Every HackLab Hero in our teaching team loves all things tech. At the very heart of what we deliver at HackLab, they are inspiring, knowledgeable, love to learn and are ready to share their passion with you.
Mark ‘MrC’ Calleja
Founder & Cyber Sensei
Mark Calleja is the co-founder and Headteacher at HackLab and oversees the curriculum development across courses. Originally from Australia, Mark is an experienced school teacher who loves making and using technology and has been interested in computers ever since he can remember. Mark was recognised by Ofsted as an ‘Outstanding’ classroom teacher in 2014, and is a Raspberry Pi Certified Educator to boot. He has been interviewed about coding on the BBC and the
Naked Scientists
show.
Pippa ‘PMo’ Moss
Founder & Managing Director
With a background in education management, Pippa is the other co-founder of HackLab. Using her talents for organisation, strategic planning and negotiation, she brings order and control to the whirling vortex of chaos that HackLab would be without her. She enjoys skateboarding, Adventure Time, yoga and knitting cunning hats in her scant free moments.
‘Mac’ Bowley
Curriculum Commander
Mac has just finished his degree in Computer Gaming Technology, and is willing to talk about programming or game design to anyone who will listen. He has been playing games since he was 4 and had an interest in computers almost as long, he loves fusing these passions to create games he wants to play. He also loves TV, cartoons, sci-fi, fantasy and comic books - maybe even more than writing code. Mac works closely with MrC to develop the curriculum and manages our online learning platforms.
Jamie ‘J-Dave’ Davidson
Master of Programming
Jamie is a recent graduate of the Computer Gaming Technology course at Anglia Ruskin University. Having been coding from the age of 13, Jamie has a passion for educating others through the use of programming. As an indie games developer, Jamie can often be found creating new and innovative content for the games he creates at his studio. His other hobbies include playing Counter Strike, and playing a variety of musical instruments.
Stuart ‘Sbart0n’ Barton
Master of Robotics
Dr B has been a member of the team since the very beginning. With many pieces of paper to his name (including a medical degree, a PhD in Physiology, a masters in Computer Science and currently studying towards a degree in Maths) and a rampant thirst for knowledge, his inquisitive mind is always coming up with new ideas for workshops and generally problem solving for HackLab. He has always had a passion for tech and can most often be found tinkering away in his batcave, probably working on the next HackLab Robot!
‘The Mighty’ Max Fredericks
Master of Game Development
Max has always been passionate about computing and technology, especially gaming. His love of games led him to embark on a successful Computer Gaming Technology course where he received a 1st class degree mark and gained recognition for his Final Project from game development company Jagex. Max helps to run camps in the Cambridge area and works on the curriculum content for our Game Development courses. He enjoys hitting the skateparks on his board to show the kids how it’s done. He is an animal lover, comic book reader and super hero enthusiast. He enjoys hiking in the great British countryside and likes to try his hand at any kind of sport.
Katy ‘KitKat’ Marshall
Master of Digital Arts
Master of Digital Arts Katy is an artist studying for a C&G accredited diploma in Computer Gaming Art and Animation. She has spent the last two summers in New York working at a summer camp specialising in Digital Art in the Visual Arts Department. It was there she got her first taste of digital fabrication. She spent her time when she wasn't teaching or looking after her campers, experimenting with the laser cutters and 3D printers. She has a deep love for art, history, philosophy, video games and technology. She fills her spare time with self-initiated art and design projects, life drawing and reading books in a number of subjects.
Alex Johansson
Makey Makey Mentor
Alex has been developing games for around 5 years and has shown his projects at exhibitions around the world. He lectures at the University of Huddersfield, where he empowers students to build their own games in Stencylworks and Unreal Engine 4. He is involved in the alternative controller community, building a variety of bizarre new methods of playing video games. From puppet boxing through to makeshift morse code machines, if you can think of it, he'll find a way to create a controller out of anything!
James ‘Sturdge’ Sturdgess
HackLab Hero
Part time instructor, part-time Viking warrior and full-time member of the Bifrost Guard; James is a competent programmer who has been programming since 2009. When he's not out pillaging villages he can be found playing video games, having fun with friends or improving his programming skills.
Sam ‘Mouldy’ Hartwell
HackLab Hero
Currently studying Computer Gaming Technology, Samuel has a passion for the gaming industry and all things surrounding it. He has previous experience working within the Gaming Industry but took time to seek other ventures whilst studying. Using his knowledge of programming language, game design and development, he hopes to assist our community to understand the Gaming world in a more in-depth way. He enjoys playing Runescape, League of Legends and many other games. You can catch him gaming on Twitch at Bk2Lumby4You.
