Samuel Lavery Email & Phone Number

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

I am PhD candidate in the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Digital Communications (IDCOM), currently preparing my thesis for submission. This is the culmination of four years of scientific, interdisciplinary research on systems that can perform both radar (remote sensing) and wireless communications from a shared airborne platform. This is an active area of research, motivated by competition between radio frequency systems. Developments in signal processing… Show more I am PhD candidate in the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Digital Communications (IDCOM), currently preparing my thesis for submission. This is the culmination of four years of scientific, interdisciplinary research on systems that can perform both radar (remote sensing) and wireless communications from a shared airborne platform. This is an active area of research, motivated by competition between radio frequency systems. Developments in signal processing, waveform design, software, and hardware pave the way for future radar systems and 5G/6G communications networks to operate harmoniously in the same geographical area. My research interests include signal processing, beamforming, orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) waveforms, orthogonal time frequency space (OTFS) modulation and radar systems. My PhD is sponsored by Leonardo UK through the CASE Studentship Scheme. In addition to a 6-month industrial placement at Leonardo (April 2024 - October 2024), I have delivered regular progress meetings, and received feedback giving an insight into industry needs related to my project topic.I have published research at IEEE RadarConf'22, IET Radar 2022, IEEE DSP 2023 and IEEE RadarConf'24. I presented my research at these conferences to mixed audiences of experts from industry and academia; PhD students; and other researchers. Audience sizes ranged from tens of attendees to over 120 attendees. During my PhD I tutored undergraduate students. Show less

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

During my PhD Studies at the University of Edinburgh, I undertook a six-month industrial placement at Leonardo UK, the industry sponsor of my PhD.I was based within the systems engineering team at the Leonardo's Crewe Toll site, in Edinburgh, Scotland. The work undertaken during the placement was on varied topics, including those related to my PhD studies on dual-function systems which can perform remote sensing and wireless communications functions simultaneously.Through this… Show more During my PhD Studies at the University of Edinburgh, I undertook a six-month industrial placement at Leonardo UK, the industry sponsor of my PhD.I was based within the systems engineering team at the Leonardo's Crewe Toll site, in Edinburgh, Scotland. The work undertaken during the placement was on varied topics, including those related to my PhD studies on dual-function systems which can perform remote sensing and wireless communications functions simultaneously.Through this placement I was able to further develop my research skills in an industrial context, emphasising the real-world applicability of the work. I developed insights into radar technology from experts in radar system design, enriching my research on my return to academic studies. Show less

I represented students at Scottish universities studying physics-related degrees on the Institute of Physics (IOP) student community panel. I discussed with other regional representatives how best to support students studying at universities in the UK and Ireland. During this period I chaired the committee for 6 months and designed the new tiered affiliation system for student societies, which was implemented for over 40 societies nationwide. I organised national conferences for… Show more I represented students at Scottish universities studying physics-related degrees on the Institute of Physics (IOP) student community panel. I discussed with other regional representatives how best to support students studying at universities in the UK and Ireland. During this period I chaired the committee for 6 months and designed the new tiered affiliation system for student societies, which was implemented for over 40 societies nationwide. I organised national conferences for undergraduates and during the COVID-19 pandemic hosted online events. In August 2019 I represented the UK and Ireland as our delegate at a conference hosted by the International Association of Physics Students.The IOP is a scientific charity that accredits all UK and Ireland university physics degrees. Show less

St Andrews, United Kingdom

I created, hosted and co-produced “insight”, our student society's podcast featuring casual interviews with high-profile academics and industry specialists. It was received well within our student community and outwith the university, finding a global audience with thousands of downloads from over 45 countries.I organised, conducted and created questions for 35 interviews and undertook lengthy correspondence with interviewees, ensuring a professional standard in episode production and… Show more I created, hosted and co-produced “insight”, our student society's podcast featuring casual interviews with high-profile academics and industry specialists. It was received well within our student community and outwith the university, finding a global audience with thousands of downloads from over 45 countries.I organised, conducted and created questions for 35 interviews and undertook lengthy correspondence with interviewees, ensuring a professional standard in episode production and that both parties were satisfied with the end result. I was also involved heavily in post-interview production. insight successfully received grant funding from our Student Union and was a major consideration in awards bestowed upon the Physics Society during my tenure. Show less

St. Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom

During my time on the PhySoc committee I held various roles, including President. I hosted, organised, or coordinated over 50 events for members of student body - including two large scale (100+ attendees) balls. These events were varied, ranging from social to fundraising to academic events, and I viewed each as an opportunity to learn and improve the following event.As president I coordinated and chaired meetings of the entire 13-person committee. I was personally responsible for £680 of… Show more During my time on the PhySoc committee I held various roles, including President. I hosted, organised, or coordinated over 50 events for members of student body - including two large scale (100+ attendees) balls. These events were varied, ranging from social to fundraising to academic events, and I viewed each as an opportunity to learn and improve the following event.As president I coordinated and chaired meetings of the entire 13-person committee. I was personally responsible for £680 of funding being awarded to PhySoc by our Students' Association, with an additional £600 of funding being awarded to the society by the IOP during my presidency.At the end of my first year on committee our society won runner-up for "Most Innovative Society", awarded by our Students' Association, following an application submitted by myself and competing with the university's over 150 other societies. The following year, in which I was president, our society was awarded the runner-up award for "Consistent Excellence". These awards were in part granted due to the value of our "insight" podcast, which I also hosted and managed during this period.Social Convener: Sep. 2016 - Apr. 2017President: Apr. 2017 - Apr. 2018Baking Representative: Apr. 2018 - Apr. 2019Podcast Producer: Apr. 2019 - Aug. 2020 Show less

St Andrews, United Kingdom

Internship with Millimetre Wave research group, carrying out a 12-week project, funded by the University of St Andrews KE & Impact Fund.I wired circuitry for and built a 24GHz radar head for a radar system and built a new, self-contained mains power supply for the radar system.The project had a significant practical aspect, further developing hardware-related skills from an earlier placement within this research group. I modelled the hardware using computer aided-design; then… Show more Internship with Millimetre Wave research group, carrying out a 12-week project, funded by the University of St Andrews KE & Impact Fund.I wired circuitry for and built a 24GHz radar head for a radar system and built a new, self-contained mains power supply for the radar system.The project had a significant practical aspect, further developing hardware-related skills from an earlier placement within this research group. I modelled the hardware using computer aided-design; then wired and assembled sophisticated circuitry; and assisted in data collection for other research projects within the group.During this research placement I developed a greater appreciation for sophisticated scientific research equipment and processes that are involved its development, construction, and deployment. Show less

Glasgow, United Kingdom

Internship with Semiconductor Spectroscopy and Devices research group, carrying out a 10-week project. Funded by a grant from the competitive Vacation Scholarship Scheme, operated by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, and a Vacation Award from the University of St Andrews School of Physics and Astronomy.I worked with simulation software to quantify the phenomenon of secondary fluorescence in X-ray spectroscopy and the effects it had on active research by the group and… Show more Internship with Semiconductor Spectroscopy and Devices research group, carrying out a 10-week project. Funded by a grant from the competitive Vacation Scholarship Scheme, operated by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, and a Vacation Award from the University of St Andrews School of Physics and Astronomy.I worked with simulation software to quantify the phenomenon of secondary fluorescence in X-ray spectroscopy and the effects it had on active research by the group and others in this field.The project involved learning to use X-ray spectroscopy software programs (DTSA-II, CalcZAF, CASINO) to simulate and then analyse data from material samples of interest to the research group.During this internship I developed my data analysis and presentation skills; conveying the impact of this phenomenon on work undertaken by others within the research group. I presented this research at three conferences to mixed audiences of laypeople and subject experts. The work I undertook was the basis of a later publication in the Microscopy and Microanalysis journal. Show less

St Andrews, United Kingdom

Elected by peers as Social Convener. Continuing from my work as Vice President, I took steps to encourage an inclusive and social environment for current students and those joining the university in September 2017. At this point I resigned from my committee role to focus on my academic studies and position as President of the Physics Society.

St Andrews, United Kingdom

Elected by peers as Vice President. I coordinated committee members to ensure effective running of classes, events, publicity and other activities; and personally organised our traditional annual society ball. In this role, I fostered an inclusive and social environment.

St Andrews, United Kingdom

Internship with Millimetre Wave research group, carrying out a 5-week project, funded by a Not-For-Profit Internship Award from the University of St Andrews Career Centre.I set up a disdrometer to operate in conjunction with a data logger in the field. The project involved learning C and MATLAB to write programs to operate and analyse data from the equipment, and developing CAD skills to modify the equipment’s enclosure for field deployment.The project had a significant practical… Show more Internship with Millimetre Wave research group, carrying out a 5-week project, funded by a Not-For-Profit Internship Award from the University of St Andrews Career Centre.I set up a disdrometer to operate in conjunction with a data logger in the field. The project involved learning C and MATLAB to write programs to operate and analyse data from the equipment, and developing CAD skills to modify the equipment’s enclosure for field deployment.The project had a significant practical aspect involving extensive wiring of equipment and connectors; deploying equipment for testing at the university observatory; and assisting in data collection for another research group project.The internship developed my skills working with scientific research hardware and broadened my knowledge of radar-based research in an active research group. Show less

Sharpe Reservation, Fishkill, New York State, Us

Summer of 2016 spent in New York State, as a chess teacher and camp counsellor to children from New York City’s underserved communities.I formulated lesson plans and developed teaching techniques and practices. I gained experience in improving education experiences, and effectively engaged pupils on lesson topics. Outside of classes, I was responsible for the welfare of eight campers over two three-week sessions.