After traveling around the world as a child, Roche studied physics in
her home country France. After receiving her Ph.D. in 1998, she moved
to the US to take up a postdoctoral position at the Jefferson Lab
electron accelerator in Virginia. Since 2006, Roche is a faculty
member at Ohio University.
Julie Roche is an experimental nuclear physicist. Her research interest is the study of strongly interacting matter. The strongest force of the universe, simply known as the strong force, binds together the elementary particles - quarks - to form the building blocks of matter. Nucleons (protons and neutrons), of which almost all things are made up, are composed of three quarks glued together by the strong force. Roche's goal is to obtain experimental data on the internal structure of the nucleon against which theoretical models can be compared. To produce these data, she smashes electron beams on proton targets and measures the probability of ejecting the protons (or part of them) and the electrons in particular configurations. Currently, Roche's experiments are conducted with the polarized electron beam of the Thomas Jefferson National Facility Accelerator in Virginia.
When teaching, Roche looks forward to empower students. She says ``It's a little bit like pushing chicks out of their nest: Yes, it is in you to fly; yes, you can do it!''.
Favorite quote: ``Many people, many ways'' or maybe ``I'd rather be in Paris''.
When not working, Roche likes to cook dinner for guests and organize parties.
