A technical writer, with solid foundations – both Technical and in Writing. My first degree was in electronic engineering, but with a great emphasis on computer programming (both high level, and assembler). Indeed, up until 1995, I successfully alternated between the departments of electronic engineering and computer science, within the university system in Britain (including my doctorate from a Department of Computer Science). Indeed, my specialist subject, computer architecture, lies at the intersection between the two domains. In 1995, I decided to put this experience to a more practical use, in France. Writing in my native tongue, I applied my technical experience by writing technical documentation for Hewlett-Packard's Vectra PCs, at Grenoble, and for STMicroelectronics' memory devices, at Rousset. Married to a française, and with a house in the Luberon, I have very strong ties in my adoptive region.

Ce texte en Français  |  Headline CV  |  Return to the top of this page  |  Public profile on the LinkedIn system

ITER Organization (2015-2021)

St. Paul-lez-Durance, Bouches du Rhône, France.

Requirements management engineer

Technical environment: DOORS, Word and Excel on PC.

Requirements management can perhaps best be described in the following way: each of the paragraphs, of each of the system requirements documents, contains a single requirement, or technical constraint, on that particular system; each such requirement can be linked to a corresponding paragraph in the overall project requirements document. The process can then be repeated with the linkage of the paragraphs in the sub-system requirements documents to corresponding paragraphs in the parent system requirements document. It then becomes possible to use the software for requirements analysis (looking for paragraphs that have insuffient linkage to the upper level document, or from the lower level documents) and requirements traceability (such as never making a change to a paragraph until the impact of the change has first been checked on any paragraphs that are linked to it, at the higher level or the lower level).

In 2008, the decision was made to use only the native DOORS functions, and not those of TREK/RMF, notably using the absolute number for each object rather than a PUID. This had the great advantage of allowing all of the DOORS menus to be used in a natural way, for inserting and deleting links semi-automatically, for example, without any need for customised programming. The database of requirements for the whole of the ITER project was, in this way, able to be managed by me, single-handedly, until 2017.

Ce texte en Français  |  Headline CV  |  Contacts  |  Return to the top of this page

Valley d'Aigues Research (2006-2015, 2022-2025)

La Tour d'Aigues, Vaucluse, France.

Technical Writing and Engineering Consultancy

Directly as a contractor 2007-2014 and 2022-2023, and as a subcontractor with Arial Industries, 2014-2015 and 2023-2025, for the ITER project, St. Paul-lez-Durance.

The main body of the work conducted at ITER, from 2007 to 2021, consisted of requirements management of the overall machine design (as described in the section on ITER Organization).

Since 2022, the work has involved the monitoring of the safety-related surveillance plans within In-Vessel Diagnostics (IVD) to provide support to the respective technical responsible officers (TROs) for their nuclear protection important activities (PIAs).

Ce texte en Français  |  Headline CV  |  Contacts  |  Return to the top of this page

VirtualExpo (= DirectIndustry + NauticExpo) (2005-2006)

Marseille, Bouches du Rhône, France.

Technical Department

DirectIndustry is an extensive web portal for manufacturers in the engineering industries, modelled on the idea of being a virtual trade exhibition. I was originally taken on to design and implement a new exhibition for Electronics manufacturers. I not only fulfilled this function, but also was able to repeat the process for a new exhibition for Optics manufacturers. In each case, this involved designing a logical and flexible subdivisioning, and a generic and self-evident menu of product definitions.

Eventually, it would be technicians and students who would do the work of finding manufacturers, and categorising their products on the portal site. However, my job involved getting this process started, picking out the key manufacturers to load up the database in a meaningful way, and to help, as much as possible, the process of translating their descriptions into the five European languages of the site.

Technical environment: Access under Windows on a PC.

Ce texte en Français  |  Headline CV  |  Contacts  |  Return to the top of this page

STMicroelectronics (1999-2005)

Aix-en-Provence, Bouches du Rhône, France.

Memory Products Group

Job title: Documentation Engineer.

Publication and development of technical documentation for memory devices.
Advising on new directions in technical documentation, notably on the steering committee for specifying and selecting a Document Management System for use across the whole company.

