It should come as no surprise, then, that Clarke is now at Yale University working as a postdoctoral researcher. 

Clarke’s post-Shawnigan journey began in Canada at Queen’s University. There, Clarke completed his undergraduate degree in Engineering Physics. During his time at Queen’s, Clarke became deeply engaged in research on dark matter. Determined to continue his research, he remained for an additional year to complete a master’s degree in physics. He then applied to PhD programs and was accepted to Stanford University. Clarke packed his bags and moved to California, where he lived for the next six years, helping with a major science experiment called nEXO that studies tiny particles to better understand how the universe works. 

A few months ago, Clarke completed his PhD with his dissertation titled In Search of Majorana Neutrinos and Micron-Scale Interactions, and moved back east, to begin his role as a postdoctoral associate at Yale. He now works with Dr. David Moore in the Wright Lab, where he continues to develop experiments aimed at furthering our understanding of the universe (wlab.yale.edu). 

“Mostly what I’m trying to do is develop new experimental techniques for particle physics,” Clarke explains, “I’m spending about half my time in a lab, building experiments, fixing things, taking data. The other half of my time is spent analyzing data, writing code, and reading or reviewing papers to try to stay up to date on the research that I’m involved in.” 

Having moved across Canada and the United States over the past several years, from British Columbia to Ontario, then to California and Connecticut, Clarke acknowledges that following his passion required courage. He credits Shawnigan with giving him the confidence to take those leaps. 

“I think living away from home at a pretty young age was helpful because it made me see opportunities that were far away from where I was as something that I could realistically pursue,” he reflects. “If I hadn’t gone to Shawnigan, I may have gone to university within a couple of hours of where my parents lived in Red Deer, Alberta. But because I’d lived away from home for four years already, by the time I was applying to college, it just didn’t seem like a big deal to go to Queen’s…The same thing was true when I went to Stanford as well. It just didn’t seem like that big of a deal to be moving to a new country and living in a new place because I was used to it at that point.” 

Clarke also identifies Shawnigan as the place where he found an interest in science, crediting Mr. Stephen Lane and Mr. Nigel Mayes as two teachers who shaped his path. 

“Mr. Mayes was my teacher for AP Chemistry, and he was also involved with the robotics program, which I did for my Grade 12 year. So, I got to spend a lot of time both in class and outside of class with him travelling to robotics competitions. I learned a lot from him in both those areas,” Clarke says. 

“Don’t be afraid to look for opportunities, even if they’re not obviously there.” 

Many current students at Shawnigan, such as the ones who are in the robotics program, as Clarke once was, are interested in pursuing a career in STEM. For those students, Clarke advises these students to “not be afraid to look for opportunities, even if they’re not obviously there.” 

Speaking from his own experience, Clarke notes that most professors are researchers first and teachers second. Therefore, students should take the initiative to get involved in research early. 

“[Professors] are not the ones in the lab every day doing research,” he explains. “It’s students who are doing most of the research, and [professors are] overseeing things and giving guidance…if you’re a motivated student, even from the first year you’re in university, you can be involved in that research.”

To get started, Clarke stresses the importance of being proactive. “Look online at the type of research your professors are doing, find out what interests you, and just send an email or talk to them after class. If you do that enough, you will definitely find someone who’s willing to take you on as a research student in their lab, and you can get involved early and get really valuable experience.” 

While Clarke gave this advice for students who are looking to pursue a career in the STEM field, it goes for both current and graduated Shawnigan students. Look for opportunities, even if they’re not obvious right away, and take action for yourself. You never know what might happen. 

The Advancement & Community Engagement team thanks Clarke for sharing his Shawnigan story.