Toby Phillips
Role: Final year PhD student, Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London
Subject area: Nuclear energy within the Applied Modelling and Computation Group
Nationality: British
I am a part of the Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Nuclear Energy where I completed my Masters (MRes) and I am currently in the final year of my PhD programme.
Education
GCSE (or equivalent): Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English Lit, English Lang, History, Classical Civilisation, Art
A-level (or equivalent): Maths, Physics, Economics
Degrees
• MEng in Mechanical Engineering, University of Nottingham
• MRes in Nuclear Energy, Imperial College London
Detail about Toby
My research
My research looks at computer modelling the interaction of neutrons with materials, specifically in nuclear reactor cores. I am using standard mathematical and modern machine learning techniques to speed up and reduce the memory requirement usually needed for these models.
My inspiration
I developed an interest in research, programming and energy production, specifically nuclear, during my Engineering degree. My PhD research allowed me to explore all avenues of this through further study.
Who is your STEM hero?
Alan Turing, mathematician and computer scientist who broke the enigma code in World War II. His knowledge regarding computation and artificial intelligence was ahead of his time.
Most significant discovery/invention?
The digital computer.
Career options after study
- University academic
- Researcher in the nuclear or other industry
- Consultant, in the nuclear industry or elsewhere
My hobbies
I enjoy hiking, exercising, chess and attempting coding challenges in my spare time.