About Me
I
was born Colin Michael Pratt on Sunday, 9th November, 1969
at
Potters Lane, Burgess Hill, West Sussex. My Parents are Anthony and Janet who had
married four
years previously. I have one brother, Andrew
, born Monday 24th October, 1966. Unfortunately, my mother
past away July, 2004 from leukaemia. I had a reasonably happy
childhood. I attended London Road Primary School (now demolished) from
1974 to
1977, when I moved to Godley road, in Byfleet. There, I attended Manor
County
First school for a year, St. Mary's Middle School and then Fullbrook
School
. In school I was attentive in most
lessons
until it came to writing, which I did only reluctantly. I was poor at
doing
homework and often got into trouble for this. However, I did test
reasonably
well and I left compulsory education with O-levels or equivalent in
chemistry,
physics, biology, mathematics and computer studies. Later, on the sixth
attempt, I obtained a good GCSE pass in English Language at evening
school. I
stayed on into the sixth form at Fullbrook and studied physics, pure
and applied
mathematics and chemistry at A-level. I passed all of them, getting C,
D and E
respectively. At school I enjoyed sports, but did not excel at any of
them. I
played chess, but only managed to get into the school team in my last
two years
at school.
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The place of my birth ca. 2002. I was born in the top right hand room . |
Me aged about 6 months. |
Me, aged 3 on holiday at Swanage. |
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My brother, Andrew, and I watching Punch and Judy. |
Ms. Leslie's class of 1982. |
Upon
leaving school I went to Leicester University , where I studied chemistry for two years.
During this time
I studied astronomy for a year as a secondary course, played football
for the
Economic Society in an internal league and I was introduced to role
playing. I
also moved to Floyds Lane, in Pyrford. It was also the first and only
time that
I have lived away from my parents. At the end of the second year I
failed the
end of year exams and later, the re-sits. I left the university at the
end of
September, 1990. However, I did not give up the hope of obtaining a
degree in
chemistry, and so I sought a job in a laboratory. After looking for 6
months I
found one at a company supplying metal finishing solutions, then called
OMI-Imisa (now Enthone
). For the next three years I worked
under
Krishan Varma as an analytical chemist, doing routine analysis (mainly
by
titration) and doing various tests and treatments to customer and
potential
customer's plating solutions. I was then promoted to the quality
control
laboratory, working under Peter Allchin. This involved analysis and
control of
additives in production. During my time at Enthone-OMI
I studied part time for, first
a H.N.C., and then a B.Sc. in chemistry at
Kingston University , starting in September, 1992. After five years,
I passed
with a second class (honours) degree lower division. I
continued
working for Enthone-OMI
for another year before leaving to
study a
Ph.D. at Kingston
University at the end of
September, 1998.
I studied the effects of transition metals on the synthesis and
properties of
conducting polymers, namely polythiophene derivatives. This I worked on
under
the supervision of my two supervisors, Prof.
Peter Foot
and Prof. Reginald Davis for
five
years and
the thesis was submitted for examination on the 15th. August, 2003. I
very
successfully
defended my thesis in a viva voce on the 6th. November, 2003 and I
completed work on my Ph.D. when I handed my final hard bound version on
the 15th. December, 2003. I was finally conferred my Ph. D. on the
23rd. January, 2004 and my graduation ceremony was held at the
Barbican Centre on the 28th. January, 2005.
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The laboratory where I did my Ph.D., now gone. |
Me, aged 32. |
At my first graduation ceremony. |
I am
now seeking employment doing chemistry. Idealy I would love a research
post in polymer
chemistry,
preferably involving conducting polymers. However, in the real world I
would settle for an industrial post doing more routine chemisty. I am
particularly keen to find a post I can settle down with as I wish to be
able to move in with my girlfriend. Potential employers may
download my CV
here. Whilst I was writing my
thesis I was
employed at the Quality Assurance department at Electronic Arts Ltd. as a
software
tester. I cut my teeth on Harry
Potter: Quidditch World Cup project, mostly on the Game
Boy
Advance version and then XBOX and
the PS2. I
also
tested Looney
Tunes and Harry
Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. In February 2004 I rejoined
Electronic Arts in the Language Integration Testing department where I
worked on Harry
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Breakdown,
Anno 1503:
Treasures, Monsters and Pirates, Catwoman and
the demo for Burnout
3. In June I left to do my first postdoc at Kingston University on intraocular
lenses. I finished the project started my Emma McGonigle, and I have
submitted two papers for publication in peer reviewed journals. This
finished at the end of October and I returned to Electronic
Arts Ltd where I tested Time Splitters Future
Perfect for 4 months. I then went onto testing Harry
Potter and
the Goblet of Fire on the GBA
and NDS
followed by Black
and White 2 on the PC. I was fortunately chosen to go to
Sweden to work at Dice for 11 weeks, where I did smoke testing on Battlefield 2:
Modern Combat for the PS2 and XBox. After returning I continued on
Modern Combat until the project was finished that October. When I came
back after my compulsory month off (contract testers are only allowed
to work 11 months a year), I worked on the XBox 360 version of Modern Combat
until early March 2006, after which I worked on the Amored
Fury booster pack for Battlefield 2
for the PC. Upon its completion I was moved to Battlefield
2142.
This I tested until the end of my 11 months in mid October 2006. I
returned late November and after a few weeks I was sent out to Sweden
again through December to March to smike test Northern
Strike, a
booster pack for 2142. When I returned I continued on this project
until mid April when I was sent to Oxford to work at Rebellion on Harry
Potter and the Order of the Pheonix for the Sony PSP.