Writing and Maintenance

Datasheets, Application Notes and User Manuals (about 300 documents per year, between 20 and 200 pages each, describing products in all types of integrated circuit memory technology).

In general, Application Notes and User Manuals were written, published, and then left unchanged until their date of withdrawal, while Datasheets underwent frequent updating with revisions, in response to customer feedback, and product evolution.

Information Acquisition

Draft documents were first written by the engineers. Although written in English, this was generally not the engineers' native tongue. Knowledge of French was useful for understanding any curious turns of phrase.

Translation was also called for, from time to time, as an extra service to help the engineers write their first drafts.

The draft documents were normally received at face-to-face meetings, or by the internal email with telephone follow-up. In this way, an overview of the engineers' main concerns could be ascertained, along with a walk-through of any of the complex engineering details.

The face-to-face/telephone meetings were then repeated, as necessary, for each of the draft cycles. Though mainly conducted in English, it was useful to have knowledge of French, to speed the communication process.

Development and Strategy

Advice on new ways of communicating information to the customer.

Advice on new technology to increase the efficiency of the writing process.

Member of the Document Management System (DMS) Steering Committee.

Technical environment: FrameMaker and Illustrator under Windows on an HP Vectra PC.

Ce texte en Français  |  Headline CV  |  Contacts  |  Return to the top of this page

PSI-Electronics (1997-1999)

Aix-en-Provence, Bouches du Rhône, France.

Contracted to SGS-Thomson

Job title: Technical Writer.

In fact, I did not change roles in 1999, but merely transferred from begin a consultant to being a direct employee (SGS-Thomson having changed its name to STMicroelectronics in 1998). Thus, the work process, as described here, is a repeat of that above (except for the steady increase in throughput as the nature of the work evolved).

Writing and Maintenance

Datasheets, Application Notes and User Manuals; (about 100 documents per year, between 20 and 200 pages each, describing products in all types of integrated circuit memory technology).

In general, Application Notes and User Manuals were written, published, and then left unchanged until their date of withdrawal, while Datasheets underwent frequent updating with revisions, in response to customer feedback, and product evolution.

Information Acquisition

Draft documents were first written by the engineers. Although written in English, this was generally not the engineers' native tongue. Knowledge of French was often useful for understanding curious turns of phrase.

Translation was also called for, from time to time, as an extra service to help the engineers write their first drafts.

The draft documents were normally received at face-to-face meetings, or by the internal email with telephone follow-up. In this way, an overview of the engineers' main concerns could be ascertained, along with a walk-through of any of the complex engineering details.

The face-to-face/telephone meetings were then repeated, as necessary, for each of the draft cycles. Though mainly conducted in English, it was useful to have knowledge of French, to speed the communication process.

Technical environment: FrameMaker and Illustrator under Windows on an HP Vectra PC.

Ce texte en Français  |  Headline CV  |  Return to the top of this page

Valley d'Aigues Research Ltd. (1995-1997)

Working in Grenoble, Isère, France.

Consultant, Contracted to Sonovision ITEP
Working Full-time for Hewlett-Packard

Job title: Information Engineer.

Writing

Technical Reference Manual, Familiarization Guide and Service Manual Chapter for each new Hewlett-Packard Vectra PC; (about eight of each document type per year, of about 75, 20 and 8 pages, respectively).

Information Acquisition

Draft documents were written by "leveraging" (copying the corresponding documents of the nearest previous PC model, and modifying them accordingly).

The draft document was taken to each of the engineers who were responsible for the individual functions of the new PC. A combination of face-to-face meetings and telephone discussion was used to gain an overview of the engineers main concerns, and a walk-through of any complex engineering details. Though mainly conducted in English, it was useful to have knowledge of French, to speed the communication process.

Technical environment: FrameBuilder (with SGML) under Windows on an HP Vectra PC.

Ce texte en Français  |  Headline CV  |  Contacts  |  Return to the top of this page

University of Brighton (1993-1995)

Brighton, East Sussex, UK.

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Job title: Senior Lecturer.

Teaching:

• "Microcomputer systems: 68000 (68000 assembler)", H.N.D.2nd yr. (1994,1995). 49 hr..
• "C without lectures", Spanish ERASMUS students (1994). 22hr.

