From infantry soldier to computer scientist

What does your work involve? 

It’s mainly research-based projects. As well as a Masters in Computing & Computer Science, I have a nefarious nature and love solving problems, so I’m particularly skilled in hacking-and-cracking and infiltration.

Why did you join Roke? 

I went to university in my twenties, having served as an infantry soldier in the Territorial Army for five years. When I graduated I knew I wanted to work in technology, so I applied to all the big players: when I came for the interview at Roke, I loved it as soon as I walked in.

What do you like about working at Roke? 

It’s just a great place to be. Everything’s open and very supportive; you can talk to anyone as an equal. It takes all sorts to do this work, not just computer scientists and coders, so you get all kinds of different viewpoints on things. I’ve learned an incredible amount. We’ve all got quirks and we’re all a bit crazy, I guess, but everyone understands this is a high-pressure environment so they’ll never add unnecessary stress. We live in a big computer game now: our job is to unlock doors and get information, understand the bigger picture and let people live their lives in peace. It’s good to know that what you’re doing is important and bigger than you are.