About Me

I am an astronomer and research software engineer working at the intersection of science, software engineering, and national digital capability.

My work focuses on a central question: how should we professionally organise research software delivery in an era where digital complexity has outgrown individual researchers?

Modern research depends on sophisticated data systems, large-scale computation, secure collaboration environments, and sustainable software. Yet academic structures still assume that researchers can manage this complexity alongside their scientific work.

I am working to change that.

Research Software Leadership

I lead the development of a national model for professional research software delivery, bringing software engineers, program managers, and user-centred design expertise together with research communities as cross-functional teams.

Through my work with the Astronomy Data and Computing Services (ADACS) program — and in particular the ADACS Merit Allocation Program (MAP) — I am helping to build a transparent, peer-reviewed system for allocating professional software engineering effort based on scientific merit and strategic need. For an overview of the approach and structure, see here.

Research Background

Before moving into research software engineering, I spent two decades as a practising research astronomer, working on problems in cosmology and galaxy formation, leveraging international observational facilities and high-performance computing. For an overview of my research contributions, see here.

CV and Contact

For details, see my CV or get in touch.