Testimonials

I had the privilege of working closely with Jonathan throughout my 4-year chemistry PhD, during which he served as the senior postdoc and team leader for our automated chemistry team. Jonathan’s technical expertise, evident from his impressive track record, was matched by his ability to work across (and in new) disciplines and quickly acquire new areas of expertise. Beyond his intellectual acumen, it was Jonathan’s soft skills that set him apart as a manager and scientific leader. His passion for the work was palpable, and he invested deeply in the growth and well-being of his team members. As a communicator, whether in interpersonal interactions, writing, or presentations, Jonathan is engaging and clear with both experts and those less experienced. Jonathan played a pivotal role in my scientific and personal development, consistently challenging me to expand my horizons. His contributions were instrumental in my enjoyment and successful completion of my PhD. Notably, even in a field outside his primary expertise, Jonathan actively participated in numerous projects, resulting in publications in high-impact journals. Additionally, he provided informal support on an ad-hoc basis to various endeavors across the wider team. I wholeheartedly recommend working with Jonathan to any student or postdoc. His blend of intellect, technical expertise, soft skills, and leadership qualities, make him an invaluable mentor. Having maintained contact with Jonathan since my PhD, I continue to be impressed by his diverse successes spanning academia, start-ups, and education. Jonathan’s influence extends beyond the completion of my PhD, shaping my professional approach in industry today. His guidance and mentorship have not only contributed to my academic achievements but have also left an enduring impact on my modus operandi in the industrial landscape.

An hour was all Jonathan needed to transform my understanding of modern NLP. He distilled his insights clearly through live demos and business use-cases.

I had the pleasure of working with Jonathan on the AI team at FreeToBook, where we explored different AI and machine learning solutions to enhance the company's booking software. Our main project focused on developing a reinforcement learning agent to optimise the allocations to Google Ad campaigns after the sunsetting of CPA models, with the goal of maximising clients occupancy while maintaining similar profit margins. Jonathan's knowledge about reinforcement learning was invaluable to the team. He combined technical expertise with the remarkable ability to simplify complex concepts by giving realistic examples, making them easily understandable for everyone. His insights guided our approach, ensuring that we applied RL effectively to the business problem at hand. Beyond his technical skills, Jonathan is also a great collaborator - always open to discussing new ideas, challenging assumptions, and pushing the project forward. His ability to bridge the gap between state-of-the-art AI research ideas and practical business applications made a significant impact on our project’s success. Jonathan’s eagerness to further to continue expanding his expertise in the field is inspiring, making working with him rewarding and truly enjoyable!

Jonathan was our team leader in the Cronin group where I was working on my PhD. The first thing I noticed was his curiosity about chemistry to which he applied his computing and robotics knowledge, which led to a beautiful and functional chemical robot that gathered great data at speed. The rest of the memories were about how his experience helped us solve problems, keep the project on track, and keep good communication in the team. Being a team leader in my current role I can reflect back on Jonathan as an influential and engaged leader, and this helped develop me into where I am now.