Can you tell us a little bit about your career journey and your current position?

I have always been interested in Computing and advancements in technology. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Salford and my postgraduate degree in Information Systems at Manchester Met. I knew that I wanted to pursue my studies further and was very passionate about teaching in higher education. 

After graduating from my undergraduate degree, I worked as a TV presenter abroad and completed several short aviation courses and diplomas, achieving first-class scores. I was an IT Assistant at a number of domestic and international airline companies before returning to education to complete my postgraduate degree and start my PhD. 

I was awarded a fully-funded PhD and teaching position as a Postgraduate Teaching Assistant at Manchester Metropolitan University which was the perfect career to allow me to get involved in academia. At present, I am in the final year of my PhD and am responsible for teaching the Information Systems unit to first-year students and the Computing Fundamentals unit for the University’s Degree Apprenticeship programme. Also, I am supervising a final year student project and am the Department of Computing and Mathematics PhD students’ representative. In addition, I am an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and IEE Computing and Information Systems Society student member. 

How did your degree prepare you for your current role? 

My degree gave me the foundational knowledge and information I needed to take on my PhD and I continued to learn a great deal as I delved into my specialist field of research.

My teaching position provides me with an excellent opportunity to gain the relevant teaching experience needed to continue in academia. Through my Postgraduate Teaching Assistant position, I have also been able to complete my PgCert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education and have been awarded Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy qualifications. 

What do you enjoy about your current role? 

My research area is so fascinating and is constantly changing and evolving with advances in technology. My role consists of everything from getting machines to understand human perception of words, to working on journal publications, attending conferences and networking. 

With my teaching position, I meet new students every year to assist them with their learning, introduce them to different topics - teaching is what I enjoy the most. I really do enjoy teaching and find it a very rewarding career. Knowing I am helping to shape the minds of future generations to come is what makes me so motivated to enter academia. 

The Department of Computing and Mathematics is one of the leading departments in its field and we have excellent staff who are all passionate about their careers. As a PhD student, I am part of the Machine Intelligence theme group in the Centre for Advanced Computational Science. We are a Department that deals with the ever-changing face of technology and incorporate that into our teaching as much as we can. The staff are great and we all work together to provide the best experience possible for our students. 

What are your greatest achievements so far? 

My hard work and dedication have allowed me to get to where I am now and every move I have made, be it right or wrong, has been a learning experience for me. I have eight conference publications at present, one of which I published when I did my postgraduate degree, and I was able to present at the IEEE-Fuzz 2017 Conference in Naples (Italy) which was a wonderful experience for me. I have also presented at the 10th Manchester Metropolitan University Postgraduate Research Conference and at a Careers to Shape our Future event. 

What advice would you give to students who aspire to a career in Computing? 

Never stop researching. Computer Science is an ever-growing field and you should continue to read, study and research beyond your degree. Always keep up to date with the advances and changes in your field and most of all enjoy what you do.

Why do you feel it is important to have a diverse Computer and Mathematics industry? 

Every individual from all walks of life, regardless of gender, religion or ethnicity, brings with them their own set of unique experiences and every industry needs diversity to truly progress. The more diverse this industry becomes, the better we will thrive as a community and it all starts with you taking that step.  

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