Research Interests

I am interested in discrete mathematics problems arising from digital communication applications such as wireless transmission, position determination, synchronisation, optical time domain reflectometry, and signal transmission from deep space. Some of these problems have defied solution for decades, while others have emerged only recently as a result of technological challenges faced by engineers designing digital communication devices and systems.

I have found that solutions to these kinds of problems can make a real difference to engineers, and can lead to patents, international standardisation and lucrative product families. I worked at Hewlett-Packard Labs from 1987 to 2001 on a variety of technologies for information transmission and storage, including line coding for data transmission over copper telephone cabling, power control for multicarrier wireless transmission, and data coding for MRAM storage devices.

Current Research

1. Exploratory computational methods: treating computers as an experimental tool to reveal patterns, identify key examples, and improve intuition — and, ideally, to point the way to new theoretical results. The combination of efficient algorithms and large-scale computing resources can place results that appear inaccessible within reach.
2. A deliberate combination of multiple viewpoints: I advocate an interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving, combining tools and insights from discrete mathematics, computing science and communications engineering. I also try to use a practical viewpoint to lead to theoretical advances, and vice-versa.