From gamer to stargazer: first Sāmoan astrophysicist graduates with PhD

Dr Sean Richards’ sights were set firmly on a career in video gaming until a handful of inspiring physics lecturers opened a window to the universe.

On 22 September, Dr Richards became the first Sāmoan to graduate with a PhD in Physics from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

Sean’s doctoral research used advanced computer simulations to better understand how stars evolve, exchange material with companion stars and ultimately end their lives in spectacular supernova explosions. Their work helps astronomers more accurately model the formation of neutron stars and other extreme cosmic phenomena.

The milestone marked the culmination of a long academic journey that also helped them reconnect with their Sāmoan heritage.

Sean (Vailima, Moto’otua, Saleimoa/Sāmoa, England) first arrived at the University in the enviable position of weighing offers from both the faculties of Engineering and Science.

The desire to enter the video gaming industry was the deciding factor.

“I wanted to go into video game development and felt Computer Science fit well.”
The Bachelor’s degree also required taking two general education papers, it was an easy choice for Sean.

“I had done reasonably well in high school physics, so I decided to take PHYSICS 120 and 150,” Sean recalled. “I’d also loved astronomy since I was a kid and had read the Reader’s Digest Children’s Atlas of the Universe cover to cover several times, so taking PHYSICS 107G (now ASTRO 100G) felt like a natural choice.”

Those introductory papers altered the trajectory of their academic journey.

Attending the classes of Professor Richard Easther, Associate Professor Nick Rattenbury and Professor Jan Eldridge proved transformative. Their enthusiasm for physics was infectious and after attending only a few lectures, Sean made the decision to major in the subject.

By the second and third years, doubt started to creep in, says Sean. While at the same time, the idea to undertake research in physics was beginning to form.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do beyond ‘some research, somewhere’ and the imposter syndrome was hitting hard,” says Sean, especially after experiencing their first failed paper.

“Although my GPA fell short of the threshold for Honours, I enrolled in a Postgraduate Diploma in Science instead, completing a research project with Associate Professor Nick Rattenbury working on Taringa, the University of Auckland satellite ground station atop Building 303.”

The experimental nature of the project suited Sean well, while the programme provided the opportunity to explore papers from across the Physics Department.

A near-fail in PHYSICS 703 (Advanced Quantum Mechanics) proved a turning point.

Determined to improve, Sean went on to achieve an A+ and equal first-in-course in PHYSICS 746 (Relativistic Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Field Theory), the more challenging version of the subject.

Despite the achievement there was still uncertainty of what came next.

“I was still not sure what I wanted to do in an eventual PhD, so I decided to transition into a very theoretical, computational Master of Science project working with Jan Eldridge.”

By the end of their Masters studies, they were sold on theory, computation, and entered a PhD with Professor Eldridge’s research group and Associate Professor Nick Rattenbury as their co-supervisor.

“It was a very meandering path through University, I feel like I fell into where I am now by chance or providence.

“I use the handle @ordinarystarman on a lot of social media platforms, because I truly feel like I am ‘just an ordinary person’ who fell in love with the stars.”

Connecting to Sāmoa

Sean grew up in Kerikeri, in the Bay of Islands.

“My dad is from England. My mum is a Kiwi, her father is from England and her mother is from Sāmoa, predominantly Vailima, though our family is spread through Apia and surrounds, including Moto’otua and Saleimoa.

“My grandmother grew up between Fiji and Sāmoa before flying to New Zealand aboard one of the famous flying boats that landed in Freeman's Bay in 1952.”

Working as a teaching assistant in the Tuākana programme five years ago became an important step in reconnecting with their Sāmoan heritage.

“I hadn’t seen many (if any) Pasifika students in the courses I took, other than my general education papers.”

It wasn’t until they were about to submit their thesis, the significance of their journey dawned on them, realising the milestone for Pacific peoples.

“I’m the first known Sāmoan to graduate with a PhD in Physics from the University, and as far as I know the second Pasifika person ever.”

“I think it’s very special to note that the first Sāmoan Physics PhD was in stellar astrophysics specifically. Our ancestors sailed the Pacific Ocean guided by starlight, and we’re now understanding the stars better than ever.”

University of Auckland figures show that between 2001 and July 2021, 5,955 PhDs were awarded. Of those, just 42 were completed by Sāmoan students. Across the Faculty of Science, only 56 Māori and Pacific doctoral graduates completed PhDs during that period, including just two Sāmoan scholars. Sean’s achievement highlights the importance of increasing Pacific participation and leadership in scientific research.

It takes a village to raise a scholar, and Sean devoted five pages of thesis acknowledgements to those who helped along the way.

“Because there’s genuinely so many people to thank and to acknowledge—678 people, 15 iwi/hapū, four First Nations peoples, five countries and all the underrepresented students in the sciences.”

“Most importantly the people I wish to mihi are my mum, my family, my supervisory team of Jan and Nick, and my friends.

“My life has carried a heavy list of firsts: the first in my immediate family to go to university straight after high school, the first in my family to get a PhD, and the first Sāmoan person to get a PhD in Physics at the University of Auckland.

Sean quoted a line in Vikings of the Sunrise, by Te Rangi Hīroa/Sir Peter Buck, paraphrasing a whakataukī.

“The old net is full of holes, its meshes have rotted, and it has been laid aside. What new net goes fishing?"

The answer lies with future generations of Pacific scientists says Sean.

"While I may have been the first, I make it my mission to ensure I am not the last."