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Dr Andy Pryke

Education:

Address & Phone number: Available on Application
Email: cv(at)AndyPryke.com - include a meaningful subject line to get past my spam filter

I have worked with Java since 1996, and have full product life cycle experience on Java projects. I'm keenly interested in Java technology, software patterns and programming principles, and have attended the Sun JavaOne conference as part of my professional development. My experience includes teaching Java for several years and mentoring commercial Java developers. I have a code style has an emphasis on clarity, enabling others to work easily with code I have written.

Java (6 years), including J2EE/EJB, JSP, JavaBeans, and JDBC; C++ (3 Years);

JavaScript (3 Years); HTML (8 Years); XML (2 Years) including XSLT;

SQL(6 Years); UNIX (12 Years); NT (2½ Years);

Object Oriented Programming and Design (10 Years);

Object Oriented Design and Development; Good Development Practice; Design Patterns; Lightweight Methodologies; Iterative Development; Extreme Programming; Refactoring; Knowledge Sharing; Knowledge Management; Team Development; Training and Teaching.

Recent Employment

• Extension and enhancement of web-based, database driven, library systems used extensively throughout the UK, using JSP, JDBC and Javabeans (Spring 2002 to Autumn 2003)
• Training and mentoring in good development practice and release management (Winter 2001)

• Design and technical lead for major European bank's financial website project (Summer 2001)

• Created easy to use content managed website for a newly launched charity (Autumn 2001)

• Completed a full website re-design for a local environmental campaign group (Autumn 2001)

Technical Architect / Lead Developer, Kyros Solutions (Sept. 2001 - Nov. 2001)

• Implementation of a web-based messaging system using an open source core
• Java database interface for web-base business services using code generation and full unit testing to reduce development time and increase both reliability and flexibility.

Chief Technical Officer, tw2 (Oct. 2000 - March 2001)

Top technical role at a web-development / eCommerce house employing more than 100 people.

• Performed key technical roles including design of system architecture.
• Advised on technical issues for new and existing projects.
• Coordinated research on application servers to inform the choice of platform and partner.
• Improved internal communications and knowledge sharing.
• Introduced a Wiki Wiki system as an organizational memory.
• Developed commercial web based systems using J2EE and JSP.
• Mentored team of 20 Java/VB/ Perl programmers, improving code quality and productivity.
• Provided architecture and design guidance.

Senior Developer, aQtive (May 1999 - Sept. 2000):

• Responsible for the design and development of components of the onCue desktop agent.
• Led a 5 developer project for a interactive, multi-user web-based system, with database backend.
• Specified and designed the system architecture for client and server side Java products.
• Implemented systems using Java, JDBC, Java Beans, JSP, XML and HTML.
• Proposed and led brainstorming and SWOT (Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats) sessions which produced valuable ideas for new products and improvements to current products.

Research Associate, Birmingham University - funded by British Telecom, (1998 - 1999)

• Further refined techniques developed during my Ph.D. by applying them to large real world databases supplied by BT.
• Intensive use of an Informix database, including database design and the hand optimisation of queries for speed.

Teaching Java, C++ and "Computing for the Terrified" (1993 - 1999)

• Taught Java and C++ to B.Sc. and M.Sc. computer science students, continually improving the course materials.
• Wrote and taught a "Computing For the Terrified" course at Birmingham University, School of Continuing Studies. Most students were over 65 and had no previous computing experience.
• Taught C++ to further education students at Bourneville College, Birmingham, re-writing course materials and assignments.

Education

Ph.D. Computer Science, Birmingham University, (1993 - 1998)

Data Mining is the extraction of useful information from large amounts of data. There are two main approaches - computer based discovery of rules and the visual discovery by people. My Ph.D. bridged the gap which has historically existed between the two fields.

• Reviewed and assessed a wide range of existing data mining and visualisation techniques
• Developed new methods of rule discover using symbolic genetic algorithms which allowed increased control over the search for knowledge.
• Invented novel techniques for the visualisation of both data and discoveries
• Combined visual and rule based discovery in an integrated approach which allowed people and computers to co-operate in the discover process.
• Wrote large object-oriented systems with a component based approach which allowed powerful and complex behaviour whilst keeping code simple and extensible.

M.Sc. Cognitive Science, Birmingham University, (1991-1992)

The connection between mind and brain has fascinated mankind throughout the ages. Cognitive science addresses this problem by building on work from multiple disciplines including Philosophy, Neurophysiology, Artificial Intelligence and Linguistics.

• Received excellent marks, particularly in the Artificial Intelligence module.
• Dissertation project (C++)- Created a simulation of an artificial creature which learnt to find food and avoid traps using rules created by a genetic algorithm.

B.Sc.(hons) Information Technology 2(i), Leicester Polytechnic, (1987-1991)

Covered computing at multiple levels, from the transistor through to database design, human computer interaction and high level system design. Strong emphasis on good design and coding.

• Dissertation project - Designed and implemented a hypertext browser in Pascal, awarded a "first" for the quality of coding and design.
• Developed an "intelligent" draughts / checkers playing program in Prolog.

Java: I have worked with Java since 1996, this has included: Teaching the language to B.Sc. and M.Sc. computer science / software engineering students; Implementation of projects during my Ph.D.; and the specification, design and implementation of client-side and server-side multi-user and mass market software using Java 1.1.X, J2SE, J2EE , EJB, JSP, XML and JDBC.

JSP: I have many years design and development experience using JSP to create mass-usage web-based systems.

XML and XSLT: I have defined and implemented a XML-based language to specify software components to be dynamically loaded into a Java framework. I have also used XSLT for the specification of templated web-pages in XML.

Other Languages: I have worked in a variety of other languages, including C++, JavaScript, Pop11, Prolog, Pascal, PHP, Modula-2, C and various proprietary/macro languages.

Internet and Web Skills: I have been online since 1982, originally using Prestel, Bulletin Boards and University Systems. In 1994 I launched the first web resource on Data Mining, "The Data Mine", which was highly successful, averaging over 20,000 hits per month in the late 1990's. At aQtive, I administered an Apache web-server including log analysis using Analog and Wusage. I also managed machines providing DNS and Firewall services.

Database/SQL: I have exposure to SQL and database design since my first degree. During my employment as a Research Associate, working on new data mining techniques for British Telecom, I made heavy use of an Informix database. This included the hand optimisation of queries and the use of stored procedures. I have also developed systems using Oracle and Sybase databases.

UNIX: I have had extensive UNIX experience since 1987, and have regularly written and modified scripts for administration and data processing.

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