Technical environment: C, Pascal, Z80 assembler, MC68000 assembler. MacOS on a Macintosh.

Ce texte en Français  |  Headline CV  |  Contacts  |  Return to the top of this page

Institution of Engineering and Technology (1978-)

London, UK.

M.I.E.T. (2006-)

Member of the IET.

M.I.E.E. (1991-2006)

Member of the IEE.

A.M.I.E.E. (1978-1991)

Associate member of the IEE.

Ce texte en Français  |  Headline CV  |  Contacts  |  Return to the top of this page

University of Manchester (1990-1993)

Manchester, UK.

Department of Computer Science

Job title: Lecturer.

Publications and research.

Teaching:

• "Parallel computer architecture", B.Sc.3rd yr. (1991,1992,1993). 22 hr.
• "Computer systems design", B.Sc.3rd yr.(1990,1991,1992,1993). 22 hr.

Project supervision:

• "Experiments with genetic algorithms", M.Sc.
• "Writing programs using genetic algorithms", M.Sc.
• "Computer diplomacy", B.Sc.3rd yr.
• "A MIDI to CV protocol converter", B.Sc.2nd+3rd yr.
• "Genetic algorithms: character recogniser", B.Sc.3rd yr.
• "Genetic algorithms: plagiarism detection", B.Sc.3rd yr.
• "Modelling evolution: neural net design", B.Sc.3rd yr.
• "Modelling evolution: on an island", B.Sc.3rd yr.
• "Modelling evolution: Spynetwork", B.Sc.3rd yr.
• "Modelling evolution: by analogy with pop music", B.Sc.3rd yr.

Technical environment: C and Pascal under SunOS on a SUN.

Ce texte en Français  |  Headline CV  |  Contacts  |  Return to the top of this page

Middlesex Polytechnic (1983-1989)

Now the University of Middlesex. London, UK.

Microelectronics Centre

Job title: Research Fellow.

Publications and research.

Teaching:

• "Pascal programming", E.E.D.P.1st yr. (1989). 22 hr.
• "Computer architecture", B.Eng.2nd yr. (1988). 22 hr.
• "Computer architecture", M.Eng.2nd yr. (1988,1989). 10 hr.
• "Advanced computer systems", M.S.C. M.Sc. (1988). 11 hr.
• "High level languages (Pascal, occam, Prolog)", M.S.C. M.Sc. (1988,1989). 11 hr.
• "Information engineering", B.Sc.3rd yr. (1986,1987). 22 hr.
• "High level languages (Pascal, C, Lisp)", M.S.C. B.T.E.C. (1985,1986,1987). 88 hr.
• "Wafer scale integration", L.I.M.S. M.Sc. (1985,1986,1987). 2 hr.
• "Wafer scale integration", M.Sc. (1985,1986,1987,1988,1989). 8 hr.
• "Microcomputers for mechanical engineers (Basic)", B.Eng.2nd yr. (5x1985). 12.5 hr.
• "Computer engineering (PDP-11 assembler, isp')", M.S.C. B.T.E.C. (1983). 22 hr.

Project supervision:

• "High performance VLSI circuits", British Council visitor
• "Design of a packet-based ALU IC", M.Sc.
• "Simulation of a Cobweb token-pool using occam", B.Eng.3rd yr.
• "Comparison of communications circuits for Cobweb processors", B.Eng.3rd yr.
• "French to English translator", M.Sc./P.G.D.
• "New concept in computer memory architecture", B.Eng.3rd yr.
• "Design of the communications logic for Cobweb processors", B.Eng.3rd yr.
• "Programme evaluation and review technique (PERT)", P.G.D.
• "Further design and construction of a single Cobweb processor", B.Eng.3rd yr.
• "The design and construction of a single Cobweb processor", B.Sc.(Eng.)3rd yr.
• "The use of distributed intelligence in Post Office systems", B.Sc.(Eng.)3rd yr.
• "The design and construction of a very fast processor", B.Sc.(Eng.)3rd yr.

Technical environment: Pascal and occam under Primos on a PR1ME, and under TOPS10 on a DEC10.

