Welcome to my homepage. This is the place where all my different hats (and a few skeletons) mingle in a desperate attempt to look as though they belong together. I'm attracted by opportunities for introspection, so I can rationalise most of the things that I do in that way.

Mathematics

Somehow I still always seem to refer to myself as a mathematician, although I haven't earned my living from maths since 1997. But I think that being a mathematician is something that you are, rather than something that you do. The tendency to abstract, structure and pick logical holes in things, once learned, will continue to annoy your friends for ever.

With plans to be a consultant applied mathematician, I did an extended BSc with majors in physics, chemistry, maths and applied maths, and followed it with a postgraduate degree in maths. Mathematics has to be one of the most versatile things you can possibly study - just about every multi-discipliniary team of specialists needs some mathematical input. I have had the privilege of working with excellent specialists in a wide variety of disciplines, building simulation models to help them make complex decisions. Problems have ranged from aircraft system design to environmental management strategies for developing countries. There's nothing like grappling with social, economic, political, environmental and technical problems in different countries to make you reasses the glib assumptions you make about the world.

Software Engineering

One consequence of building simulation models is that you do a lot of computer programming in the process. For the mathematician, the program is just a tool, a means to do tradeoffs that produce some answer or recommendation. On the other hand, there are many companies that have business problems that can be solved by building the right computer programs. Finding the best way to solve these problems requires the same analytical techniques, although you use the tools of the IT industry rather than mathematical ones.

In 1997 I joined a small international software company making a really clever but complicated product (Xmarc Ltd). The client base covers a wide range of industries and so was grappling with a whole new series of interesting problems. I worked as a consultant and technical architect, eventually becoming the Product and Technology Director for the European arm of the business. It was fascinating to be close to the company's strategic planning process, and to be formulating the sort of problems and constraints that I used to help solve. In 2002, I left to start my own consulting business, Qinexus Ltd, and to spend more time on Anomalies Research.

Anomalies Research

I was first introduced to the world of anomalies by David Rousseau, my best friend at university and now my husband. Being a scientist, I was inclined to shrink from the field, but being a mathematician required me to approach it with the objectivity that any new field deserves. I realised that there is some challenging data that is often obscured by the fluffy language in which it is presented. I also realised that a "boggle threshold" has no place in a scientific endeavour - it is only a reflection of our preconceived notions about what can and can't happen in the world. I resolved to avoid model building and confine myself to an objective examination of the core observations only, in model-neutral terms.

After some six years of active involvement, David and I started to think about how science could make real use of the anomalies data without getting sucked into the trap of endless speculation. C-FAR is the result, and I feel that this is the most important work that can be done in science today. The anomalous literature raises questions fundamental to our sense of self and our place in the world. If we can summon the courage to tackle these questions head on, we stand a chance of discovering things that have the potential to make a huge difference to ordinary life. If David and I can help the growing community interested in this field to act in a coordinated fashion, we will be well pleased.

Singing

I joined my first choir when I was 11 years old, and continued though my school and university choirs to various choral societies and other groups. My favourite of all is No Strings, an a capella group I currently sing with. With only about 16 singers, we feel a bit like an extended family. The group was formed to experiment with different styles of unaccompanied singing, so our repetoire ranges from the 17th century through big band to jazz and swingle-style. We are fortunate in having an extremely talented musical director who arranges much of our repetoire, usually in 8 part harmony. Many of our members originate from the barbershop world, so there is a focus on balance and a sensitivity to each other that few normal choirs match. We also can't resist the occasional barbershop quartetting, jamming and doodling with sound. In all, it's just a lot of good fun.