Staff Profiles
Dr Neil Davies, BSc, PhD, MBCS, CEng, CITP
Chief Scientist & Co-Founder
Neil Davies is an expert in resolving the practical and theoretical challenges of large scale distributed and high-performance computing, particularly scalability effects in large distributed systems, their operational quality, and how to manage their degradation gracefully under saturation and adverse operational conditions. He is a computer scientist, mathematician and hands-on software developer who builds rigorously engineered working systems and scalable demonstrators of new computing and networking concepts.
Throughout his 20-year career at the University of Bristol he was involved with early developments in networking, its protocols and their implementations. He collaborated with organisations such as NATS, Nuclear Electric, HSE, ST Microelectronics and CERN on issues relating to scalable performance and operational safety. He was also technical lead on several large EU Framework collaborations relating to high performance switching, and has mentored PhD candidates at CERN.
He co-founded Degree2 Innovations in 2000, commercialising network QoS research, and went on to found Predictable Network Solutions in 2003. He has worked on performance aspects of the Department of Defense’s Future Combat Systems project, and has developed approaches to delivering consistent video telephony for sign language users over retail broadband. He is the co-author of several patent families.
Fred Hammond, BSc
Commercial Director & Co-Founder
Fred Hammond started his career as a network architect for IBM, specialising in distributed directory services, and now has twenty-two years experience as a networking specialist. He founded two companies prior to co-founding PNSol. His primary focus for the past two decades has been international business development. In that capacity he has worked with Fibronics, Racal Interlan, Proteon, Standard Microsystems Corporation (SMC), Accton Technologies (Taiwan), 3M Telecommunications Division and U4EA Technologies - facilitating the acquisition of four of these companies.
His principal interests are launching new technologies to market, especially in the area of predictable and reliable services for SoHo applications. He is an avid skier and is Chairman of the Board and President for a USSA Alpine Race Team for children, which is based in New Hampshire, where he lives.
Peter Thompson, BSc
Consultant Scientist
Peter Thompson joined Predictable Network Solutions after several years as Chief Scientist of GoS Networks Limited (formerly U4EA Technologies). Previously he was co-founder and CEO of Degree2 Innovations, commercialising advanced research into network QoS undertaken with Neil Davies during the preceding four years at the Partnership in Advanced Computing Technology in Bristol, England, where he was a Senior Research Fellow.
Before that he spent eleven years at STMicroelectronics, where one of his numerous patents for parallel computing and communications received a corporate World-wide Technical Achievement Award. For five years he was the Subject Editor for VLSI and Architectures of the journal Microprocessors and Microsystems, published by Elsevier.
He has degrees in mathematics and physics from the Universities of Warwick and Cambridge, and spent five years researching general relativity, twistor theory and quantum theory at the University of Oxford, supervised by Professor Roger Penrose. He has published papers and co-authored and co-edited several books on parallel computing and communications.
In March 2021 he was presented with an Outstanding Contributor Award by the Broadband Forum, and in March 2022 was inducted into their Circle of Excellence.
He is also chair of the Bristol Energy Cooperative, has the rank of 3rd Dan in Takemusu Aikido, and is a keen choral singer.
Dr Dave Reeve, BSc, PhD
Consultant Systems Architect
Dave Reeve studied for both his bachelor and doctorate degrees at the University of Kent, with a few years in industry between them. His PhD topic was in novel approaches to delivering predictable end-to-end network quality of service, which was sponsored by Degree2 Innovations. Prior to joining PNSol in 2004, he worked at Racal Defence Electronics, CERN, and as a consultant for several ISPs.
His professional interests are in network performance and innovative quality of service solutions for delivering assured network services. He has a continuing interest in wireless communications, having been involved in amateur radio systems, especially packet-based, for many years. He enjoys rock climbing, has served as President of the Mountaineering Society, and can frequently be found hanging from a cliff-face on weekends.
Lucy Hazell, MChem
Packet Flow Performance Analyst
Lucy Hazell joined PNSol in 2011, after completing her masters in Chemistry with Mathematics from the University of Sheffield.
She is particularly interested in the long-term stability, usability and reliability of telecommunications as an integral worldwide phenomenon.