Dr Nicola L C Talbot
I am a chartered mathematician and computer programmer with experience typesetting using LaTeX (pronounced “lay-tek” or “lah-tek”). I am a member of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications and the TeX User Group. I'm an honorary lecturer at the School of Computing Sciences, University of East Anglia and am married to Dr Gavin Cawley. (Just to clear up any confusion over my name, my married name is "Mrs Nicola Cawley" and my professional name is "Dr Nicola Talbot".)
Qualifications
- B.Sc. (Hons) Class I in Mathematics at the University of Essex, 1991.
- Ph.D. entitled “An application-oriented comparison of optimisation and neural-based design techniques”. Department of Electronic Systems Engineering, University of Essex, 1996.
- Diploma in Creative Writing. University of East Anglia, 2011.
Programming Languages
My first introduction to programming was an undergraduate course in Modula 2 (1988–9). I then began learning BBC Basic from the Acorn manuals. I started learning C for my PhD (1991–5) and continued using it until the early 2000s, when I switched to Java. I’ve also used various scripting languages (mostly bash, Perl and PHP) and web languages (HTML, CSS and JavaScript). I started using LaTeX as a post-graduate to typeset my thesis. I have a number of open source applications available on GitHub and various LaTeX packages available on CTAN.Interviews
Books
LaTeX
- LaTeX for Complete Novices Nicola L. C. Talbot. Dickimaw Books, 2012. ISBN 978-1-909440-00-5
- Using LaTeX to Write a PhD Thesis Nicola L. C. Talbot. Dickimaw Books, 2013. ISBN 978-1-909440-02-9
- LaTeX for Administrative Work Nicola L. C. Talbot. Dickimaw Books, 2015. ISBN 978-1-909440-07-4
Novels
- The Private Enemy Nicola L. C. Talbot. Dickimaw Books, 2014. ISBN 978-1-909440-05-0
Short Story E-books
- I’ve Heard the Mermaid Sing Nicola L. C. Talbot. Dickimaw Books, 2013. ISBN 978-1-909440-04-3
- Unsocial Media Nicola L. C. Talbot. Dickimaw Books, 2023. ISBN 978-1-909440-12-8
Children’s Books
- The Foolish Hedgehog Written by Nicola L. C. Talbot, illustrated by Magdalene Pritchett. Dickimaw Books, 2012. ISBN 978-1-909440-01-2
- Quack, Quack, Quack. Give My Hat Back! Written by Nicola L. C. Talbot, illustrated by Magdalene Pritchett. Dickimaw Books, 2013. ISBN 978-1-909440-03-6
- Cuac, Cuac, Cuac. ¡Devuélveme mi sombrero ya! Written by Nicola L. C. Talbot, illustrated by Magdalene Pritchett, translated by Gonzalo Medina. Dickimaw Books, 2013. ISBN 978-1-909440-06-7