About
Hi! My name is Rory, and I work at the intersection of radical pedagogy and innovative technology.
I strive to develop highly engaging educational content for STEM-oriented gifted students, emphasizing project-based and passion-driven learning.
I advocate for young people's right to learn what is important to them while developing independence, thinking skills, and ownership of their learning journey.
Current Programs
Skills
Leadership
Team & Project Management
Organizational Reform
Non-Profit Management
Community Development
Education
Radical Pedagogy & Philosophy
Twice-Exceptionality & Giftedness
Computer Science Education
Research & Project-Based Learning
Education Programs
Curriculum Design
Program Development & Leadership
Logistics Management
Content Creation
Research & Analysis
Participatory Design Research
Mixed Methods & Qualitative Research
Data Analysis & Visualization
Written Communication
Specializations
Computer Science & STEM
Digital Humanities
Computational Arts
Skill Development & Mentoring
Portfolio
- All
- Wolfram
- Academic Work
- UX and Video Game Design
- Side Projects
Testimonials
Mark Kukis
Minerva University
Rory’s capstone project was among the strongest I have seen, demonstrating a deep knowledge of various great thinkers in education and significant skill in translating pedagogical ideas into practical applications.
Renee Franzwa
EdSurge
Rory is a an incredibly passionate, driven individual. We worked closely together on the EdSurge Independent Fellowship Program, during which Rory thoughtfully helped grow the program, in numbers and in credibility.
They co-led the cohorts of student writers over three semesters through marketing efforts, project management, varying platforms of communication, organizing guest speakers, networking and data collection/user research.
They are an incredibly kind, hard working leader and I look forward to a day that we may be able to work together again.
Alec Titterton
Wolfram Research Europe
Rory was a great intern and performed well on the project.
They are competent, professional, they communicate in a clear and timely manner, and working remotely they completed the project to a high standard.
Caroline Dowler
Marketing Dimensions
Rory designed and delivered our new consultancy website and we are very pleased with the result.
They were delightful to work with and despite the time difference between the US and UK, we managed to work extremely effectively over FaceTime and email.
Rory has great technical skills, along with an eye for design and I recommend them without hesitation.
Cornelius & Pia Frey
Opinary
Rory is extremely resourceful and combines great creativity with heavy analytical/quantitative skills.
They impressed the whole team with their productivity, their enthusiasm, their broad and deep skill-set, their creativity and commitment.
They made a big impact at Opinary, had a remarkable output and delivered more than expected. We enjoyed having them as a part of our team and I highly recommend working with them.
Stephen Kosslyn
Minerva University
Through working with Rory on developing academic writing workshops, I know them well enough to justify my high confidence in their abilities and personal characteristics.
They are not only a superb writer, but also a very organized thinker who has a wonderful work ethic and sense of social responsibility.
I recommend them highly.
Brenda Salas
Liberty Global
I was consistently impressed by Rory’s boldness and adaptability and I would not hesitate to recommend Rory for any role in which they can engage in complex projects, immerse themself in a new place and culture, and make use of their verbal and written communication skills.
Resume Highlights
Education
MA Video Game Development
2023 - 2025
Falmouth University, Remote, Part Time
At Falmouth, I am learning to design and develop video games, focusing on purposeful play for persuasion and education.
Falmouth's Game Academy is ranked first in the UK for Game Development education.
MA Education & Technology
2021 - 2023
University College London, Remote, Part Time
At UCL, I studied the Design and Use of Technologies for Education, Learning Design for Blended and Online Education, Key Issues and Debates in Education and Technology, and Researching Digital Learning.
My thesis, which won an Exceptional Dissertation Achievement Award, focused on using participatory design to create a virtual learning environment for Twice Exceptional (simultaneously gifted and learning disabled) students, resulting in a working prototype, a guide to doing participatory research with this unique group, and the first ever co-created twice-exceptional user persona.
UCL's Institute of Education is ranked first in the world in the QS World University Subject Rankings.
BSc Computational Sciences: AI & Data Science
2015 - 2019
I graduated as a member of the first graduating class at Minerva, an innovative university with a <1.5% acceptance rate. Minerva students study a major within a broad liberal arts curriculum, as well as following a global rotation, living in six world cities across four years.
At Minerva, I studied a range of subjects, from Morality and Justice to Constructing Theories of Good Governance, and from Harnessing Artificial Intelligence Algorithms to Complex Systems.
In my final year, I focused on Data and Computer Science depth studies. My tutorial subjects included Computational Urbanism and Program Evaluation, and I completed my thesis on teaching computational thinking using Wolfram Language and Raspberry Pi computers.
Minerva University is ranked #1 Most Innovative University in the World by World's Universities with Real Impact (WURI)
Professional Experience
College & Pre-College Education Programs Manager
2022 - Present
Instructional Designer and Technologist
2019 - 2022
Education Outreach Coordinator
2019
Wolfram Research, USA
At Wolfram, I develop and deliver a variety of project and research-based computer science education programs for students from middle school to executive level. I have built a supportive ecosystem of programs and resources to engage talented youth across mediums, from in-person camps to virtual research programs to self-serve projects and webinars.
I completely redesigned the curriculum and learning experience for the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program (a three-week project-based program for gifted students), bringing student satisfaction from 42% to 98%, and then redesigned the program again in order to move online in 2020.
In order to support younger students and to improve our engagement with female students, I founded, designed, and directed the Wolfram Middle School Summer Camp, a one-week introduction to programming for girls. Over 50% of alumni go on to attend the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program.
Previously, summer program students had no further engagement with Wolfram. In order to combat this, I founded, designed, and delivered the Wolfram Emerging Leaders Program, a research program for our most talented high school and undergraduate students. This program now has more than 150 alumni and 93% of students rate it as the most influential educational experience of their high school careers.
To support my programs, I designed and built a cloud-based learning management system that tracks learner experience and creates custom documents for students.
I have also developed Computational Adventures, a subscription service and community for students to learn Wolfram Language and computational thinking through a series of mini-projects ranging from art creation to cryptography to poetry and data analysis.
Alongside these programs, I also develop and teach the Introduction to Wolfram Language Study Group at Wolfram U, lead seminars at the University of Illinois, teach coding and design thinking at local high schools and libraries, work with other departments as an education subject matter expert, and manage the College/Pre-College Education Programs team.
Internships
Summer Internships
Data Analytics and Research Contractor
2018
EdSurge, San Francisco, CA
- Having worked with EdSurge Independent, a publication for student voice activists, for over two years (see below), I wrote a report for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which successfully justifed our funding.
People Analytics Intern
2017
Amazon, Luxembourg
- I was in charge of a group of three interns as we performed a regression analysis on data relating to attrition in Fulfillment Centers.
- I mapped the data flow for Amazon Human Resources Operations across Europe, and created interactive data maps to improve data transfer and discovery.
- I also taught classes to other interns on inferential statistics, data visualization, and RStudio.
Global Human Resources Intern
2016
Liberty Global, Denver, CO
- I researched and formulated proposals on how to improve employee engagement using reward schemes and gamified systems.
- My main project was to propose a new internship and graduate program. This project formed the basis of Liberty Global's new, globally implemented graduate scheme.
Semester Internships
Computer Based Math Projects Intern
June 2018 - February 2019
Wolfram Research, UK
- I worked with Wolfram Research in the UK to build a series of projects for children aged 8-12 to develop their computational thinking skills.
- The projects teach children to code interesting tools and games in Wolfram Language, using Raspberry Pi computers.
Program Developer, Community Manager and Founder
May 2016 - September 2018
EdSurge, San Francisco, CA
- EdSurge Independent amplifies global student voice through diverse, action-oriented dialogue.
- I designed and delivered a curriculum of speakers and discussion sessions to multiple cohorts of students. I took on the responsibilities of documenting decisions, creating business and marketing plans, building the community via Facebook and Slack, and curating and editing our Medium publication. I was also in charge of recruiting and training new team members.
Customer Analytics and Data Science Intern
September 2016 - January 2017
Opinary, Germany
- I completed a data analysis project using genetic matching and linear regression, with the goal of recommending data-backed strategies for improving customer engagement.
- I also created video tutorials teaching news outlets how to use Opinary software.
Previous Education
Certificate: Education Innovation
Summer 2018
Wolfram Summer School, Boston, MA
The Wolfram Summer School is a competitive computer science program run by Wolfram Research.
I participated in the Education Innovation Track, where I built a product that allows children to write and deploy their own surveys, and then experiment with different ways to visualize their data.
Certificate of Higher Education: Education
2014 - 2015
Before transferring to Minerva, I completed my first year of a degree in Education, focusing on the history, sociology, and psychology of childhood, youth, and schooling.
I achieved a First Class certificate, equivalent to a 4.0 GPA. Almost all of my essays and exam papers are being used as exemplary materials by the university.
Diploma: Norwegian Language and Culture, Art and Design
2013 - 2014
Rønningen Folkehøgskole, Oslo, Norway
Folkehøgskole is a one-year residential program offering not only academic training but also an opportunity to develop leadership, social and interpersonal skills.
I learned Norwegian in this immersive environment as one of 10 international students. I minored in Art and Design, focusing on graphic design, photography, and abstract painting alongside traditional Norwegian crafting.
A-Levels (UK)
2011 - 2013
The King's School, Gloucester, UK
- Mathematics
- Philosophy and Ethics
- English Literature
- AS Level Extended Project (Statistical Analysis of Factors Affecting National PISA Performance)