Nowadays, Joseph works with researchers to provide them with solutions to solve their tech problems. He is part of the team that built The University of Nottingham’s Computer Vision Lab GPU computing cluster, which has expanded from four to 50 GPUs. He’s also involved with CO-CONNECT, an extension the HDR UK innovation gateway that is bringing together the best of the UK’s data assets into an accessible format.

Growing up in rural Devon, Joseph had a love of computers from an early age – something that school failed to cater for. Following his GCSEs he left and went to work in an internet café and aimed to take A Levels. Life at the café proved more his cup of tea than college, not least because there were lots of people, including the owner, who were highly knowledgeable and happy to pass on their skills.

Ever since then Joseph has been very much at the practical end of the technology revolution, with many years of experience in providing people with practical solutions. This has included spells working for employers including BT, a London independent school and has also been involved with projects at the Apple HQ in Cork.

The expertise he has developed is essential to the future of health data research. Indeed, without having people there who can set up systems and software in the way that researchers need, it simply doesn’t happen.

Some years ago Joseph returned to Nottingham, initially doing general computing work in the School of Computer Science before progressing to more project-based activities that have involved him with everything from deep learning to robotics. Currently he’s part of the 15-strong interdisciplinary Digital Research Service team and involved in the development of a federated approach to data discovery, something that holds tremendous promise for the field.

Looking to the future Joseph has ambitions to go into senior management and possibly to take a degree.

In the meantime he has been pleased to be involved in HDR UK’s Black Internship Programme and is looking forward to passing on the skills he has learned to a new generation of young people.

Joseph’s career path:

  • ISP tech support
  • BT tech support
  • Technician, University of Nottingham
  • IT systems administrator, University College School, London
  • Field services engineer, Apple Systems, iConnect, Republic of Ireland
  • IT systems engineer, University of Nottingham
  • Digital research technologist, University of Nottingham.