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. 

Education

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

SiA My research icon

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.

SiA my inspiration icon

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.

SiA My STEM Hero icon

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. 

art of world wide web connection

Most significant discovery/invention?

The World Wide Web, as it has enabled the global distribution of knowledge.

hand with mouse and calculator writing on pad

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 
student climbing in Snowdonia

My hobbies

Travelling, hiking, climbing and going to the cinema.

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