Andy Connelly is currently working as a skills development librarian at Northumbria University. Before this he was a stay-at-home dad and, in his life before nappies, he worked as a technician and laboratory manager in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds. He was also part of the University of Leeds Technicians’ Network and a member of the Institute of Science and Technology (IST).
Andy graduated with an MEng in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Sheffield in 2000, followed by a PhD in glass science, also from Sheffield, in 2004. He then spent two years as a post-doctoral researcher in France and in the UK. Unhappy with the uncertainty of academic life, he spent three years teaching high school physics before stumbling across his role as a technician in 2013. In this role, he was responsible for the day-to-day running of Cohen Geochemistry laboratory facility, training staff and students, and a wide range of other roles.
Alongside his day jobs, Andy has been writing and publishing both academic papers and popular science articles since 2007 (see Publications). His articles have appeared in Physics World, Physics and Chemistry Review, and on Guardian.co.uk. More recently, he has focused on practical science for this blog and in writing about technicians on his #TechnicianJourney blog. He also featured on the BBC1 documentary “The Truth About Fat” in 2015.
If you’d like to get in touch with Andy please use the form below.
Qualifications and professional awards
- RSci – Registered Scientist gained in (June 2018 – lapsed)
- Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Sheffield Hallam University 2010-2011), Science (Physics)
- PhD Materials Science (University of Sheffield 2004-2008), Vitrification of historic and future high level nuclear wastes within alkali borosilicate glasses
- MEng Materials Science and Engineering (University of Sheffield 2000-2004), First Class honours.
#technicianjourney 