Professor Linda A. Macaulay B.Sc, M.Sc, PhD, Cert.Ed., FBCS

Professor Emeritus in System Design at the University of Manchester, England

Fellow of the British Computer Society

Doctorate in Computation, University of Manchester

Masters in Computational Science, University of St. Andrews, Scotland

Bachelors in Mathematics, University of Sheffield, England

Certificate in Education, University of Leeds, England

Encouraging Women and Young People into Computing through:

Acting as STEM Ambassador, Leading and mentoring in Code Clubs, Mentoring at Coderdojos, Volunteering at Coolest Projects UK, Mentoring at events aimed at women, Mentoring at Hac100 Junior

Currently writing my memoir

Working Title: Empowered by Code

Synopsis

Empowered by Code is a story of a working-class girl from Lancashire who begins a life-long love affair with technology after seeing a computer for the first time in 1967. It tells of her journey to become a Professor of Computing in one of the top universities in England.

As a woman in a world dominated by men, her path is fraught with unspoken, unconscious prejudices and as a wife and mother, the playing field feels distinctly uneven. Determined and hard-working she finds a way.

Her story is a journey, from 1967 to 2017, through exciting times and epic events, from the dawn of the internet to the dotcom boom, from punch cards to the raspberry pi and virtual worlds. She witnesses the first Apollo space mission, the original worldwide broadcast of Live Aid, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the 2008 financial crisis.

Empowered as a programmer on pioneering hospital systems she learns that computer code can change lives and becomes passionate about designing for humans.

She shares her unique story through a dual lens of computers and womanhood and captures the struggles faced by many young women then and now.

The reader will learn, in an accessible way, about the history of computing. They will experience the strategies and approaches she adopts to overcome difficult, and sometimes amusing, situations.

A story of ambition, hope, passion and programming. Inspirational for future generations of women and girls in STEM, a glimmer of hope for a world in which every girl can learn and lead.