Short Bio

Welcome to my web site. I am a research student working part-time on a PhD in the field of machine learning and language acquisition at the Department of Computer Science, University of Liverpool.

I have a BEng and MEng in Electronic Engineering from the University of Warwick and have since worked as an embedded and desktop software engineer in various sectors, including projects in the automotive research and development, motorsport, medical, web, GIS and advertising sectors.

After working in the corporate sector for a number of years I decided that I wanted to change direction a bit and go back to research. This led me to the University of Liverpool and development work on a tool for identifying delays in children's language development, and my PhD work where I am trying to apply machine learning to the problem of helping children with language disorders.

My eldest child has a very rare condition called IDIC 15 which among other things means that he will never talk, and my younger child has Autism Spectrum Disorder which in his case means that he can say words but not in a meaningful way. One thing that has become clear to me was the limited amount of knowledge and advice for parents about helping children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and/or socio-communication disorders. There is still a notable lack of effective tools, advice and research relating to improving language and communication development of affected individuals. This is partly because the ‘spectrum’ is so wide and the symptoms are so variable. But I believe technology in general, and the application of artificial intelligence in particular, could prove to be a key part of a solution.

My current interests are in machine learning, mobile and web applications, and language development. I also have a long-standing interest in cybersecurity. Click on 'My Research' to find out more about my PhD work.

From October 2023 I will be working as a University Teacher in the department of Computer Science. If you are a final year student that has been allocated to me as your project supervisor, you can get in touch via the university email address book.

Career

  • 2023-PresentUniversity Teacher

    Dept of Computer Science,
    University Of Liverpool, UK

  • 2016-PresentPhD Student

    Dept of Computer Science,
    University Of Liverpool, UK

  • 2015-2016Research Assistant

    Dept of Computer Science,
    University Of Liverpool, UK

  • 2012-2015IT Consultant

    SDS, Wirral, UK

  • 2004-2012IT Manager

    LinkDirect, Wirral, UK

  • 2000-2004Co-Founder

    Warwick Control Technologies,
    Coventry, UK

  • 1998-2000Research Associate (Hybrid Vehicles)

    WMG, University Of Warwick
    Coventry, UK

  • 1997-1997Software Engineer

    Mott MacDonald,
    Altrincham, UK

Can you help?

If you have a child who's learning to talk, click 'research' button!

research