I first took my creativity to the TED stage in 2013 where I shared my journey as an explorer of technology from being a child, sheep herder, physicist and tech founder. I finished the talk by DJing live on stage using paper turntables.
At TED in 2018 I shared how I changed the narrative of the British tabloid press after I was gored through the throat by a wild deer which became headline news in the UK and broke industry rules by disclosing details of my transgender status.
I am British physicist/tech founder living in Los Angeles, USA. I describe myself as a creative scientist because we all fit in more than one box. I studied electronics and physics, these give my work structure and discipline, however my true skill is creativity. Inspired by my grandmother who told me to 'cut your coat from the cloth at hand', leading me to creatively use whatever I find around me to solve any problem I encounter.
I was Born in Cheshire, UK, and grew up in England, Wales, Oman and Brunei, my father was an engineer who worked in the oil industry. After failing high school I travelled to Australia with a few dollars in my pocket, and found work in factories and farms; moving boxes, picking grapes, melons and tomatoes. I eventually ended up herding sheep for two years, riding a motorbike in far western New South Wales in the landscape where the first Mad Max film was created.
From chasing sheep I wrangled my way into Salford University in the UK to study for an undergraduate degree in electronics and then completed a PhD in physics at Cambridge University in which I demonstrated the movement of individual electronics, much like sheep!
I am deeply curious about what helps humans thrive, how we find a happier way to live and what our future might look like if this was our focus! Im at my happiest on an adventure in nature exploring mountains, forests and deserts!
I founded a company called Novalia, we create interactive posters and other everyday objects that embody the magic of interactivity and connectivity. Posters that talk, books that turn in to pianos and walls that play music.
I sit on the Editors Code of Practice Committee helping keep an eye on the UK press. I am the former Chair of the Executive Board of the MIDI Manufactures Association. I am presently the Chair of the Trustees of Just Bee, a charity in Dundee, Scotland that helps the volnerable.
I live in the USA with my daughter and love to travel and discover adventure; every journey gives me insights into myself and what it means for all of us to be human.
