About

I have been a lecturer at the University of Derby since 2003. Prior to that, I worked in the computer industry. I started out as a programmer, but over the years, performed a number of roles including product management and management of teams of developers.  However, I still consider myself to be a programmer at heart.  

I am also the programme leader for the BSc (Hons) Computer Science degree. 

Teaching responsibilities

I mostly teach on the core programming modules on the Computer Science and Computer Games Programming degrees.  Over the years, I have taught on most of the programming modules, including the first-year introductory modules, second-year graphics and web development modules, and the final year systems programming module.  

Because it is such a technical module, I also teach the Ethical Hacking module on the Cybersecurity and Networks and Security degrees.  I must admit that I find this module particularly interesting to teach and bring a lot of the security aspects from this module into the programming modules as well. 

Research interests

My real interest when not teaching is in what is the current best practice in the software industry and what are the latest techniques being used by professional programmers.  My focus then is incorporating these techniques into the modules I teach to ensure that students who graduate from our courses are up-to-date with the latest changes in such a fast-moving industry. 

Qualifications

BSc (Hons) Computation, Manchester University (formerly UMIST), 1984.

Experience in industry

As mentioned above, I have had 20 years of experience in the computer software industry before becoming a lecturer.