What sparked your interest in Computing and Mathematics?

At school, I didn’t get on with Mathematics at all! But I was interested in computers because of the creative possibilities they offered, as well as playing computer games. My school didn’t teach programming at the time, so I tried to learn programming by myself so I could create websites and attempt to make games. 

I also got interested in music technology as I wanted to record my band, so I learned a bit about digital audio recording and signal processing. Mathematics was important for all these interests, so I pursued it as a means to an end rather than because I had an innate interest in the subject. Over time that has changed and I enjoy Mathematics more for its own sake, but I’m still drawn to the applications and amazing things you can do with Mathematics. 

What was your first job after graduating?

I took some Artificial Intelligence (AI) courses during my undergraduate degree which really excited me, so I went straight into a postgraduate degree in AI.

It was a challenging year for a variety of reasons, so I ended up taking a year out after graduation and supported myself through freelance website development and temporary office jobs.  Over this year, I spent a lot of time reading about neuroscience because my AI course included modules on neuroscience and I found it even more interesting than my AI modules, especially learning about all the ways the brain can go wrong. 

During this year, I applied for various PhD positions in Computational Neuroscience and was lucky enough to be accepted at Newcastle University. This allowed me to expand on the Mathematics and Computing knowledge I had previously learned and apply these techniques to problems in neuroscience. My first job after finishing my PhD was a one-year postdoctoral research position in Japan. The Japanese government has a great scheme to encourage foreign researchers to work there, which I took advantage of. 

What is your current role and what are your responsibilities?

I’m currently a Research Scientist at IBM Research, working primarily on AI-related topics. I had decided that academic wasn’t for me after my year in Japan and IBM is a big company with a lot of interesting opportunities, so I joined their graduate scheme as a Software Developer. 

After a few months, I moved into the Emerging Technology Department (now part of IBM Research) as they needed someone for a project using machine learning and neuromorphic computing which conveniently matched my skillset. The Department does both long-term research and shorter-term client projects and I am involved in both of these areas. This is a nice mix; the client work has given me experience with lots of different industries and working at a fast pace, while longer-term research has allowed me to build deep exercise in some really interesting topics. 

How did your degree prepare you for your career?

I still apply the principles that I learned during my undergraduate degree, particularly from some of the AI and Software Engineering modules. The Physics part of my undergraduate degree was quite mathematical and this really helped me prepare for my research roles. Studying AI at a postgraduate level was obviously very important for my future career, as it focused on machine learning and contributed to me getting my current job. 

A PhD helps you learn all sorts of things like self-sufficiency, confidence to do research, identifying novel ideas and an understanding of the level of rigor required for good science.  

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

Don’t neglect ‘soft skills’. It’s no use to be fantastic technically if you can’t communicate effectively with colleagues or clients. 

Some of the most interesting problems are on the boundaries between fields. You can end up doing really interesting and innovative work if you are able to explore those boundaries, so read widely and keep a broad perspective. 

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

People working in Mathematics and Computing can potentially dramatically affect society. If the people working in these areas are homogenous, they are much less likely to consider these impacts from different perspectives which can lead to potentially bad outcomes for different groups of people. So diversity is important for improving societal outcomes from work done in Mathematics and Computing. 

It’s also important because homogeneous groups of people create cultures that can be quite exclusionary to people who don’t fit that mold.  This could turn off people who would otherwise love to get involved with and pursue careers in Mathematics and Computing. This means that increasing the diversity of people in these fields is also important for making sure that everyone who wants to study and work feels welcomed.

Explore your extracurricular opportunities.