Freddie Turner

Email: jx20025@bristol.ac.uk

Supervisors: Shane Windsor and Luca Giuggioli

PhD Project Title: Bird-Inspired Gust Soaring for Unmanned Air Vehicles

Research Group: Aerial Robotics

Biography

I joined the FARSCOPE programme in September 2020 after graduating from the University of York with an integrated masters degree in mathematics and computer science. My studies in computer science focused mainly on machine learning and neural computing, while my mathematical interests converged (maths pun!) on geometry and functional analysis; my master’s project explored the generalisation of Fourier series to more arbitrary domains using Laplacian eigenfunctions, which included a very enjoyable detour into musical instrument acoustics. During my degree I also spent a year as a software engineer and researcher in the cybersecurity team of Airbus’ central R&D division, working primarily on a ML-driven system for the detection of malicious software. I originally came to the field of robotics through a project in autonomous shipping, and quickly realised that the discipline marries together a wide range of my academic interests, from software and system dynamics to data representation, bio-inspired computation and learning, and even philosophy. I’m excited by the multidisciplinary approach of the centre, and looking forward to beginning my studies with Dr Shane Windsor and his team in the Bio-Inspired Flight Group later in the year, where my project will look at bird-inspired gust soaring for unmanned arial vehicles.

Beyond my studies in robotics, my main love is music. I love to play in jazz/funk/Latin/blues and ceilidh bands – my main instruments are the drums and the piano – and I’m fascinated by any mathematical or scientific insights I can glean into the structure, interpretation, processing and semantics of music and sound. I also enjoy ballroom and folk dance, spending time exploring the outdoors (by foot, mountain bike or sailing boat), reading, and hanging out with my cat!