Leon Williams

Hello. My name is Leon Williams and I've recently joined the ACT as a Young Graduate Trainee in Advanced Materials and Space Infrastructure.

I like to think I have an appreciation and fascination for the world around us. From atomic structure to the dynamics of our universe, to the intelligent behaviours of the life that grows on our uniquely perfect planet. In my time outside of work I like to play a variety of sports (Ultimate Frisbee, Badminton, Climbing, etc), take beautiful and intruiging photos, and creating art.

In my academic journey, I pursued a broad knowledge base, studying a multidisciplinary MSci degree in Chemical Physics at the University of Glasgow. There, I developed an understanding of the laws of physics, the properties of the matter that they govern, and the techniques used to study them.

During my degree, I spent 12 months working as a researcher at the I09 Beamline at Diamond Light Source Synchrotron in Oxford. There, I carried out advanced materials science research, studying novel synthesis methods for Graphene and other 2D materials in Ultra-High Vacuum using high-intensity synchrotron radiation, and alongside other UHV techniques. Here, I learned the fundamentals of academic research, including international collaboration, rigorous experimentation, and, of course, frequent tea and coffee breaks. I finished my time at University completing a Master's thesis exploring similarities between physics models and the complex dynamics of economic systems. Finally, after my studies and a well-deserved holiday spent revisiting China with my mum, I began a period of learning about about machine learning and its applications, recognising it as a highly relevant technique for the future. I joined an engineering firm as a principal machine learning and software engineer, where I explored machine learning solutions for their ultrasound testing methodologies.

Over the next year with the ACT I plan to explore and contribute to the exciting ideas and research areas that this team has to offer. Currently, I am working in the field of biomimetics, developing novel soft-robotic rovers for exploring the surface of asteroids. I am helping to implement a bio-inspired control system for a potential lunar lander and supporting the development of biomining methodologies. As you can imagine, I'm tremendously excited at the year to come and what ideas are to be uncovered during my time here at the ACT.

Feel free to get in touch: tni.ase@smailliw.noel