​Rob first joined the CLF in 1996 as a sandwich student on the Titania KrF laser during his degree in Engineering Physics at Sheffield Hallam University. After qualifying Rob Joined the CLF as a member of staff in 1998 in the CLF's Target Area Group looking after experiments in Vulcan Target Area West. Over the next years (and decades) Rob moved up through the group, taking on more challenges and responsibilities before finally becoming Group leader for the renamed Experimental Science Group (ESG). Rob has spent the majority of his career working with the community planning, designing and performing experiments, and is very experienced in experimental design & operations.  . Rob also has the responsibility of Radiation protection Supervisor for the High Power Lasers, performing shielding calculations, managing active component inventories etc and undertook a MPhil in laser-induced nuclear reactions at the University of Strathclyde as a part time activity (completing in 2006).