Hi, I’m Matt, and more than anything this blog is a somewhat under-used reference library so that I remember what I’ve done/learnt. It’s also an attempt to motivate me to learn more, or rather learn in a more structured manner. If you’re interested in me in a professional capacity then please visit my portfolio website.
Posts will mainly be on data science tools and techniques, largely (but not solely) in R.
I’m currently a freelance data science/research consultant sort of person. Prior to August 2022 I worked as a professional analyst for the UK Civil Service in a variety of roles, but largely in the Cabinet Office. Between November 2023 and August 2025 I worked for the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford, specifically on the Blavatnik Index of Public Administration. Anything written in this blog is my own personal content and is not a statement of official policy of any employer or organisation I have done work for.
The Lapsed Geographer
Why “The Lapsed Geographer” as a blog title? My academic background is in geography, it was one of my favourite subjects at school and the subject of my undergraduate degree. So while geography and maps still hold a special place in my heart, most of my work hasn’t been very geographical for quite some time.
You want the long story?? Well… after my undergrad BSc in Geography from University College London, I worked for a small urban regeneration consultancy as an interim policy researcher for the London Borough of Hackney. I then entered the Civil Service as a research officer for HMRC, and picked up an MSc in Social Research Methods and Statistics from City University, London along the way. After a couple of years in HMRC I joined the Cabinet Office to help set up the Civil Service People Survey, a team which I then went on to lead for about 6 years. During a sabbatical from the Civil Service I went to work for the OECD’s Observatory of Public Sector Innovation for a year. I returned to the Cabinet Office in late 2017 my work has increasingly focussed on the application of data science tools and techniques to improve our approach to analysis. I left the Cabinet Office, and the Civil Service in August 2022.
I have a Bluesky account that I don’t use very much, and an even less used Mastodon account. You can view my public code on GitHub, or read my portfolio website.
Privacy
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Terms of use
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