I was born in Reading within the Pakistani community in Cemetery Junction and have lived in Reading for most of my life. I started working here in 2011, initially starting on a fixed-term, part-time contract in the Meteorology Department. My role was as a departmental secretary, joining what was then a small team of administrators. The work was varied and interesting and brought me into contact with a wide range of people from all over the world.
I work in the Department of Meteorology, researching major changes in climate in the past. Through this research we can understand the impact past climates had on prehistoric people, as well as the impact these people had on the climate.
My partner, Richard, is also an academic, which can make family life tricky because we both travel a fair bit and work rather long and odd hours. It helps, though, that the work is interesting and enjoyable, and that the University supports flexible working.
We get a lot of enquiries at Henley Business School, and in my role I get to speak to and meet new people pretty much all the time. I do some photography for the department as well, including events. I've been here a year and it's quite varied; no two days are the same.
I also own a martial arts club, All Abilities Martial Art. It's for everyone, any ability, we're keen to emphasise it's inclusive. We practice Aiki-JuJitsu, which is not sport-based but focused on self-defence.
When I came here in 1977, I was studying cybernetics and control engineering before becoming a PhD student. I started my lecturing career in 1983, and I've been learning ever since.
I first taught computing to cyberneticists, but every few years I have undertaken new roles and now I teach cybernetics to computer scientists! That's why I've been here so long.
