rfbooth.com :: cruft :: biography

I was born in 1975 in Sheffield, and left soon afterwards. I grew both up and out in Staffordshire, near Birmingham, and attended Nether Stowe school in Lichfield. Having got enough A level points to persuade UMIST to admit me, I came here to read mathematics in 1993. Having done reasonably well in a number of examinations, and persuaded various people that this was due to ability rather than a combination of a good memory and luck, I stayed here for postgraduate work. Eventually I obtained a PhD, as a student of Professor Alexandre V. Borovik. I'm a research assistant to Sasha, working mainly on genetic algorithms, until September 2003. You can find details on my research, teaching, and other related things on my academic homepage.

When not working, which of course I do throughout all of my waking hours, I write and record music, and gig with my band, Wide Open. I've had to give up motorcycles in favour of a large Volvo to make this possible. My other main leisure activity is reading; mostly science fiction and fantasy, as I have a PhD and enjoy conforming to stereotypes. I also enjoy lying about my hobbies.