Graduate Profiles

Jon Shire

After several years working in the media industry I decided to move towards software design in the hope to enhance my skillsets regarding graphics design and visual effects, both of which are becoming heavily reliant on programming ability. Preferring a more personal touch to my work environment, Aberystwyth was a natural fit. The department is somewhat rigid in its learning, but is happy to support any personal student projects, be it through simple advice or the use of facilities and tools. This can be worked into your learning as the studies advance, which leads to great flexibility and an invitation to be creative. For instance, for my final year dissertation, I worked on a virtual reality game in part as a personal project. I was one of the first students to use the new VR room to demonstrate the work and achieved a high grade, due to no small part that it was a project of my own making. Taking this further, since leaving Aberystwyth I have started to set up my own company once again, to deliver interactive VR experiences. My main focus right now is in disability access for VR games. It’s not all dreams, though. The optional industrial placement year can be incredibly beneficial as well. I interned for a leading software company developing CAD tools for electrical engineering. My internship lead to not only a great addition to the CV, but also a full-time job once I graduated. I currently work for the same company! I didn’t expect that I would fall in love with Aberystwyth and the CS department itself. The staff are some of the most supportive people I’ve have the pleasure of meeting and learning both for, and with. I simply wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the departments facilities and those there who guided me.

Adam Jones

I decided to study at Aberystwyth University a few years before I was even eligible to! I fell in love with the area having been on many family holidays to Ceredigion and was excited to take up the Computer Science course after secondary school. Now, as a teacher of Electronics and Computer Science, I am thrilled to see a young group of computer scientists-to-be engaging in and enjoying the marvellous technological advancements that are available to them! More and more primary schools in the UK are equipping children with various programming languages and techniques, and it's our responsibility as graduates to fuel the academic field by supporting and educating the next generation of young people! Each student I have the privilege to teach has the potential to think of an idea, develop a piece of software or be part of a team of engineers who come up with new and exciting technologies. I find that very exciting! In a country with young people craving computer science lessons, an ever expanding national curriculum and a shortage of graduates willing to go into education, now is an exciting time to take up a teaching role! I'm just starting off in my job, and I'm excited to continue. I'm grateful for Aberystwyth University and the opportunities that I had there to develop, work and grow. It will forever be the place that shaped my academic understanding and ultimately made me into the teacher that I am.

Didi Gradinarska

I studied Internet Computing and Systems Administration with a one-year industrial placement at Aberystwyth University and graduated in 2016. My passion for the course I chose started while I was still in high school and this is what drove me to the decision to pursue my education beyond my country’s borders, which brought me to Aberystwyth. In this course I worked with multiple program languages and learned a lot about System Administration, while also having the chance to gain experience with business related topics. In every university a person could be taught on multiple topics related to their degree, but in Aberystwyth I found something more. As an international student I managed to overcome language barriers in a short amount of time due to the care and attention of the staff to a student’s personal growth. This university gave me not only my education but the start of my career, with multiple opportunities to train for interviews and assessment centres. The first step in finding your dream job is having someone believe in you and that is exactly how the staff made me feel. It started with teaching and placement staff helping me find my internship, which was in GE Corporate. There my passion for technology only grew and resulted in me getting a graduate job in GE Healthcare in the Digital Technology Leadership Program. Now I am on a path of constant learning and professional improvement, working on diverse projects with real business impact and it all started with Aberystwyth’s supportive community, to which I am thankful every day.

David Adejumo

David is graduating this summer from Computer Science with a degree in AI and Robotics, including an integrated Industrial Year. He is now going to work at GE in Cheltenham based in Aviation. David will be joining GE's Edison Engineering Development Program for graduates. This intensive program includes the opportunity to study for a Masters in Engineering. David learned about this position after taking his Industrial Year at GE Oil and Gas in Newcastle. He chose this industrial year position because it offered the chance for him to use his software skills on projects involving hardware, including the measurement of pipeline inspection data. During this year he worked with international teams in India and America, and is looking forward to doing more international team work in his graduate position. David said "Aberystwyth helped me plan and setup my career and provided me with opportunities to learn technical, professional and soft skills."

Craig Heptinstall

During my 5 years at Aberystwyth, both my course and the university have allow me to increase my knowledge of my course subject immensely, and more importantly, get me ready for the outside world. From starting my time here, I've made friends with brilliant groups of people, completed an industrial year that saw me live and work in Germany, become president of a sports club (badminton), take part in many department and local events (charity raft races with fellow course mates), and most importantly undertaken numerous projects that have tested and pushed my abilities out of my comfort zone. Not only have I now graduated with a Masters degree that is accredited by the BCS, it has given me the confidence to secure a graduate job in the software field. Working with a previous graduate from Aberystwyth, I will be responsible for writing and maintaining a range of financial software. I plan to visit Aber as much as possible in the future, for instance careers fairs where I plan to give advice to current students with career choices, or even with recruitment into my graduate employer. Not only has Aberystwyth given me a highly valuable degree, the support and interaction with everyone from teaching staff to other students has been hugely satisfying, and I hold this place in the highest of regards.

Keiron O'Shea

I graduated from Aberystwyth University in July 2015 with a BSc in Computer Science. After University, I embarked on a four month research visit to King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia - where I worked on a number of research projects including extending Aber-OWL and using deep learning methods to automatically associate phenotypes to images. I returned to Aberystwyth University to join up with my undergraduate final year project supervisor for a three-year PhD project in conjunction with the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Studies. My undergraduate degree in Computer Science gave me the opportunity to explore a wide variety of scientific areas. The Department of Computer Science prides itself on its excellent research and industry links of which ensures that all undergraduate courses are up to date, teaching all of the new and emerging technologies so that all students leave with the best inclination of what to expect in the real world. The part of the degree of which I found most useful was the Introduction to Programming module in the first year. Like many, I arrived at Aberystwyth with little or no programming experience - but the module eased me into the world of functions, variables and loops fairly quickly and provided me the basis of which I could develop as a software developer throughout both my academic and professional career. Aberystwyth as a town is incredibly unique. Spotting the University at a distance, you begin to feel encased in the wonders of the town and the people. The sheer excitement of the seeing the seafront for the first time, or trying your first Marcos kebab after a messy Friday night out stays with you far beyond your first year. The top of Constitution Hill provides you with a view of the colourful, diverse, bustling university town of which for many freshers provides the first freedom of proper adult independence - beyond the midst of your family or constrains of your secondary school education. On a personal level, I owe the department and its staff a great debt. I have not only grown academically, but as a person since my arrival here in 2012. The department was and still is a place of solace and support during the most tumultuous of periods, and I for one found it really difficult to leave behind. So much so I came back!