Dr Sean McGinty he/him

My passion is trying to gain understanding into highly complex (usually biological) systems using mathematical and computational modelling. My group develop mathematical and computational models in collaboration with experimentalists, clinicians and industry. I’d like to form collaborations outside my comfort zone e.g. in the social sciences, business school where expertise is often required in my research area and extending beyond biological applications (anywhere where my modelling skills would also be useful).

I’d like to do research that brings in multiple different areas of expertise – e.g. projects involving engineering, social sciences, business (e.g. integrating health economics, patient behaviours, ….).

I see myself as a dedicated, approachable and honest supervisor, who meets with students often (weekly individually and monthly as a group). I prefer to let students drive the projects after their initial settling in period. My students who have graduated are now:

• a lecturer in Mathematics & Statistics at UofG (Dr David King)
• the Knowledge Exchange Manager at ICMS (International Centre for Mathematical Sciences) in Edinburgh
• an engineer at Leonardo in Edinburgh (Dr Alistair McQueen, recipient of the School’s prestigious Dr Alan Stirling Brown prize for his PhD research)

I have been exposed to EDI through my participation in the EPSRC Mathematical Sciences Strategic Advisory Team (SAT) from 2019-2021. This involved several brainstorming sessions on the topic, and discussions as a standing agenda item. Beyond this, I don’t have much experience in EDI, but am interested to become more involved in EDI initiatives.

I’m an enthusiastic and likable (I think!) supervisor, open to new areas of research, and passionate about working in interdisciplinary teams to innovate. I also like to challenge the status quo, which is why I like the concept of this CDT.