Profile

The problem I have is that there isn’t enough time in a lifetime to do all the things that fascinate me. I’ve had to pick and choose, the results of which have been wide and varied. I’ve always wanted to write, since producing a fantasy trilogy of short stories in my school days, up to publishing a Jazz Age-style comedy thriller novel in 2015.

I left my long-time software job in 2014 to pursue a full-time Masters, followed by a PhD in machine learning and wearable sensors at Loughborough University. Here, I also partook in the social side of uni life, in particular, acting in the Shakespeare Society (getting to play Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, being the highlight!). I also made it onto the University Challenge team several years running, but alas, we did not qualify for the televised show: it’s really hard! They set this test of 40 of the most difficult questions, which are played on a CD (optical media kids, look it up!) with eight seconds between each question to scribble down an answer before the next brain-taxer comes along. Mind you, we probably failed the interview bit, where they were obviously testing us to see if we were human or replicants. I also partook in a semester of Street Dancing. My legs will tell you that was a mistake.

I had a penchant for martial arts movies and am still fascinated by Japan in general. Thus, I went on to do Karate and Kenjutsu for a number of years, gaining a black belt (1^st dan only). I also still count any number-based task in Japanese and say “Tadaima” when I get home each evening (it means, “I’m back”).

I recently started playing tennis, having watched it on the television box for years, and found out I’m not bad at it, such that the course instructor still thinks I’m a ringer or something. Can’t master that topspin forehand yet though.

I’ve also watched way too many films! People think they can judge how old a person is by the age of the films they watch. In that case, because I’ve seen Metropolis, Nosferatu, and Battleship Potemkin, I must be over one hundred years old – thank heavens for my moisturising routine.

There’s more, but it’s Friday and I want a cup of tea now.

N.A.

There are several Carls where I work. This adds a degree of minor amusement to each day as we greet each other repeating the phrase, “Morning, Carl” as if we were all robots programmed with the same few voice responses in one of those giant Amazon warehouses.

A typical day involves the following:

• Reading up on any new AI and technology developments, especially if they might be relevant to the lab’s work.
• Checking email and Microsoft Teams for anything that will play a part in my day’s work, or upcoming work.
• Organising my work for the day in terms of tasks and meetings.
• Cracking on with whatever projects I’m currently assigned to. This could involve reading research papers, developing software (mainly Python, C++, and C#, but could also require learning another language according to the project at hand), preparing and performing experiments (e.g., monitoring some hardware, training a machine learning model, etc.), writing reports, and discussing ideas and solutions with colleagues.

Intersperse that with mentoring graduates, running an AI training course for selected staff, collaborating with labmates to solve problems, and pausing for a cup of tea and a biscuit now and again, and that’s my day.