Curriculum Vitae

Education

PhD Group theory, UMIST, (Oct 1997 -- Jun 2000). My thesis was entitled "Coxeter Groups, Conjugacy Classes and Relative Dominance". The external examiner was Prof. Roger Carter.

M.Sc. in Pure Mathematics, University of Manchester, (1996-1997), one semester at the University of Bordeaux. I was awarded a scholarship and passed with distinction.

BA Mathematics, Balliol College, Oxford (1993-1996).

Employment

• Senior Lecture in Mathematics at Birkbeck (Oct 2008 - present).
• Lecturer in Mathematics at Birkbeck (Sept 2004 - Sept 2008).
• Temporary Lecturer at UMIST (Sept 2003 - Aug 2004).
• EPSRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Feb 2002 - Aug 2003).
• Offered a three year Fellowship from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 (only 6 awarded per year over all the sciences).
• Postdoctoral Research Post funded by the Leverhulme Trust (Aug 2001 - Jan 2002).
• Occasional Lecturer at UMIST (full time post for 6 months Sept 2000 - Feb 2001).

Teaching Experience

I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. The application process involved submitting an extensive form detailing my teaching and assessment styles, as well as how I evaluate my teaching using student feedback, peer review and personal reflection.

At Birkbeck I currently teach modules to first, third and fourth year students on the BSc Mathematics/ Mathematics and Statistics. My duties include preparing and delivering lectures and examples classes, preparing course notes and problem sheets and setting and marking coursework and examinations. I have designed and run new modules and been instrumental in introducing a new single honours BSc Mathematics programme, commencing October 2008. I also have around 40 personal tutees.

During my temporary lectureship I was responsible for three lecture courses, comprising third year courses in Logic and Measure Theory, and a first year course in Linear Algebra (125 students). Student satisfaction ratings received averaged 4.6 out of 5 (the second highest in a department of 40 lecturers).

I have attended training courses on how students learn (October 2007) vocal and presentation skills (September 2005) and strategies to aid the learning of deaf and hearing impaired students (December 2004). I participated in a  residential teaching course organized by the UMIST Teaching and Learning Support Centre (September 2003), including a microteaching session.

Research Publications

16 papers published or to appear, several more submitted to journals and under review and further papers in preparation. Click here for more details.

I have acted as referee for journal articles and recently for an NSF research proposal. I am also a reviewer for MathSciNet.

Since 2001 I have been involved in a 'working party' (with Peter Rowley, David Bundy and Chris Bates) investigating commuting graphs. We hold regular meetings and have co-authored six papers to date. 

Invited Talks

I have been the invited speaker at seminars in Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick, London, Kiel, Sydney, Beijing and several other universities.

I have received research grants to spend time at the Universities of Kiel (2006), Manchester (2005), Sydney (2003) and Cambridge (2001).

Other Mathematical Activities

For many years I have been a lecturer at a summer school for bright children in London, organised by the Royal Institution of Great Britain. I ran a two hour masterclass at the Royal Institution in June 2002 attended by over 300 pupils. I have also led several Saturday morning masterclasses for young people.

I was actively involved with the UMIST Schools and Colleges Liaison; giving well-received talks on open days, speaking about my research to students from three schools in the Sheffield area and at Manchester Grammar School.

I was a finalist in the 2003 British Association 'Perspectives' competition. This involved designing a poster about my work illustrating its relevance to society. Finalists were funded to attend the BA conference to present their posters over two days.

I was invited to lead a seminar at the conference of the Mathematical Association in April 2004 and to present a session at the 2005 British Congress of Mathematics Education.

I am a member of the London Mathematical Society and the British Society for the History of Mathematics. I have attended various BSHM conferences and was co-organiser of a conference on the History of Mathematics held at Birkbeck in December 2005.