The Graduate Assistant
The original purpose of this position was 'to aid Professor Hawking in those areas which he has difficulty due to his disability'. Since then the job has expanded. It now includes:- Managing Professor Hawking's national and international travel. Expect to spend around 3 months out of the UK
- Preparation of lecture graphics and public speaking
- Dealing with the media and press
- Development of Professor Hawking's computer systems
- Maintenance of computer and medical equipment
- Answering inquiries from the public and maintaining the website
- Departmental and administrative roles
The post is available to recent graduates holding a Maths, Physics or Computer Science degree and a full driving licence. For further information please contact Graduate_Assistant@damtp.cam.ac.uk
There have been a number of
GA's. In reverse chronological order they are:
05 - David Pond
02 - 05 Tom Pelly
00 - 02 Neel Shearer
98 - 00 Chris Burgoyne
97 - 98 Tom Auld
95 - 97 Tom Kendall
94 - 95 Jon Rogers
93 - 94 Simon Gill
92 - 93 Timothy Hunt
91 - 92 Jonathan Brenchley
Pre 1991: Stuart Jameson,
Andrew Dunn, Nick Phillips, Raymond Laflamme, David Thomas and Colin Williams.
Before he left, Chris Burgoyne was asked to write a few words describing this post for the website.
Graduate Assistant to Professor Hawking: Chris Burgoyne
I have been asked to write a few words about myself and to try to explain to the readers of these pages what my position with Stephen involves.In terms of my academic background, I have a Bachelors degree in Mathematics from the University of Manchester. Such a degree makes up part of the requirements for this job (although a degree in either Physics or Computer Science would have proved as effective). I also have the mandatory driving licence.
Past GA's have held degrees in a number of different classes from various universities. It is not really an academic post, although it does contain academic elements. The position has been described by various individuals as: graduate student, technical assistant, researcher, aide… you name it. None of them are entirely correct (especially not the first). So, Graduate Assistant it is.
One of the major projects I have been involved with is this web site. The idea of renovating these pages came out of a conversation with a friend of mine, Chris Moore. He is the Intel engineer who carried out an awful lot of the design- (and donkey-) work on the computer system that Stephen has attached to his wheelchair.
I hope that you enjoy these new pages. The previous site was very good when it was first produced, but I think it is the very nature of computing, and particularly the web, that things have advance at a startling rate over the last few years. It is difficult even for those on the inside of the industry to keep up. The design team, Okupi, have tried to produce a site which will stand the test of time. I hope that it stands the test of the user.
I also spend some of my time answering questions from the general public. Stephen is often quoted as saying we should all keep asking questions. That is the only way we will ever get to know the answers. Stephen tries to answer some of your questions. Unfortunately, neither of us have the time to answer all of your questions. Again we hope that these web pages, and many of the links from them, will be of assistance to you.
On a more practical note, I am responsible for the initial maintenance of Stephen's many computer systems and for light maintenance of his wheelchair. This is a very important part of my job. For Stephen, like many people who use computers as an essential part of their daily lives, even the most minor computer problem is a potential disaster. I try my hardest to avoid such things.
I am also responsible for making sure that his travelling goes according to plan. Stephen is very fond of travelling. It is an excellent way to see the world and to meet up with other people. You cannot expect the world to come to you. Sometimes you have to go out and meet it.
As part of his many trips around the UK and abroad, he often gives public lectures. You can find some of these past lectures on this site. I am responsible for the appearance of the displays that he shows the audience. The lecture itself, by far the most important part, is all Stephen's own work.
On a personal note, the travelling was probably the reason I applied for this job. I have been given the opportunity to travel to many different places and to meet all sorts of interesting people. I will probably be telling my friends (and boring them to tears) for a long time about my conversation with Bill Clinton, and the size of the breakfasts at the Watergate Hotel. In the first 12 months of my 17 month job I have visited: San Jose, Monterrey, LA, Dallas, Washington, Chicago, Santa Barbara, Atlanta, Berlin and Boston…in that order.
I should point out that I am not alone when it comes to assisting Stephen. Stephen has an excellent PA, Karen Sime, and a number of brilliant nurses (who I couldn't name all at once for fear of missing one out!). They are a wonderful group of people who have made my job just about possible.
Anyway, that is enough of my 'gushing' (I have been very uncomfortable writing this piece). I hope that it doesn't show too much.
There was an article in the Guardian, published on the 23rd August '99, which explains a little more about the post of the GA. If you are still interested in hearing more about the job, and finding out about applications, please feel free to drop an email to Graduate_Assistant@damtp.cam.ac.uk