John Kenny
John is an applied physicist and instrumentation engineer at National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Liverpool.
After leaving school I went into the RAF and trained as an electronic technician. After serving in Cyprus, I decided to take my education further and learn more about electronics. In 1998 I returned home to Liverpool and began my A-levels. I then enrolled on an undergraduate engineering course (BEng) in electronics and communications and graduated with an upper second class degree. In April 2003 I joined NOC in Liverpool as a member of the Ocean Engineering & Technology Group. My job involves preparing and developing instrumentation for coastal and shelf sea studies.
Whilst working full time at NOC I started a part-time Msc in Micro-electronic system design which I completed with distinction. Part of my Msc was a project to design a real time data processing module for use with our Coastal Observatory instrumentation out in Liverpool Bay.
"Also essential are a good set of sea legs, a sturdy stomach and the ability to work in whatever conditions the sea can throw at you."
I am now back in university again, this time I am working towards my PhD, again this is on a part time basis with full support from NOC. I am designing a multi-frequency optical backscatter measurement system in order to profile the wave boundary layer and near bed transport of sediment in coastal regions.
One of the best things about working at NOC apart from the amazing level of support and professional development is getting the chance to see places and meet people from all over the world. I recently spent five weeks in the Arctic deploying instrumentation off the coast of Svalbard. The year before I had a month in the Gulf of Cadiz, off the coast of Portugal. Another highlight was having the opportunity to chat to Sir Patrick Moore at a black tie gala held at the Royal Society.
Working at NOC in OETG is very challenging and requires not only sound theoretical knowledge but also good practical skills. Also essential are a good set of sea legs, a sturdy stomach and the ability to work in whatever conditions the sea can throw at you.