Peter Morris

Lecturer in Computing

Worcester Business School

Department of Computing

Contact Details

email: p.morris@worc.ac.uk

Peter is a Lecturer in Computing within Worcester Business School. He has had a hybrid career, working in IT and lecturing at University, while also being a professional musical director, pianist and composer.

He was previously Director of IT within a FTSE 100 company and has long been a specialist in application and systems programming, having worked at IBM as a Senior Systems Engineer and in an Internet startup, leading a team of programmers developing anti-malware systems.

Prior to joining the ¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Peter was Director of Undergraduate Studies in Music and Sound Recording at the University of Surrey, where he taught technical and creative modules including synthesis and sampling, acoustics, and programming for music applications.

Qualifications

  • BA

  • MA

  • PGCAP

  • FHEA

  • Apple Certified Trainer

Teaching Interests

Peter has taught on programming modules at all levels, from foundation year to third year undergraduate. He is a specialist in Unity, the computer games engine, and in several programming languages including C#, Java and Python.

He was a researcher/lecturer in the Digital World Research Centre at the University of Surrey, investigating smart homes, how people traverse the web, and using eye tracking systems to determine optimum website design, all being projects funded by external bodies, including the EU.

While at Surrey, he taught Object Oriented Programming to music students to help them create and perform electronic and experimental music.

Research Interests

In Computing and Computer Science:

  • Web usage across European businesses (project funded by the EU EICSTES project)
  • Use of AI in software development
  • Application usability (project funded by the Bailiwick of Guernsey)
  • Algorithm design and efficiency

In Music:

  • Film music, in particular Scott Bradley and Carl Stalling
  • The musicals of Stephen Sondheim
  • Humour in Music

Recent Publications

Publications

  • EU Project EICSTES (FP4) (2001) On developing a tool for Web Log analysis*
  • EU Project EICSTES (FP4) (2002) Review of Web Log Analysis Tool*
  • Trust by Design (2002) Paper on developing trust in online systems for the Bailiwick of Guernsey (DWRC)
  • The Guernsey Benchmarks (2002) Paper on developing e-commerce systems for the Bailiwick of Guernsey (DWRC)*
  • EU Project EICSTES (FP4) (2003) Towards an Understanding of User Behaviour on the Internet*
  • Playing Cat and Mouse: The Music of Scott Bradley (2007) in BBC Music Magazine (March 2007). BBC: London*
  • Dreamworking Wallace & Gromit: Musical Thematics in The Curse of 
the Were-Rabbit in Drawn to Sound (2010) ed. Rebecca Coyle. Equinox: London*
  • Humour Between the Keys in Sounding Funny (2015) ed. Mark Evans and Philip Hayward. Equinox: London*

Items marked with an asterisk were peer reviewed or, in the case of Playing Cat and Mouse, subject to editorial review.

Selected Conference Papers and Research Seminars

  • DWRC Seminar (2002) On building a mathematical model for analysing Web Usage (Surrey)
  • Music and Gesture (2004): Metaphor and Semiotics in Cartoon Music (UEA)
  • Research Seminar (2004): Contextualising the cartoon (Surrey)
  • Research Seminar (2006): A History of Music in American Comedy Cartoon Shorts (Surrey)
  • Research Seminar (2006): Using Reaktor as a compositional tool (Royal Holloway)
  • L&T Symposium (2007): Appreciative Enquiry – a review of good practice (Surrey)
  • Research Seminar (2007): Developing terminology for the analysis of humour in music (Surrey)
  • Screen 2008 (2008): The Music of Scott Bradley (Glasgow)
  • British Institute of Humour (2010): The Cat Concerto as a Vehicle for Humour in Music (Surrey)

Musical performances include many venues in the UK, Europe and the United States, principally as Musical Director and pianist. Compositions have been performed on BBC TV and radio, at the BBC Proms, and by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Awards and Prizes

Awards from University of Surrey

  • Winner of Curriculum Innovation Award (2008)
  • Finalist in the University L&T Awards (2008-9)
  • Winner of SCEPTRE award for introducing Enquiry Based Learning (2009)
  • Winner of Teaching with New Technology Award (2009)
  • Winner of the main University Learning and Teaching Award (2011)
  • Winner of School of Arts Learning & Teaching Award (2014)
  • Nominated by students as Academic of the Year (2015)

Awards and nominations outside of Surrey

  • Winner of IBM Outstanding Contribution Award (1987)
  • Nominated for the Smithsonian Humanities Award for contribution to IT (1996)
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy