I'm a geographer and computer scientist working in field of research called geocomputation, which is concerned with the use of computational methods for processing, analysing, and visualising geographic data.

Current research interests include exploring the integration of natural language processing (NLP), AI, and geographical information systems (GIS), and developing automated computing solutions for tackling complex and data-intensive geospatial analysis problems. I have recently started moving into the field of accessibility modelling, supporting colleagues in USW’s GIS Research Centre who have a strong record of delivering innovative and impactful research in this area. I also maintain an interest in the application of 3D landscape visualisation technologies for collaborative environmental planning.

I am also affliated to the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research and Data (WISERD) - a national, interdisciplinary social science research institute. 

Prior to re-joining USW, I spent 11 years working at the Countryside and Community Research Institute (University of Gloucestershire) where I was involved in a wide range of environmental and social science research projects – both academic and contract research/consultancy.

I have worked on many different types of research projects from major UKRI and EU Horizon projects to contract research and consultancy for UK government agencies (e.g. Defra, Natural England, Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales), local authorities, businesses, and third sector organisations. I am open to collaborating in a wide range of areas on projects where the processing/analysis/visualisation of geospatial information is a key component.

Details of my research outputs can be accessed here. 

I contribute to teaching and student project supervision on USW’s MSc Computing and Information Systems and BSc Computing degree programmes. Current modules include:

Postgraduate

• IS4S765 Big Data and Analytics (R programming for data science)
• IS4S703 ICT Systems Development (PostgreSQL, SQL, PL/pgSQL, PostGIS)
• IS4T702 MSc Project (Master's project supervision)
• IS4S706 Project Management and Research Methodology (Thesis writing & quantitative research methods)

Undergraduate

• IS3S662 Advanced Databases and Modelling (Object-oriented system design)
• IS3S665 GIS and the Spatial Web (Web mapping and spatial analysis with PostGIS)
• IS3D660 Individual Project – Informatics (Final year project supervison)
• IS3S661 Strategic IS Management (Business planning and IT project management)

I have been working as an academic in higher education since starting my career as an hourly-paid lecturer in 2004 when I was a PhD student at the School of Computing, University of Glamorgan (now USW). 

Since then, I have been involved in teaching GIS and informatics subjects to undergraduate and postgraduate students from a wide range of subject backgrounds, such as computing, human and physical geography, social sciences, biology, ecology, criminology, landscape architecture and urban planning. 

I am an active academic researcher who regularly engages with the latest research, journals, and publications in my areas of interest. I have been involved in producing around 50 research outputs, including publications in international journals, conference papers, book chapters, and technical/consultancy reports.

• Computing and computer science
• Data science
• Informatics
• Geographical information systems (GIS)
• Geocomputation
• Geoinformatics
• Cartography
• AI and maching learning
• Teaching 
• Research
• Student supervision
• Tendering/bid writing
• Project management

• Free and open source software (FOSS) for informatics teaching and research.
• Programming languages: particularly R for reproducible research and data science. Generative AI (LLMs) for coding development and optimisation.
• Desktop GIS software: now mainly QGIS and GeoDa, but have experience with many different products - ESRI, Erdas, MapInfo etc.
• Databases: Postgres/PostGIS, SQLite, and others. 
• Geospatial analysis: Advanced spatial statistics, spatial econometrics, and network analysis.
• High-performance computing (HPC) for GIS: Parallel processing and distributed computing in geospatial workflows to enhance the speed and scalability of spatial analysis, modelling, and data handling.
• Cloud computing: Experience with platforms like Microsoft Azure and AWS for geospatial applications.
• 3D landscape visualisation.

• MRES and PhD project supervision.

Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS) since 2004