Statement
I am a Research Software Engineer, embedded in the Research Software Group at the University of Southampton. Before my position, I was a PhD student at the University of Southampton, simulating the light emitted when a star is ripped apart by a black hole, in something known as a Tidal Disruption Event. I was part of the Next Generational Computational Modelling Centre for Doctoral Training (NGCM-CDT) based at the University of Southampton, where I trained in modern computational techniques and numerical modelling. I completed my masters in physics with astrophysics at the University of Kent where I graduated first class with honours in 2016, specialising in fluid dynamic simulations of jetted material ejected from galaxies. During my PhD, I have had the opportunity to build my computational, HPC and communication skills, attending international workshops and conferences to share my work with and learn from the community. I worked with vast quantities of synthetic and real world data, applying a modern toolkit of data analysis techniques, statistical modelling, Python/R frameworks and numerical techniques to confront theory with observations, producing novel and state-of-the-art research. I have been the principle investigator for multiple collaborative and individual research projects and a key team member in cross-disciplinary collaborations and projects.
Employment
2021 - now: Research Software Engineer @ University of Southampton, Southampton
2016 - 2017: Customer relation manager @ Yorkshire Water Business Services, Bradford
2016 - 2016: Data entry clerk @ Loop Customer Management, Bradford
Education
iPhD: next generation computational modelling @ School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton
PhD thesis: Shining lights, even in death: modelling the emission from Tidal Disruption Events
Year 1: integrated master; statistics, computational techniques and programming/dev skills with a strong focus on state-of-the-art high performance computing and cross-disciplinary communication
Year 2 - 4: PhD research in computational astrophysics; maintained and developed (legacy) Monte Carlo code Python
MPhys: physics with astrophysics @ School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent
Awarded first class with honours
Bachelors dissertation: Measuring the proper motion of nearby stars and brown dwarfs
Masters thesis: Adiabatic hydrodynamic simulations of two-dimensional inviscid extragalatic jets
Languages
C; Python; Fortran; LaTeX; R; Rust; SQL
Git; Travis; NumPy; SciPy; Pandas; CUDA; MPI; OpenMP; pytest; TensorFlow; lmfit; Django; Jekyll; Microsoft Office; Unix; Windows; macOS
Skills
Data analysis and statistical/numerical modelling
Applied modern statistical and numerical modelling techniques to my research
Experience with working with big data sets
Published state-of-the-art research using modern computational techniques
Streamlined development work-flow for storage, analysis and presentation of research data
Software development
Project management
Visualisation
Experienced with multiple modern visualisation tools
Proficient in creating publication grade figures using, e.g. matplotlib
Communication
Strong technical writing style
Author on multiple journal articles
Experienced presenter for expert and non-expert audiences
Demonstrator for introduction to Python and version control courses
Collaboration