​Alan began his career at ISIS in 1986, aged twenty, having just completed an apprenticeship with the Thames Navigation Service, who were responsible for all navigational equipment at the river Thames. Despite a provisional place to study A levels, the idea of an apprenticeship and the opportunity of learning technical skills really appealed to Alan. As a child, he had enjoyed taking things apart and finding out how they worked but didn't always put them back together successfully much to his parents' despair! His apprenticeship proved to be essential training for a future career in accelerators.

He started out in the ISIS Operations team as an electrical technician, at a time when the accelerator was more off than on. However, for Alan, this proved to be an advantage as he learnt an enormous amount about the entire accelerator by fixing it on a regular basis.

After two years, Alan wanted to broaden his skills, moving to the Power Supply Group for some years, followed by the Radio Frequency Group, until he decided that the Injector Group and looking after the 70MeV and Linac was what suited him best.

He then was offered the opportunity to take three years educational leave with the Civil Service sponsorship scheme, obtaining his degree in electrical engineering at the Royal Military College of Science as a mature student. However, upon returning to ISIS, Alan found that he gradually began to move away from electronic engineering and towards accelerator physics. Despite being very able in his role as an electrical engineer, he no longer found his work challenging and thought he could offer more. His Group Leader, Charles Planner, one of the original designers of ISIS, suggested that Alan find out about a new type of accelerator called a Radio Frequency Quadrupole. At the time, no one at ISIS knew anything about it. This blew Alan away as it had nothing remotely to do with his role and here, he was being given the opportunity to change his career. So off he went to Germany to learn about accelerator physics and returned two years later, leading the project and design of a new accelerator that was installed in 2004.

“That was a real coup for ISIS at the time," says Alan, “and it eventually led to me to being given the Individual Merit Award. The accelerator is still operating today, twenty years later. At the time, no one in the Accelerator division had ever received an IM. I owe it all to Chas and I wish he were here to hear that."

Not only did this achievement lead to Alan winning an Individual Merit Award, but also established him as an internationally recognized expert in linear accelerators. He is now Head of Linear Accelerator R&D where he has remained for the past 15 years. “Many consider me to be a physicist, but I have learnt physics on the job," says Alan. “There are no boundaries with this role. If I find an interesting problem, I see if I can contribute to help solve it."

Due to Alan's vast experience, he is now consulting on future upgrades, including plans for ISIS-II. There is not a typical day at ISIS for him which is one of the appeals as to why he has remained here at ISIS, as well as the sheer variety and playing with kit that no one else has.

“Before I retire in a few years' time, I want to pass on all the skills and experience I have learned to the next generation. It's all in my head at the moment and I need to pass it on!"

60 second sketch

• Favourite scientist – who would you put on the £50 note?
• James Clerk Maxwell, as I use Maxwell equations all the time.
• What would you be doing if you were not in this role?
• As I have been here so long, I'm not sure! Instead of designing and building accelerators, I would be on the other side using them as a particle physicist.
  
• What book have you just finished reading?
• Recollections of people who worked at Bletchley Park
• Staycation or vacation?
• Vacation, although I am concerned about the carbon footprint.
• Dogs or cats?
• I like both. I would lean towards cats as they're easier to look after.
• Favourite place on Earth
• Machu Picchu. I went there 35 years ago on a backpacking holiday and it's a lot more touristy now! We had to jump off the train when it was still moving and then hike there. As a young person, it was a fantastic experience.
• One thing you can't live without
• My wife
• Favourite restaurant
• Morton's Steakhouse in Chicago. The meal was obscenely expensive, but it was really something. Locally wise, I don't have a regular, I like to try different places.
• If you had a time machine, when would you go?
• The Big Bang and see what really happened. From a safe distance. With earplugs.