Merritt Moore, a professional ballet dancer and academic quantum physicist, has defied the odds to bridge a career between the arts and sciences.

Whilst working on her academic training, including a PhD in Atomic and Laser Physics at the University of Oxford, Moore simultaneously and successfully pursued a career in dance, undertaking between ten and 15 hours of training a day with ballet companies around the world, including the English and Norwegian National Ballets, going on to perform in over 200 shows over ten years. Moore, known to her 38k Instagram followers as PhysicsOnPointe, was recently named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 and has been a featured speaker at major summits and conferences across the globe, urging women and girls everywhere to follow their dreams. Most recently, Moore has found balance working as an artist-in-residence at Harvard ArtLab, where she’s working on an AI dancing robotic arm that is able to duet with a human being.