ALTITUDE – Senior Project Engineer & Research Fellow                     [2025-Present]

Leading the design, development, and commissioning of Europe’s largest indoor netted UAV rapid-development testing facility. Situated within the Warton Enterprise Zone alongside BAE Systems, the facility drives applied research, industry collaboration, prototyping, and workforce development alongside live industrial activity. Current applied R&D focuses on intelligent SWARM control of ground and aerial vehicles for real-world applications such as search and rescue.

 

University Of Lancashire – Academic Supervisor                                [2023-Present]

Academic Supervisor for the university’s rocketry teams and chairman and founder of North West Rocketry (NWR) which was created in 2023 and is a BMFA and UKRA affiliated rocket launch club which aims to promote rocketry as a hobby in the local areas. Co-supervisor of MSc final year projects and PhD students in drone based technology such as land-mine detection and precision agriculture.

 

IN4 - Technical Academic Lead                                                                     [2019-2020]

Played a key role in the design and development of IN4.0 ACCESS programme which is a unique and ground-breaking manufacturing accelerator programme that empowers businesses to start, scale and succeed in Industry 4.0. The programme, which runs in partnership with NatWest, powers business leaders who want to grow and scale their business using digital technologies.

 

UCLan - Digital Manufacturing Project Engineer                                              [2016-2023]

Based at the Advanced Digital Manufacturing Technology (ADMT) research centre which is recognised as a leader in the design, development and deployment of Industry 4.0 technologies and solutions for SMEs. Role is to provide commercial solutions ranging from consultancy through to applied research as well as being recognised as the preferred partner for SME based funded projects, which include industry/academia collaborations. Match funder of the ERDF DigitMe2 Project.

 

Adelphi Automation – Controls Automation Engineer                                   [2011 – 2012] Robotics & Automation control software company, helping medium-to-large enterprises across a wide range of industrial sectors to develop and commission bespoke automated machinery.

 

Salford University - Technical Demonstrator                                                  [2011-2011]  

After finishing a Masters at Salford University I was offered a part time contract to teach French Students at their home university ESTIA. During the paid two weeks there I was required to write tutorials and demonstrate how mobile robots can be programmed to generate a graphical map representing the environment (SLAM)

 

University of Salford PhD Autonomous Systems & Advanced Robotics [2012–2016]

“Multi-Objective Reinforcement Learning Framework for Unknown Stochastic & Uncertain Environments” using drones and simulation to learn how to self-optimise.

 

University of Salford – MSc Robotics & Automation = Distinction 79.2% [2009 – 2011]

Automation and Robotics – 91%

Manipulators Theory & Practice – 88%

Virtual Environment Technology – 77%

Visual Simulation – 68%

Computational Intelligence – 74%

Manufacturing Systems Design and Simulation – 64%

Mobile Robotics – 88%

Multi-modal Interfaces and Tele-presence – 84%

 

University of Sunderland - BSc (Hons) Artificial Intelligence = 2:1           [2006 – 2009]

Intelligent Systems Development Methodologies – 68%                           [2008 - 2009]

Intelligent Robotics -72%

Advanced Object-Oriented Development – 58%

Natural Language Engineering – 67%

Final Year Project (Autonomous Robot) – 64%

Group Based Computing Project - 87%                                                       [2007 - 2008]

Object Development - 78%

Internet Information Retrieval Systems – 60%                                                        

Intermediate Software Engineering – 62%

Robotic Vision And Control – 58%

Machine Learning – 60%

Foundations Of Artificial Intelligence – 66%                                                       [2006 - 2007]

Introductory Software Engineering – 55%

Professional And Personal Skills 53%

Fundamentals Of Robotics 68%

Software Development – 69%

 

St Mary’s College                                                                                         [2003 – 2006]

            A-Levels   - Computing (C)               

                             - Information Communication Technology (C)       

AS-Levels - Computing (B)

     - Information Communication Technology (B)

     - Electronics (C)                                       

     - Chemistry (D)                                        

 

St Wilfrids C of E High School                                                                    [1998 – 2003]

Physics (B), Chemistry (B), Biology (B), English Literature (C), English Language (C), Mathematics (C), French (C), Geography (C), Systems & Control (D), Religious Education (E)

Industrial Placement at “Meggit Petroleum Systems” (Electronics). 2wk in 2002

 

GX Developer, Unity PRO, E-Designer, XBT, Vijeo HMI Designer, Servo Software, Inverters, AutoCAD, Engravers, E-Drawings, VM-Ware, RS Logix 500, PLC Ladder Logic, Graphcet, C, C#, C++, Python, Amazon Web Services, AZURE, Node-Red, SQL, Windows & Linux Competent, Microcontrollers, ROS2, NVIDIA OMNIVERSE, GAZEEBO SIMULATOR, PX4, Ardupilot, DJI Software, Q-Ground Control, Universal Ground Control System, Photogrammetry, Unreal Engine

 

References:

Dr Geoff Hall <GHall5@uclan.ac.uk> (DigitMe2 Project Manager & Robotics Lecturer)

Prof Darren Ansell <DAnsell@uclan.ac.uk>(Space & Aerospace Engineering Lead)