Biography

By inclination I am a nerd moderated by a lifelong interest in improving standards of living in developing countries. I planned to study applied mathematics and physics at the University of Cambridge in the UK, but I was diverted to economics after spending nine months working in Tanzania. My Ph.D. combined the development of urban models for a rapidly growing city in Africa (Nairobi) with the application of cost-benefit analysis to the design of investments in housing and environmental infrastructure.

My first academic job was teaching mathematics and statistics for economics as a Fellow of Christ’s College, Cambridge and as a Lecturer in the Faculty of Economics and Politics. During my time there I was heavily involved in developing computer software for big data analysis and modelling uncertainty. I moved to become Professor of Political Economy at the University of Edinburgh in the mid-1980s.

My interest in statistical modelling and risk analysis led to a focus on the design and implementation of policies for infrastructure, energy markets and environmental protection. I was asked to advise governments in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union in the late 1980s. This led to a position as a Senior Adviser at the World Bank in Washington, DC. During a decade in Washington I designed and supervised lending programs and investment projects in many large countries including Brazil, China, India and Russia.

For family reasons I returned to the UK in the early 2000s and worked as a consultant dealing with regulation and policies for infrastructure, energy and the environment including climate change mitigation and adaptation, again mostly in Asia and Latin America. As I became increasingly tired of constant travel, I accepted public appointments in the UK related to infrastructure planning and regulation. I was a member of the Infrastructure Planning Commission for England and Wales and then Chairman of the water regulator in Scotland for 6 years.

Because our local broadband was so poor, I set up a wireless internet service provider operating in the South of Scotland. That led to running a small group of companies which operate or support community broadband networks in rural areas of Scotland. Most recently I have been involved in establishing a tech start-up that uses statistical modelling and machine learning techniques to manage electricity usage and thereby save subscribers significant sums of money. For more information on this go to www.polare.ai .