Sam was the Research Data Manager at WISERD from it’s inception, he was responsible for the day-to-day operational management of the hub’s Data Team. Responsibilities included the management of the WISERD’s research data; overseeing data archiving and curation; developing and maintaining research and administrative databases, websites and web-applications; data analysis and visualisation (e.g. using GIS); and, overseeing the procurement and maintenance of hardware/software associated with data collection and analysis.
Sam worked at Cardiff University since 2009, occupying roles both at WISERD and within the Cardiff School of Social Sciences. Since October 2013 he has been part of a knowledge transfer partnership between WISERD and Senedd Cymru (Welsh Parliament). Here, he works with Senedd Research, assisting with research that has a geospatial component, advising on the use of geospatial data and helping to foster collaborative projects between the two organisations.
He has a BSc (2:1) in Geography from Cardiff University (2008) and an MSc (distinction) in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) from the University of Leeds (2018).
His MSc dissertation, titled ‘Understanding town centre performance in Wales: Developing a typology for benchmarking‘, used Local Data Company data to develop a classification of towns in Wales based on their characteristics. This classification intended to identify towns which exhibit similar characteristics, enable more meaningful sharing of ideas and best practice between stakeholders. This work was published as a journal article in 2021.
In July 2025, he transitioned to a full-time position at the Senedd where he will continue working with WISERD through the aforementioned knowledge transfer partnership.
