Industrial advisory board
Our partnership with industry is strengthened through our Industrial Advisory Board (IAB), which includes influential industry leaders and experts in knowledge exchange.
They provide valuable guidance on various research, innovation, and teaching initiatives and help to improve the employability of our graduates.
Board members
Mr Mark Ashenden
Safety and Reliability Senior Technical Specialist and Capability Manager, Rolls-Royce plc
Mark has been at Rolls-Royce for over 30 years, with around 25 being in safety and reliability. Academic qualifications include a Physics degree (Imperial College) and an MSc in System Operational Effectiveness (Exeter University). Mark is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical and the Safety and Reliability Societies.
Dr Stephen Casey PhD FIMA
Principal Consultant (Procurement, Evaluation and Design), Commerce Decisions Ltd
A School of Mathematics alumnus (BSc /PhD), Stephen provides best practice advice to major public sector projects on the design and execution of evaluation elements of their procurements, including criteria development and weighting, value for money trade-offs and cost evaluation. His choice of thesis (Meta-Heuristics for Multi-Objective Scheduling Problems) evidences his keen interest in Operational Research.
Dr Stephanie Howarth
Chief Statistician, Welsh Government
Stephanie is responsible for producing official statistics and implementing standards on statistical data quality, trustworthiness and public value. Also, as Co-Director of Administrative Data-Research Wales, she focuses on exploiting administrative data to shape policy decisions. Previous experience includes work at the Office for National Statistics, Senedd Cymru and BBC News.
Dr Joanna Jordan
Freelance mathematics knowledge exchange specialist
Joanna is one of the UK’s Knowledge Exchange Hub for Mathematical Sciences’ KE Super Champions, a Recognised Technology Transfer Professional (RTTP) and a member of EPSRC’s Strategic Advisory Team for Mathematical Sciences.
Mr Luke Maggs
Lead Operational Researcher, Natural Resources Wales
Luke is the strategic lead for OR, using advanced analytics, modelling, problem structuring, simulation, optimisation and data science to determine solutions. Key to his role is horizon-scanning and future methodologies, as is ensuring an evidence-based approach to Natural Resources Wales’ wide-ranging remit.
Dr Gueorgu Mihaylov
Principal Data Scientist (AI Director), Haleon
Gueorgu is also a Visiting Research Fellow at the Department of Mathematics at King’s College London and a member of the EPSRC Strategic Advisory Team for Mathematical Sciences. Gueorgu’s research has a broad span encompassing manifold learning, geometric deep learning, modelling/optimisation of complex systems and industrial applications of AI.
Ms Angela Smith
Critical Information Infrastructure Research Engineer and Head of Cyber Security Innovation and Scouting, Airbus
A graduate of the University of Wales, Angela today oversees networks of teams collaborating to develop cybersecurity solutions. Her career has primarily been in the Defence Industry, enhanced by experience across radio communications, network management, data warehousing, secure information management, and software development.
Dr Izabela Spernaes
Head of Mathematical Modelling, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Izabela is a mathematical modeller passionate about understanding and designing healthcare systems. Since her PhD in operational research (2013), she has worked across the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board to improve patient outcomes and service delivery. Her focus is raising awareness of Operational Research while designing and delivering analytical and modelling training programmes.
Mr James Watson
Senior Process Specialist, Tata Steel UK
From teaching Mathematics, James moved into the automotive and aircraft industries. He has a wealth of experience in creating discrete event simulation and ad hoc optimisation models for heavy industrial processes and operations.
Mr Rhodri Charles
Head of UK Motor Pricing, Admiral
Rhodri joined Admiral in 1999 as a Pricing Analyst, became Principal Pricing Analyst in 2000, and then Head of UK Motor Pricing in 2006. Outside of Admiral, he’s a member of the MIB and IFB Boards. Rhodri graduated from Cardiff University with a degree in Mathematics in 1993 and worked for Zurich Municipal for three years before joining Admiral.
Dr C Matthew Jones
Head of Risk Decision Science and Analytical Innovation, Nationwide Building Society
Matthew leads a large team of data scientists and risk modellers who develop tools to identify risks in Credit, Fraud, Money Laundering and Collections. His team won the prestigious Risk & Modelling Team of the Year from the industry-wide Credit Strategy awards in both 2021/22 and 2019/20, following on from their previous Innovation in Credit award for industry-leading work in Machine Learning in 2018/19.
