I started to work on particle physics during my undergraduate studies. My first project was to measure the thermal conductivity of different araldite glues before and after irradiation at CERN. This research was carried out at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. I was responsible for writing the data acquisition software and performing data analysis.
During the following summer, I joined the RD39 collaboration at CERN, studying the behaviour of heavily irradiated silicon at cryogenic temperatures. I was responsible for writing the data acquisition and monitoring software for several test beam experiments, where the associated research continued into the first year of my PhD studies.
During my PhD, I was a member of the Colider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) collaboration, initially working at the University of Glasgow and then latterly at Argonne National Laboratory. Following my work at CERN, I tested the SVX3D silicon readout chip and associated electronics for the CDF Run II detector upgrade. I then relocated to Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), where I worked as a student of Argonne National Laboratory, constructing hardware and software for the CDF collaboration. My work concluded with a PhD analysis entitled "Searching for Bs -> J/psi eta with the Collider Detector at Fermilab".
I left FNAL and moved to the University Glasgow to work on the European DataGrid project. During this time, I studied simulated datagrids in pursuit of optimal replication algorithms and worked on data management services. I then rejoined particle physics research as a member of the ATLAS collaboration.
During the years proceeding the initial data taking run of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), I was focused on the construction and testing of the ATLAS semiconductor tracker (SCT) detector. I was responsible for overseeing module production (visual inspection, wirebonding and electrical tests), writing supporting database software, constructing additional test and measurement hardware, and performing visual and electrical tests. After the successful construction of more than 300 SCT modules and the completion of production at the University of Glasgow, I studied soft quantum chromodynamics (QCD) measurements in preparation for the first proton-proton collisions at the LHC.
To enable the publication of soft-QCD results from the first proton-proton collision data, I worked on improving the online decision (trigger) strategy, charged-track reconstruction and subsequent data analysis. I coordinated the minimum bias trigger signature for three and a half years, defined the menu migration strategy, wrote trigger algorithm and analysed their performance. To improve the reach of these measurements, I implemented low transverse momentum track reconstruction and studied its performance. Before and after soft-QCD analyses, I studied simulated beam background events, by interfacing FLUKA input files with the ATLAS Geant4 detector simulation.
At the start of LHC operation I joined l'Université de Genève and prepared a charged-particle multiplicity spectra analysis. This work culminated in leading the first charged-particle multiplicity analysis with data recorded at centre-of-mass energy of 900 GeV. Following this, I contributed to similar measurements at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV.
Having completed soft-QCD measurements, I joined the top quark working group in the ATLAS collaboration and measured the top quark cross-section at 7 TeV inclusively and as a function of the number of reconstructed jets. As part of these studies, I coordinated the fake-lepton estimate sub-group and designed supporting triggers for studies in higher luminosity environments. I led the design of new top quark fiducial measurements, publishing papers on the unfolded differential cross-section measurement with respect to the number of associated jets and other observables connected to top quark kinematics.
Leaving CERN and the l'Université de Genève, I returned to Glasgow and worked as an Engineering Consultant. My work involved designing and implementing software for clients in a range of different market sectors, including user interface design, database development, embedded software development, web services, microservices, and deployment on Windows and Linux. Software development was performed using agile and requirements led development life cycles.
Leaving Engineering Consultancy, I joined the Computer & Information Sciences department at the University of Strathclyde. I have constructed teaching material covering computer programming with Python, analysis of large data sets, cloud computing and software engineering. I currently serve as the chair of the computer science and information science external advisory boards, interacting with several local companies.