My journey started at the University of
Sheffield studying physics and astronomy,
completing the lifelong ambition of the
5 year old me who wanted to be a physicist!
I then studied astrophysics at post graduate
level at the University of Leeds, and
during this time worked on world class
telescopes in Hawaii, Australia and Chile.
This work included the reduction and
analysis of a large amount of infrared
and radio image data through the writing
of bespoke computer programmes. I
then qualified as a physics teacher
through the University of Cambridge
and taught physics in state schools.
I moved into the defence industry as
an antenna expert and worked as both
a systems engineer and a hardware and
test engineer on many different systems
on frequencies from 1 to 100 GHz. I
gained experience in systems engineering,
signal processing, electromagnetic
simulation and modelling, hardware design
and test, anechoic chamber design and
test and the processing and presentation
of the RF signal results to inform design
and business purposes. This meant I worked
closely with external companies and other
departments both in the UK and in Europe.
In addition to my technical job I was
responsible for the recruitment and
development of apprentices and graduates
in my department, this included both
their technical and business skills.
I gained a PhD in antenna test and
design through Queen Mary University London.
I then moved into the start-up world
and worked as a data scientist for an
InsureTech company. As lead data scientist
I founded their data science department,
worked on the RF components and had
first look at the data the company
had collected from Z-Wave connected
Internet of Things devices. The
invaluable insight she produced led
to improvements in products and processes.
I have had a close involvement with
the Institute of Physics for
the last 15 years. I have worked with the professional
membership department, and I review
applications and interview for the
CPhys and CEng professional qualifications
and Fellowship membership grade. I am a
mentor for their Professional
Registration Advisor scheme. I
have been an active member of the
Professional Standards, Audit and Risk and the
Inclusion and Diversity Committees and
was a board member for a 4 year term.
I have had a love of teaching from a young
age and am a qualified physics teacher. I have taught and tutored
physics in schools and universities, engineering
in companies, data science and coding
for adult education companies and universites.
