Dashboard – I'm a Scientist 2024

About Me:

I live with my wife (author and illustrator) and cat (mouse-botherer) in a village near the Malvern hills. For work: mostly engineering and project management. For leisure: rugby (these days just watching) and skiing (still racing).
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- – I love being outdoors, normally either walking or just taking in the views (the more mountains the better)
  - – – My favourite mountains are those with snow on – particularly when I’m skiing.
- – My guilty pleasures are wine and chocolate (but not together)
  - – – (There’s a lot more science in wine that you may think)!
- – I enjoy being a STEM volunteer, to share my enthusiasm about science, technology, engineering and maths and to encourage the next generation
- – My school was a ‘bog-standard comprehensive‘ in a market town in Bedfordshire
- – Although I don’t work in these specific fields, I’m really interested in cosmology / astrophysics (looking at the universe on a large scale), and particle physics (understanding the universe on a sub-atomic scale)
My pronouns are:

he/him
My Work:

I’m an Engineer (e.g. cyber security, software, IT systems, aerosystems engineering, communication systems) and project manager. I’ve used my Physics with Microelectronics and Computing degree in most of my work.
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My careers are not directly “in science” but I use my science education in most of my engineering and project management work.
- Cyber security
- Communication systems
- Software
- Weapon systems
- Expedition leader
- Ski instructor
- Project management
My Typical Day:
What I'd do with the prize money:

At first I thought “oh, a holiday would be nice” but then I saw that the prize money must be spent on STEM public engagement… so I’d want to use the money as a prize for schools:

The STEM Ambassador scheme helps many schools, but there are also many schools that don’t use the scheme, which is free. This may be because teachers are very busy people, school timetables are tight, and perhaps and not all teachers/schools aware of what the large variety of STEM volunteers can do for them. I’d reach out to schools to ask them what gets in the way of them using the STEM Ambassador scheme, with all schools who respond going into a draw for the £500 prize (thereby encouraging them to respond, which could lead to many more schools getting the benefits of the scheme).

Candidate CV questions (extra)

Education:

A comprehensive school in a market town in Bedfordshire, from age 13 through to 6th form.

Leicester University studying Physics with Microelectronics and Computing
Qualifications:

O Levels in: maths, physics, biology/chemistry, English, French, history, computer studies, economics

A levels in Maths, Further Maths and Physics

Degree in Physics with Microelectronics and Computing

(Various engineering qualifications in the Royal Air Force)

(Various project management qualifications)
Work History:

Pilot – Royal Air Force

Insurance manager – Endsleigh

Engine design – Rolls Royce (civil aero engines, Derby)

Engineer – Royal Air Force, (also expedition leader and ski instructor)

Consultant – Ministry of Defence

Project manager – (independent contractor with my own company contracting to clients)

Project manager / consultant – Boeing

Project manger / consultant – Atkins (now AtkinsRealis)
Current Job:

“Senior consultant” project manager in the Defence, Aerospace, Security & Technology division. We use our teams of professionals (covering many technical and project management disciplines) to help client organisations.

project management / consultancy: helping client to solve problems (consultancy) or to manage change (project management). Typically, for me, the ‘change’ relates to IT or cyber security systems – for example building a new system and implementing it or creating new schemes to encourage organisations to improve their cyber security.

corporate & commercial activities: interviewing candidates for jobs, contributing to bids for work (when an external company needs our services, we need to compete with our competitors to get this work, so we create a ‘bid’ which includes details of whet we’ll do, how, and how much it will cost).

security: looking after the physical, information, and personnel security for company site.
Employer:

Engineering a better future for our planet and its people

We’re AtkinsRéalis, a world-leading design, engineering and project management organization. We connect people, data and technology to transform the world’s infrastructure and energy systems.

Together, with our industry partners and clients, and our global team of consultants, designers, engineers and project managers, we can change the world.

My Interview
- How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
  
  skier engineer leader
  
  What did you want to be after you left school?
  
  Fighter pilot
  
  Were you ever in trouble at school?
  
  Yes. Apparently smuggling and selling French bangers wasn't allowed
  
  If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
  
  CERN (European Laboratory for Particle Physics) in Switzerland, or ski instructor
  
  Who is your favourite singer or band?
  
  Rush (Canadian rock band)
  
  What's your favourite food?
  
  Beef poached in wine and garlic
  
  If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
  
  1) That I'd taken the opportunity to watch Rush perform one more time before they stopped touring, 2) That I'd spent a bit more time and energy developing my skiing and a bit less on my careers, 3) That I'd added astrophysics to my studies whilst at university
  
  Tell us a joke.
  
  Have you heard about the mathematician with a constipation problem? He worked it out with a pencil.