I started off working as a consulting engineer in Ireland after graduating, before getting into research through a masters working with an industrial partner, Hewlett-Packard Ireland. After that, it was a PhD in Scotland, then a series of post-docs and eventually lecturing, first in Glasgow, then Coventry, then here at Edinburgh Napier.
Academia has its downsides, but it does allow you the opportunity to do research, travel and escape the normal 9-5.
Many years ago, the idea of putting solar panels in a roadway came to me. However, a quick ‘back of an envelope’ calculation told me it wasn’t a good idea – your energy yield wouldn’t be as good as a solar panel mounted on… well, anywhere else BUT a road surface! Plus, roads don’t represent as large an area as we think. Roofs cover more surface area, as do unused urban land, so you could get significantly more power output from conventional solar, at a lower cost, without having to put any panels in farmer’s fields.
I then forgot about the whole thing, until I began reading about attempts to implement solar roads and wasn’t entirely surprised to see preliminary data that wasn’t far off my back of an envelope calculations all those years ago. You can read more about my research here. Earlier this week I was interviewed about it on an Australian radio programme, Future Tense, which is broadcast on the RN station. You can hear the full interview here.
The worst job I ever had was dealing with clients and architects when I was a consulting engineer. For example, we once had to explain to a restaurant owner that we couldn’t remove the pillar in the centre of his restaurant because it was holding up the four floors above him. He wanted to expand his premises, but taking the pillar away meant he’d be doing so into the floors above…
I relax by going hillwalking and mountaineering. I’ve climbed every Munro in Scotland (all 282 of them!) and every hill in the rest of British Isles over 3000ft – the Furths, which is 34 further peaks in England, Wales & Ireland. I’m Completionists number 5753 with the Scottish Mountaineering Club and am currently working on the Corbetts.
What might someone be surprised to know about me? I’m Irish and I don’t like stout!