Curriculum Vitae

Last updated: 5th September 2006

Contact Details

Department of Computing Science and Mathematics
University of Stirling
Stirling
FK9 4LA.

telephone: (+44 1786) 467444

email: ces@cs.stir.ac.uk

Tertiary and Secondary Education

Jul. 1994	Ph.D. in Computing Science, University of Glasgow. Thesis title: Verification of LOTOS Specifications using Term Rewriting Techniques.
Jul. 1989	B.Sc.(Hons) I in Computing Science, University of Glasgow. I also studied Mathematics and Music for the first two years.
Dec. 1987	LGSM [Licentiate of the Guildhall School of Music] (teachers) Clarinet.
1979 - 1985	North Kelvinside Secondary School, Glasgow.

Career Summary

Sept. 04 - present	Senior Lecturer. Dept. of Computing Science and Mathematics, University of Stirling.
Sept. 96 - Sept. 04	Lecturer. Dept. of Computing Science and Mathematics, University of Stirling.
Jun. 97 - Sept. 97	Visiting Fellow. Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Amsterdam. A three month EC HCM fellowship on the EXPRESS project.
Jan. 96 - Aug. 96	Lecturer. Dept. of Computer Studies, Glasgow Caledonian University.
Oct. 93 - Dec. 95	Research Assistant on EPSRC funded project ``Temporal Aspects of Verification of LOTOS Specifications''. Dept. of Computing Science, University of Glasgow.
Apr. 95 - Jul. 95	Lecturer. Dept. of Computing Science, University of Glasgow.
Oct. 92 - Sep. 93	Full time student funded by University of Glasgow Postgraduate Scholarship. Dept. of Computing Science, University of Glasgow.
Oct. 89 - Sep. 92	Research Assistant on SERC funded project ``Verification Techniques for LOTOS Specifications''. Dept. of Computing Science, University of Glasgow.
Jul. 88 - Sep. 88	Summer placement.South of Scotland Electricity Board, Glasgow.
1985-1988	Musician. Royal Highland Fusiliers (Territorial Army) Band.

Teaching Experience

current	Dept. of Computing Science and Mathematics, University of Stirling. See Teaching
Jan. 96 - Aug. 96	Dept. of Computer Studies, Glasgow Caledonian University. One module on Programming Languages (namely C and COBOL) for the Postgraduate Diploma/MSc in Computer Studies. One half module on Professional Issues for the BSc Honours Computer Studies/Computer Information Systems. M.Sc. supervision.
Apr. 95 - May 95	Dept. of Computing Science, University of Glasgow. 10 lectures on discrete mathematics given as part of "Foundations and Functional Programming".
Jan. 95 - Jun. 95	Dept. of Computing Science, University of Glasgow. Laboratory tutor for second year undergraduate course in Computing Science involving weekly tutorials and labs, marking and administration. Topics covered: software engineering, computer architecture, foundations and functional programming.
Oct. 93	Second run of the CSP course detailed below.
May 92	Dept. of Computing Science, University of Glasgow. Mini-course on CSP for 3rd year Honours Computing Science involving preparation of 5 lectures, 3 tutorials and also a final honours examination question. The topic was new, but formed part of an established course.
Oct. 90 - Jun. 92	Dept. of Computing Science, University of Glasgow. Laboratory tutor for first year undergraduate course in Computing Science involving weekly tutorials and labs, marking and administration. Topics covered: Pascal programming, information management, human-computer interaction.

I have attended various staff development courses; the four day induction course at University of Edinburgh, several half-day seminars on teaching in small groups at the University of Stirling, supervising research students, managing people, organisational skills, and writing grant proposals, a three day induction course at Glasgow Caledonian University, and ``Standing and Speaking'', and ``Lecturing'', both of which were half-day courses at the University of Glasgow.

Research Experience

For full information see Research

Current Research Interests

My areas of interest centre around formal methods and their use in the description and analysis of computer and biological systems. Specifically, I am interested in concurrency, mainly process algebra, e.g. CCS, CSP, LOTOS, E-LOTOS and muCRL, and specification and verification techniques associated with these formalisms. It's also vital to have good tool support for these activities, and to apply the formal techniques developed to realistic case studies, for example the IEEE 1394 standard. Modelling of biological systems, and realistic case studies, requires more expressivity from the description techniques, so I'm also getting into more complex formal methods including probability (pGCL and WSCCS, and PEPA).

For a full list of publications, see my Publications page.

Past Research Interests

In the final year of my B.Sc. I specialised in formal methods, algorithms and complexity, and knowledge-based systems. My individual project was a comparative study of three approaches to programming language specification: action semantics, traditional denotational semantics and structural operational semantics.

My thesis is concerned with verification of properties of LOTOS specifications. I investigate the meaning of verification as it relates to concurrent systems in general, and in particular to those systems described using LOTOS (Language of Temporal Ordering Specifications), an ISO standard formal description technique incorporating process algebra and algebraic data type specification. The verification technique of showing two descriptions equivalent is identified as useful and is automated by equational reasoning and term rewriting. A large effort was made to make the results of this work, both theoretical and practical, as accessible to LOTOS practitioners as possible.

Administrative Experience

I am chief examiner for Computing Science. I served as external examiner for the MSc in Software Technology at the Robert Gordon University between January 2001 and December 2005. I have been research convenor, postgraduate (research) tutor, and director of the single honours programmes in Computing Science and Software Engineering. I am also module co-ordinator for various courses as mentioned on my Teaching pages.

Other Interests

(A brief blurb, but there's more information on my Personal page.)

Music continues to be an important part of my life, and has an important role to play in enhancing the cultural life of the University. I am an active chamber musician, playing in a range of different groups performing in a variety of venues including the Victoria Halls in Dunblane and at Alloa Tower for the National Trust for Scotland. With my pianist, Martin Davies, I presented a very successful recital of classical music for clarinet and piano as part of the new Principal's Music series of lunchtime concerts. Currently music is taking priority; I have just taken up the viola, and am enjoying the challenge of learning a totally different sort of instrument. Artistic interests therefore have to take a back seat at the moment, although in the past I have exhibited works regularly, including at the University exhibition in 1998.

Curriculum Vitae

Contents:

Past Research Interests