About me

I am a Sêr Cymru Research Fellow at Cardiff University.

My research focuses on improving analysis of data from ground-based laser interferometer gravitational-wave observatories (e.g. LIGO and Virgo) by developing better software.

From my perspective 'better' is synonymous with 'easier to use', meaning the software should be:

intuitive (easy to use without reading the manual),
well-documented (has a good manual), and
robust (doesn't crash when it shouldn't)

Experience

Employment

Ser Cymru COFUND Research Fellow, Cardiff University (2017-2020)

Improving gravitational-wave astrophysics with advanced user-end software,

development of Python and web-based tools for the GW community to simplify data access, analysis, and visualisation,
management of development projects for LIGO data-quality investigations,
development of software and documentation to support study of open data by the wider scientific community and the public

Supported by the Welsh Government.

Postdoctoral Researcher, Louisiana State University (2013-2017)

Software systems development for the LIGO Data Grid, including:

Python tools for studying instrumental data,
large-scale data aggregation with HTML interface,
Django/ReST interface to instrumental data channel database.

Supported by National Science Foundation award PHY-1104371.

Appointments | Committees

Chair, LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC) Computing and Software Committee (2019-)
Scientific Organising Committee, Gravitational Wave Open Data Workshop #2 (2019)
Chair, LIGO-Virgo Software Change Control Board (SCCB) (2018-)
Scientific Organising Committee, Python In Astronomy 2018 (2018)
Scientific Organising Committee, Gravitational Wave Open Data Workshop #1 (2018)
Chair, LSC Remote Participation Committee (2016-)
Chair, Data-Quality sub-group of LSC Detector Characterization Committee (2014-2018)

Skills

PythonExpert
BashExpert
Web developmentExpert
Version control (git)Expert

Software packagingExpert
Continuous IntegrationExpert
DjangoExperienced
CIntermediate

Twitter

Tweets by duncanmmacleod

My projects

GWpy

A python package to trivialise access to, and basic analysis of, data from second-generation gravitational wave observatories

gwpy/gwpy

gwosc

A python interface to the GWOSC data archive

gwpy/gwosc

GWDetChar

GW Detector Characterization python utilities

gwdetchar/gwdetchar

PyCBC

Core package that provides tools to analyze gravitational-wave data, find signals, and study their parameters

gwastro/pycbc

Hveto

A Hierarchical method of identifying noise transients in gravitational-wave data

hveto/hveto

LVCAllies.org

Website for the LVC Allies anti-harrassment group

lvcallies.org

LIGO Detector Status

LIGO Open Science Center detector status website

losc.ligo.org/detector_status/

This website!

Source code for this website, powered by GitHub Pages

duncanmmacleod/duncanmmacleod.github.io

Scientific software developer