Academic Overview

Originally from Leeds, I went south to study physics at Imperial College, London (1999-2003) and finally emerged with a 2.1 degree after four years. The MSci+YiE course meant I spent my third year at a European University on an ERASMUS Student Exchange programme.

So in 2002 I headed to Italy, to the Università degli studi di Trento in Trentino Alto-Adige (or Süd Tirol; it depends who you ask). This was in the north east Italian Alps, a region of stunning natural beauty and abundant geography. It was certainly an eye-opener, I learned how to cook and developed a passion for italian food, became very fluent in the italian language and developed my love for swimming and hill/mountain walking there.

It was also in Italy, at the University where I met my future PhD supervisor, Dr. Tim Freegarde. After finishing my fourth year back at Imperial, I was offered a PhD post at the University of Southampton to study the "Optical Manipulation of Atoms and Molecules using Coherent Techniques" under the supervision of Dr. Tim.

At Southampton, I became heavily involved in undergraduate demonstrating and Schools Outreach programmes and communication of Science projects through activities such as Holography Workshops and the Light Express Roadshow. I also found my creative side and did many design, web and print projects.

Currently...

...very close to finishing my PhD and my time in Southampton and finally returning to my home in Leeds after 8 years away at University. I'll be spending the next few months finishing off this site, and of course completing my thesis.

Future Thoughts

After I finish my PhD I want to turn my hobbyist creative streak into a full time career. I like design, and web site design in particular because not only do you need a flair for graphics and art, you also need to be able to programme and keep in mind the technical issues of browser compatibility, user interaction and the latest web technologies. Its this mix of the technical and creative that I love so much and would be happy spending a long time doing.