TJ Shaffer

"As a kid, I was always looking up at the sky. I wanted to be an astronaut. Test pilot was also a big dream of mine for a while, but I think my curiosity for science kept me away from that route. I was inspired to get into physics by an eccentric teacher I had in high school. He started the year with special relativity and I was immediately hooked. I heard about LIGO in one of my undergraduate optics courses, but never thought that I would ever be able to work at one of the observatories. It's ridiculously awesome. And there's no risk compared to being a test pilot or an astronaut -- I think my wife enjoys that. "

TJ Shaffer is an operations specialist at the LIGO Hanford Observatory in Washington State. When he's not operating the detector, developing automation software or performing science tasks, you're likely to find him outdoors -- rock climbing, mountain biking, mountaineering or riding his motorcycle. He also loves building things, whether it's mirror suspensions for LIGO, remote control planes or carpentry projects. You can follow TJ on Instagram at @tshaffer_adventures.