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John Thatcher

@johnthatcher

AI researcher and data specialist focused on reinforcement learning from human feedback.

United Kingdom
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What I'm looking for

I seek research-driven roles in RL/RLHF or applied ML where I can improve model performance, mentor teams, collaborate remotely, and contribute to safe, effective AI systems.

I am an AI researcher and data specialist with over seven years' experience in data annotation, machine learning, and reinforcement learning research, currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science at the University of Sheffield focused on RLHF for LLMs and robotics. I have industry experience at Apple and Endava, plus academic tutoring and research supervision, and I have published and presented work at IJCAI and NeurIPS workshops.

I excel at data evaluation, object tagging, improving AI model performance, and collaborating remotely across cross-functional teams; my work concentrates on reducing human burden in interactive RLHF systems while advancing safe, effective AI through rigorous evaluation and applied research.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

University of Sheffield logoUS

University of Sheffield

Doctor of Philosophy, Computer Science

2022 -

Activities and societies: Research on RLHF for LLMs and robotics; academic teaching and research supervision; conference publications and presentations.

Pursuing a PhD in Computer Science researching reinforcement learning from human feedback to improve deep RL and fine-tune AI agents with minimal human input.

University of Sheffield logoUS

University of Sheffield

Master of Science, Computer Science

2019 - 2021

Grade: Distinction

Activities and societies: Thesis on reinforcement learning in conversational AI; attended workshops and departmental research activities.

Completed an MSc in Computer Science with Distinction, focusing on applications of reinforcement learning in conversational AI systems.

University of Sheffield logoUS

University of Sheffield

Bachelor of Science, Computer Science

2015 - 2018

Activities and societies: Undergraduate coursework in AI and programming; supervised later as a tutor and research assistant.

Completed a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science covering core topics in AI, programming, and machine learning.

Tech stack

Software and tools used professionally

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