Dr Ross Gray
Role: Life Science Research Analyst
Company: Jones Lang LaSalle
Nationality: British
I am a data scientist currently working as a research analyst in JLL Life Science team, examining the growth of the life science industry in the real estate sector. Prior to this I spent most of my academic career examining the dynamics of tropical forest ecosystems. My PhD in this field utilised drones to examine the change in rainforest canopies and this work ignited an interest in using statistics, coding, and machine learning to solve complex problems which has carried me into a data science career.
GCSE (or equivalent): Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geography, History, Mathematics, English, French, Spanish, Physical Education
A-level (or equivalent): International Baccalaureate - Higher: Biology, Chemistry, Geography Standard: English, Mathematics, Spanish; Extra: Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge
Degrees:
• BSc in Zoology, Imperial College London
• MRes Tropical Forest Ecology, Imperial College London
• PhD in Drone Ecology, Quantitative Modelling in Ecology and Evolution (QMEE), Imperial College London
Details about Ross
My research
My research involved flying drones over the rainforest canopy taking photos of the fruiting, flowering, and changes in leaves – called Phenology. These phenological changes are food sources for insects in the canopy and those in turn are food for birds and mammals. I was investigating whether the changes in the canopy caused by deforestation would affect the amount of phenology.
My inspiration
From an early age I always had an interest in animals and the environment, I was fascinated by big questions and how the environment around us worked. People like Steve Irwin inspired me to love nature and others like Linus Torvold, a Finnish software engineer, inspired me to use coding and data to understand complex problems.
Who is your STEM hero?
I would not say I have one, there are many inspiring people who have revolutionised science. Some that inspired me are: Steve Irwin, Australian zookeeper and TV personality. Richard Feynman, American physicist. Max Tegmark American professor using AI for physics. E.O. Wilson, American biologist who was an expert on ants. Alfred Russel Wallace, British naturalist and contemporary of Charles Darwin.
Most significant discovery/invention?
The World Wide Web, as it has enabled the global distribution of knowledge.
Career options after study
- Continue in academia at a university
- Researcher at an NGO/charity or research organisation
- Work for the Government
- Data analyst/data scientist at a company
- Business or financial analyst
My hobbies
Travelling, hiking, climbing and going to the cinema.