### What skills do you use every day in your job? Much of my time is spent trying to build and refine models in quantum optics, usually with just a pencil, paper and a computer. This requires an ability to sit with difficult concepts for a long time, sometimes far longer than is comfortable, until they finally reveal their structure. Good communication is equally essential – I teach students; collaborate with colleagues from different subfields; and translate complex ideas into accessible language for the broader public. Modern physics connects with many different fields, so being flexible and open-minded matters as much as knowing the technical details. Above all, curiosity drives everything. When I don’t understand something, that uncertainty becomes my strongest motivation to keep going. ### What do you like best and least about your job? What I like the best is the sense of discovery – the moment when a problem that has evaded understanding for weeks suddenly becomes clear.…