Ce texte en Français  |  Headline CV  |  Contacts  |  Return to the top of this page

Westfield College, University of London (1979-1983)

Now moved to Queen Mary College, except for the Department of Computer Science, which was moved to Kings College. London, UK.

Department of Computer Science

Research Student.

Ph.D., Doctorate

Thesis: "The rôle of simulation in the study of multiprocessor, control flow and data flow systems"

My thesis started with a summary of computer hardware description languages, at three levels: Register Transfer Level (ISPS, isp', BCPL-RTL), Gate Level (HDL, DDL, Digsim), and Circuit Level (Spice2, NAP2/ANP3). I also commented on the use of other simulation languages in this role (GPSS, Simula, Simscript), and of conventional programming languages (Fortran, Pascal, C, etc.)

I applied the process to a number of processors of my own design: MAL1 (based on design of the Apollo Guidance Computer); LNKMAL (based on MAL1, but augmented for the execution of database applications); and WRING (based on a design by one of my colleagues for a local area network, for the computers at Westfield College).

I proposed a design for a multiprocessor computer (Cobweb), capable of harnessing the advantages of Wafer Scale Integration (WSI), and of dataflow programming. This became the central chapter of my thesis, and was developed for later research contracts.

Sponsored (C.A.S.E.) by the S.E.R.C. and Inmos plc, Bristol.
Technical environment: Usenet News, C, BCPL and Pascal under Unix on a PDP-11, Primos on a PR1ME, VMS on a Vax.

Ce texte en Français  |  Headline CV  |  Contacts  |  Return to the top of this page

University College, University of London (1974-1978)

London, UK.

Department of Electrical Engineering

Undergraduate Student.

B.Sc.(Eng.)hons.

Year:

1. • Mathematics
   • Electronics
   • Materials for electrical engineers
   • Electromagnetic theory and electromechanical devices
   • Circuits oscillations and waves
   • Digital circuits
   • Introduction to computing
   • Low level programming languages
2. • Mathematics
   • Physical electronics
   • Electromagnetic theory
   • Electronic circuits
   • Circuit analysis and synthesis
   • Computer engineering
   • Numerical analysis
   • Special purpose programming languages (Lisp, APL, Snobol)
3. • Mathematics
   • Electronic circuits
   • Communications systems
   • Analysis of algorithms
   • Data structures
   • Law for engineers
   • Project
     • To interface an acoustic microscope to an old, valve-operated facsimile machine (c1950) using a Hewlett-Packard processor.

Sponsored (Thick Sandwich) by the H.C.C. and Marconi Space and Defence Systems Ltd., Portsmouth, UK.
Technical environment: Fortran-IV under GUTS on an IBM-360, Lisp under Unix on a PDP-11.

Ce texte en Français  |  Headline CV  |  Contacts  |  Return to the top of this page

Marconi Space and Defence Systems Ltd. (1974-1979)

Part of G.E.C., but now divided into several smaller companies. Applied Electronics Laboratories, Browns Lane, Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK.

Thick Sandwich Sponsorship

• Workshop practice
• Purchasing office
• Satellite division
• Quality assurance group
• Estimating office
• Production control
• Heavyweight underwater weapons division
• Project control
• Military communications division
  • The design of the microprocessor hardware and software (RCA1802) for a large military radio project.

Technical environment: Assembler and Fortran-II on a GEC-2050, RCA1802 assembler on a Cosmac system.

Ce texte en Français  |  Headline CV  |  Contacts  |  Return to the top of this page

Totton College (1972-1974)

Near Southampton, Hampshire, UK.

A-levels

• Physics
• Chemistry
• Pure Mathematics
• Pure Mathematics and Statistics

Technical environment: Fortran-IV on an IBM-370, by coding forms.

During vacations and weekends, I had part time jobs at the National Motor Museum, at Beaulieu, and at the Maritime Museum, at Buckler's Hard (both on Lord Montague's estate).

Ce texte en Français  |  Headline CV  |  Return to the top of this page

Totton Grammar School (1967-1972)

Now Totton College. Near Southampton, Hampshire, UK.

O-levels

• Mathematics
• Additional Mathematics
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Geography
• Music
• French
• English Language

Ce texte en Français  |  Headline CV  |  Return to the top of this page