This was
completed mid June and I move to Virtual
Me, a web based collaboration
between Electronic Arts
and Endemol.
I was then moved on to testing Burnout
Paradise at the
Start of July, 2007 and I stayed on that project until I left at the
start of November, 2007. I worked for 8 weeks as a segmentation
research assistant
for MMR international,doing
desk research and preparation of presentations. I have now returned
once more to Electronic Arts where I am working on Battlefield Heroes, a
cartoony third person shoot 'em up.
I am a keen
cyclists.
During my Ph.D., I often commuted the 13.5 miles trip to university by
bicycle.
I also enjoy going on cycle rides just for pleasure. I cycled to Land's
End and
back to see the total eclipse of the sun in August 1999, a round trip
of 927
miles. In 2004 I cycled round East Anglia and in 2005 I cycled round
Wales.
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| Land's
End, August 7th 1999. |
Showing off my thesis at the FACT (Film And Cult Television society) Christmas dinner. | At my seciond graduation ceremony. |
I am a keen role player, playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons,
Earthdawn,
Call of Cthulhu, MERP, Warhammer Fantasy Role playing Game, Werewolf
and
others. I generally play good guys (including women). My AD&D
characters
can be seen in my Halls
of Heroes Page. I have written
more about
role playing in the role
playing section of my web site.
Other
activities that
I get up to include badminton, scrabble, playing computer games,
surfing the
internet,
swimming (preferably naked), playing board games, football and reading.
I've been
skiing seven times, five in France and twice in Austria. I am ok at
skiing although I could not claim to be particularly talented at it.
I now have
a beautiful fiance who I met whilst at a scrabble club
in Byfleet. She is a lovely, kind and caring young woman with whom I
love very much and will be marrying in June, 2009.
DATA
Name: Colin Michael Pratt
Date of Birth: Sunday 9th November, 1969
Place of Birth: Potters Lane, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, UK
Nationality: British/European
Marital Status: Single
Religion: Agnostic
(more details)
Height: 1.77 m (5'10")
Weight: 75 kg (11st 11lb)
Handiness: Right
Address: Woking, Surrey, UK.
Qualifications: C.S.E: French (5), English Literature (2),
Computer
Studies (1)
GCE O Level:
Biology (B),
Geography (E)
GCSE: English
Language (B)
GCE A level:
Chemistry (E),
Physics (C), Pure and Applied Mathematics (D)
HNC: Chemistry (9 merits)
BSc. (Honours):
Chemistry (2ii)
Ph. D. (Effects of
Metal Ions
on the Synthesis and Properties of Conducting Polymers)
Current Employment: Electronic
Arts Ltd.:
Software Tester (February 2008 -
Present)
Previous Employment:MMR
International: Data analysis
(December 2007 - February 2008)
Electronic
Arts Ltd.:
Software Tester (November 2006 -
November 2007)
Electronic
Arts Ltd.:
Software Tester (November 2005 -
October 2006)
Electronic
Arts Ltd.:
Software Tester (November 2004 -
October 2005)
Kingston University: Postdoctoral Research
Assistant (June - October 2004)
Electronic Arts Ltd.:
Software Tester (February - May 2004)
Ofsted: Assistant Administator (January 2004)
Electronic
Arts Ltd.: Software Tester (May - November 2003)
Bradford & Bingley:
Property Services Assistant (April 2003)
Enthone-OMI: Analytical chemist (1991-1994),
Quality
control assistant (1994-1998)
Shell UK: Temporary Clerk
(1989)
Silvermere Golf Course: Kitchen assistant
(1988)
Candis: Delivery Person
(1985-1988)
External Poster Sessions: The seventh Annual Parliamentary Reception for Younger Researchers in Science, Engineering, Medicine and Technology at the House of Commons, London, 2005.
External
Talks: Surrey University,
Surrey Colloquium, 2000.
Bangor, 5th.
International
Materials Conference, 2001.
Publications:
“Effects of CoCl2 and Other
Additives on Poly(3-alkylthiophene) Synthesis and Properties”, C.M.
Pratt, P.J.S. Foot, R. Davis, J. Mater. Chem., Submitted.
“Electrochromic properties of
Transition Metal Containing Polythiophene Derivatives”, C.M. Pratt,
P.J.S. Foot, R. Davis, Prepared ready for submission in April in
Polymer.
“Preoperative Opacification of
Intraocular Lenses”, C. M. Pratt, S. Barton, E. McGonigle, M. Kishi, P.
J. S. Foot, J. Mater. Sci.: Mater. Med., 2007; 18: 583-589.
“The Effects of Irradiation on
Intraocular lenses”, C. M. Pratt, S. Barton, E. McGonigle, M. Kishi, P.
J. S. Foot, Polym. Degrad. Stabil., 2006; 91: 2315-2317.
Citations:
“Conducting Polymers”, P Foot, A Kaiser in
“Kirk-Othmer Encyclopaedia of Chemical Technology Fifth Edition”, R.E.
Kirk, D.F. Othmer, John Wiley & Sons, 2004.
“Computational
Nanotechnology: Computational Design and Analysis of Nanosize
Electronic Components and Circuits”, J.A. Darsey and D.A. Buzatu in
“Handbook of Theoretical and
Computational
Nanotechnology”, M. Rieth, W. Schommers, American Scientific
Publishers, 2005.
