I develop the computational modelling and optimisation methods that underpin GPR, and am lead developer of the open-source software gprMax. Much of my current work concerns the role of open, physics-based simulation as machine learning takes on more of the interpretation of GPR data — ensuring these methods stay transparent and reproducible.

My research spans three strands:

• Sensing for infrastructure resilience — simulation tools to characterise ageing, poorly-mapped infrastructure, from railway trackbeds to urban utilities, developed with industry partners.
• Geophysical characterisation of permafrost and frozen ground — fieldwork in the Canadian Arctic to image permafrost and ground ice in four dimensions, resolving how frozen ground evolves as the climate warms.
• Planetary subsurface radar — modelling to interpret radar sounding of other worlds, including NASA's RIMFAX instrument aboard the Perseverance rover on Mars.

Cutting across all three is a commitment to open, trustworthy research software.

I am an Associate Professor and Head of Subject for Engineering in the School of Engineering, Physics and Mathematics. I joined Northumbria in 2017, following seven years at the University of Edinburgh, where I earned my degrees in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (BEng Hons, 2003) and Civil Engineering (PhD, 2009).

As Head of Subject for Engineering, I provide academic leadership across the School's engineering disciplines — Aerospace, Automotive, Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical — with responsibility for the quality and development of our teaching programmes and staff. Alongside this, I am committed to research-informed teaching, bringing the questions and methods of live research into the classroom.

My research sits at the interface of computational electromagnetics and geophysical sensing, tackling a fundamental inverse problem: inferring the structure of the subsurface from the scattered electromagnetic field measured at the surface — quantitatively, reliably, and at scale. It matters for some of the largest challenges we face: ageing infrastructure, a warming climate destabilising the far North, and the exploration of other worlds.

Away from research, I am a petrol-head and a wannabe rock drummer.

Impact and reach
gprMax is the most widely used tool in the world for simulating Ground Penetrating Radar, adopted across academia, industry, and government agencies including NASA, the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, and Google Fiber.

Esteem and leadership
In June 2026 I was General Chair of the 21st International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR2026), hosted at Northumbria. I hold an active Knowledge Transfer Partnership with industry on railway trackbed inspection, and a funding track record spanning EPSRC, NERC, Innovate UK, the Royal Society, and European programmes. I was previously a workgroup project leader in COST Action TU1208, "Civil Engineering Applications of GPR".

Professional memberships

• Chartered Engineer (CEng)
• Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (FICE)
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
• Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (MIMechE)
• Member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG)