Dr Sean Farrell

Dr Sean Farrell: Class of 1995

Currently lives: Newcastle, where he works as a data scientist for a Canadian technology company.

Since graduating from NGS in 1995, Dr Sean Farrell’s passion for knowledge has taken him from a career as an engineer to an astrophysicist and now a data scientist. He’s hunted for rare types of black holes, tracked terrorists and worked with top football clubs on performance analysis.

Sean initially studied physics and mechanical engineering. He worked as an engineer for several years before embarking on a PhD in astrophysics at the Australian Defence Force Academy and UNSW in Canberra. He developed a love of research that led to 11 years working on post-doctorate research largely in Europe, including time with the European Space Agency in France.

When he returned to Australia, Sean said astrophysics jobs were ‘thin on the ground’ so he took an opportunity in the growing field of data science. Describing himself as a ‘reformed astrophysicist’, scientific exploration remains his passion. “The common theme among my work that gets me out of bed in the morning is the thrill of discovery,” he said.

Sean has applied his data analytics and research skills to an incredibly wide array of fields, including working with the Government in national security to performance analysis for both Arsenal Football Club and AFL club, North Melbourne.

Sean returned to Newcastle two years ago and is now working as ‘data scientist at large’ for a Canadian tech start-up called Receptiviti. The company is developing applications that analyse the way people communicate to shed light on their psychology and personality.

Sean said he is loving life back in his hometown with his partner and their puppy.