Bullet point CV
- School: GCSEs – 2 As, 5 Bs, 3 Cs, 1 D
- Blackburn College: A Levels – Maths – C
- Warehouse: labouring, cleaning jobs for 2 years
- Preston College: Year 0 Science (entry course on to a BSc degree course) for 1 year
- UCLan: BSc (Hons) Mathematics – 3 years, 1st class degree
- UCLan: PhD Solar astrophysics – approx. 4.5 years
- Won a student prize with the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA)
- Autodesk: current position
My job
I am a software engineer working for a company called Autodesk. We create software for people who make things: films, buildings, engines, anything! Autodesk work with a variety of partners such as; Disney Pixar to make 3D animated films, with engineers and architects to create 3D models of different structure, and with the construction industry to plan and carry out building works.
Best of your job
I get to write really cool software for lots of people, helping to make their jobs as easy as possible, to make really amazing things!
Worst of your job
Sitting at a desk all day!
How did you end up where you are today?
After completing my degree in mathematics, I was asked to do a PhD by my favourite lecturer, who happened to be a world expert in solar physics. Using my mathematical skills in something as cool-sounding as solar astrophysics was too good an opportunity to turn down.
Transferable skills
During my PhD I learnt how to apply my mathematical skills and write code to try and work out some of the fascinating physics puzzles of the solar atmosphere. I also had to present my work to lots of people, giving several seminars on my research at lots of international and national institutions, such as NASA, the RAS and China.