Staff Spotlight: Patrick Ballantyne
The GDSL are thrilled to announce a number of new staff members. To provide you with an understanding of their background, expertise and their experiences in their new roles, we will be introducing two new staff members each week.
We are thrilled to introduce Research Associate Dr. Patrick Ballantyne. Here is what they had to say.
Did you always intend to go into academia? If not, what made you pursue a career in this field?
At the end of my undergraduate studies, which I also did at Liverpool, I had secured a place to go off and train to become a geography teacher. But here I am now, 9 years into my academic journey, with a PhD in hand, sitting on a bed in a hotel room, contemplating why I am continuing to pursue a career in the field. Ok, so here’s my sales pitch about why academia is great!
The most ‘academic’ answer I can give, and one that truly does come from the heart, is that I wanted to do something where I felt I was making an impact, beyond just making a company more money. I’ve just completed a project which could see new train stations, cycle routes and transport infrastructure in your local neighbourhood – depending on where you live, and what our dashboard says about your area. That is really exciting!! Yes, you can do this stuff in the public sector, I know. But in the public sector can you go from working on transport infrastructure, to a project on sustainable high streets the next week, just because you fancy it? No. Well in academia you can!
Aside from this, there are lots of perks to being an academic. In the last 12 months, I’ve been to Kyoto, Tokyo, New York, Seoul, Busan, and lots of UK cities on various work trips, and I’ve met lots of cool people along the way. Travelling and meeting new people is one of the greatest parts of the job, especially when you get that ‘click’ in your head for a collaborative project with someone and it ends up being even better than you first imagined, or that first taste of the best ramen you’ve ever experienced (on university expenses!).
Why is the Geographic Data Science Lab a great place to study and work in?
The lab has been my home for nearly 9 years now. It’s a real melting pot of experiences, cultures, and identities, and that’s what I think makes it the great place it is today. As well as being at the forefront of research in our area, the lab is a friendly and positive place to be a student and/or member of staff – I’ve been both, and it’s been great! I particularly love that we share a big open plan office, which creates a working environment offering a high level of collegial support and collaborative opportunities, but also builds solid friendships that will last a lifetime. I regard some of the friendships I have made in the lab as very important to me, and I can’t wait to see where everyone ends up - partially because I can’t wait to have an excuse to go and visit them all!
The second reason why you should come and study/work with us is Liverpool. Need I say more. If the census ascribed a ranking of ‘neighbourhood friendliness’ to you based on your address or UPRN (census nerds unite), I guarantee Liverpool would come out fairly near the top. Scousers are some of the nicest people you will meet. We also have excellent food and drink in the city, plenty of live music and footie (if you can get a ticket), relatively cheap rent, and some of the nicest parks you can find in the UK. Also, as a die-hard Eurovision fan, it was mind-blowing to leave the lab at 4pm and walk down to the docks in time to catch all the live acts during Eurovision 2023 – you don’t get that opportunity everywhere!