Andrew Bonney

I joined BBC R&D as an Industrial Trainee in 2010 having graduated from the University of Manchester with a degree in Electronic Engineering. Having gained experience in broadcast media (in particular radio) during my time at University I was keen to pursue a career in the industry.

Following on from the Industrial Trainee programme I was successful in applying for the Trainee Research Technologist scheme, for which I've just completed my first of three placements in R&D's Centre House lab.

One of the great things about the trainee scheme is the placement structure, meaning I've already been able to work within three sections, each concentrating on a different aspect of the broadcast chain. I started off working on the audience facing side of things, developing an application to capture and analyse audience comments on TV and radio programmes via social media. I then moved on to look at technologies for set top boxes and synchronisation of content via second screen applications and similar. This particular placement involved a brief period developing a TV synchronised Dalek toy which caught the attention of some newspapers following an open day.

Most recently, I've been working within the Digital Service Development section, concentrating on developing software to enable future technologies for the Freeview TV platform. This varied placement structure has already given me exposure to several programming languages, and helped me to gain a greater understanding of how the BBC is able to bring broadcast content from idea through to reception in people's homes.

The training offered by the programme has been one of the most interesting and enjoyable parts of the job to date, with six weeks spent learning about broadcast technology theory and practice, including plenty of hands on experience. I've also been lucky enough to be involved in several outside events, demonstrating R&D's technology to the public at the Radio Festival and Maker Faire.

With two placements left in the trainee programme, I'm looking forward to trying out some more things I've had little experience in to date, such as image processing. I'll also be heading back to R&D's new base in Salford's Media City.