Lisa Chalaguine
HackLab Hero
Brought up by parents who resemble Sheldon and Amy from the Big Bang Theory, Lisa, after studying law as her undergraduate degree, could eventually no longer hide her inner geek. Being surrounded by computer hardware her whole childhood, she always had a passion for technology and is currently finishing a Master's degree in Computer Science at Imperial College London. If she is not working on ways of how to make computers understand human written language, you can find her (depending on the famous London weather) running or cycling outside, swimming or figure skating indoors.
Sourav ‘Rav’ Mishra
HackLab Hero
A big kid at heart, Rav relishes in anything geeky and creative from video games and magic to super heroes and dance. He has a degree in Psychology and spent most of his working life in various professions relating to children. Over the last three and a half years Rav has worked as a Primary Teaching Assistant and has also been part of the Mad Science team as a lead instructor, presenting fun and exciting science programmes to young children. Many of his hobbies and interests are childish in nature – a happy concidence as he never seems to escape the kids, but he wouldn’t have it any other way!
Brian Corteil
Gadgetry & Gizmology Master
Brian is a lifelong maker, Raspberry Pi and Arduino fan boy, middle aged script kiddie, shameless lover of pointless LEDs and has a toy age of about an 8 year old. He loves nothing better than hacking together ‘off the shelf’ parts and turning them into something better than the sum of them. Past projects have included a Pi Wars winning Raspberry Pi robot, chocolate laying Easter bunny, evil laughing pumpkin and his ‘Naughty or Nice’ machine. His favourite project is his digital zoetrope, which has 12 small O'LED screens controlled by a Raspberry Pi. Brian loves a project that pushes him to his limits and needs learning new skills.
Steve Upton
Gizmology Guru
Steve has been a maker and tinkerer from a very early age and has been fixing things since before they were broken! He originally qualified in electronics but has spent much of his career in software, and now spends most of his time getting other people to do the work. He's working with Brian on our Gadgetry and Gizmology courses.
Charlotte 'Charlii' Wardle
HackLab Hero
Charlii is currently studying technology at Anglia Ruskin, her dream job is to teach children about tech and computers. With a couple of years experience working with younger children she'd like to give primary school teaching a go in the future. Loves gaming, particularly retro games, old school Mario is her favourite. Pretty much obsessed with all things LOTR, Charlii likes to think that in that universe she'd be an elf, which you can tell since every opportunity she gets she's wearing the Evenstar! Her hobbies include, gaming, reading, travelling, writing children's stories and roller skating.
Amir Ghoncheh
HackLab Hero
Amir is a second year undergraduate, studying engineering at University. Having been involved in a number of outreach events at University, he has developed skills and has gained experience working with young people to motivate and engage them into science and technology. His passion for technology has been strong since the young age. As a freelancer, Amir has designed websites for local businesses and loves to see his work coming alive and help the local community. He is a keen tennis player and occasionally plays the piano.
Bogdan 'Bogdy' Muresan
HackLab Hero
Coming from Romania, Bogdan is a young student with a particular interest in computer games development. With over five years of programming experience and having worked with a couple of game studios, Bogdan decided that a degree in Computer Gaming Technology is the best approach to his passion. He believes knowledge is of great importance and he is always excited to share it with people that are eager to learn. His hobbies include story writing and directing short movies.
Kacper Jurczak
HackLab Hero
Computer Science student and a beginning programmer, Kacper has traveled the length and breadth of the internet, learning all he could of the mouse and keyboard. With a passion for technology and video games he always tries to create something new and exciting. In his spare time, Kacper is often seen playing bass guitar or RPG games.
Milton De Paula
HackLab Hero
Milton is a current student of Design and Coding at Ravensbourne. He has a passion for coding and an interest in design. Milton also loves having philosophical and theological debates all things sweets and trying out new foods, especially exotic ones. He also has a special place in his heart for comic books, anime, cartoons and games, and all things weird and quirky. His favorite super heroes are Spiderman and Batman (in that order).
Pratik Meghani
HackLab Hero
Pratik is currently doing a BEng(Hons) in Aeronautical engineering and has a passion for both military and commercial aircrafts. He makes, tests and flies RC planes for both indoor and outdoor activity as a hobby. He is really looking forward to introduce RC plane building into HackLab and assisting the kids to appreciate the simple flight physics that are necessary for the activity. Pratik really enjoys using workshop machinery such as the lathe, pillar drills and milling machines. His critical thinking and problem solving skills are really impressive and he always believes that the limit is one's imagination.
Alexander 'Quinn' Wilby
HackLab Hero
Currently studying Computer Science, Quinn has been passionate about computers from a young age, having taken apart their first computer from just the age of seven. Putting it back together again was however a completely different story. When Quinn isn't dismantling hardware to find out what makes computers tick, Quinn is an active moderator for a twitch community primarily focusing on e-Sports, often partaking in the streams as Quinn loves competitive games and analysing gameplay mechanics