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Sean Preston
Head of Technology
- Phone
- +44 (0)1473 338064
- sean.preston@uos.ac.uk
- School/Directorate
- School of Technology, Business and Arts
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Sean Preston is Head of Technology within the School of Technology, Business and Arts. He leads the academic team responsible for all programmes of study in the fields of Computing, Cyber Security, Games Development, Network Engineering, Web Development and Artificial Intelligence. In addition to his position as Head of Technology, Sean is also a member of the University of Suffolk Senate and a Director on the University of Suffolk Board.
Sean is an External Examiner for technology degrees at the University of Roehampton and Sunderland University. Prior to joining the University of Suffolk, he was a Lecturer at the University of Worcester.
He has over 15 years of experience as a Web Developer creating applications for the news, tourism, education, e-commerce and banking sectors. Before becoming an academic, Sean was a Web Developer for Newsquest, one of the largest regional media companies in the UK.
Sean has a BSc in Computing, an MBA in Executive Leadership and Management and a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice. He is also a fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), a member of the British Computing Society (MBCS) and an accredited Amazon Web Services (AWS) Educator. He has won several awards for his lecturing and, in 2017, was invited to teach an intensive module in web development at Zhejiang University in Jinhua, China.
In 2011, Sean founded an online multi-channel e-commerce business responsible for selling over 30,000 automotive parts. After the sale of his company in 2014, he began working as a Web Software Developer for Just2Easy Limited developing web-based solutions to assist in teaching information technologies to primary school pupils. This software is now used by thousands of pupils worldwide and went on to win the 2015 BETT Awards in London.
Sean’s previous technical, academic and business experience allows him to develop technical solutions to meet organisational needs. This has led to his increased engagement with the university’s Business Engagement team and Innovation Centre. He provides support to SMEs on digital marketing, web technologies and web accessibility.
Sean Preston is Module Leader for:
- Introduction to Web Design
- Advanced Web Design
- Advanced Web Application Development
- Industry Web Project
He also supervises undergraduate dissertation projects and is a Personal Academic Coach for computing students.
In 2019, Sean was shortlisted for the Most Inspiring Lecturer Award at the University of Suffolk.
Sean is an External Examiner for technology courses at the University of Sunderland and the University of Roehampton. He is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).
Sean remains active in the web development sector and values the importance of combining business engagement with academic knowledge. In recent years, he has led the following business engagement and enterprise projects:
Completed:
- The development of an e-learning platform to support mental wellbeing (2019-2021)
Suffolk Mind (EIRA Project) - Improving web-based data collection methods for legal services (2020-2021)
Suffolk Law Centre (EIRA Innovation Voucher) - Cloud-based mobile lead generation and the use of SaaS subscription-based pricing models (2019)
Blue Novation (Innovation Bridge) - Bespoke keyword and SEO analysis (2019)
Norton Taylor Nunn Ltd (Innovation Bridge) - Web accessibility features for an audience with autism and ADHD (2018)
Autism and ADHD (Innovation Bridge)
Sean has also recently presented on the following business engagement topics:
- Digital Marketing (Business Breakfast - 2019)
- Traditional vs Digital Marketing: The Showdown (Business Breakfast - 2019)
- Social Media Automation (Bitesize Talk - 2020)
- Lockdown Friendly Digital Marketing Strategies (UoS Together With Business - 2020)
Sean is a Professional Member of the British Computing Society (MBCS)
In October 2018 Sean was invited to Zhejiang University in Jinhua, China to teach students web design and development. He was responsible for leading a 2-week intensive module providing students with the knowledge to build web applications using front-end technologies. Many of the students he taught went on to complete their studies in the UK.