that established the first evidence of the Higgs boson particle’s decay. Her world-class contributions to science earned her the prestigious Blavatnik Prize in 2021 and election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2022.
Drawing on her own experience as a former pupil, Professor Farrington reflected on how St Margaret’s supportive environment encouraged her to pursue a broad range of interests before ultimately discovering a passion for physics.
Sinead also spoke about the importance of curiosity and resilience, sharing how a career that began with a fascination for understanding how the universe works led her to where she is now. Reflecting on her journey as a woman in what was, at the time, a predominantly male-dominated field, she highlighted the importance of environments that encourage girls to pursue their passions without limitation, and credited both her former school and family with giving her the confidence to follow her chosen path.
