Troy Kaighin Astarte

Dr. Troy Kaighin Astarte is a Lecturer in Computer Science at Swansea University's School of Mathematics and Computer Science, part of the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Since October 2021, they have focused on enhanced teaching and research. As Programme Director for the new BSc Digital Technology degree (launching in 2024), they emphasize pedagogical innovation. Their research spans the history of computing, formal semantics, and programming languages. They currently teach CS-115 (Programming 2) and CS-119 (Digital Devices), and supervise PhD projects in their areas of expertise.

Research Interests: Troy’s work explores the historical development of computing technologies, formal semantics in programming languages, and the societal impact of technology. They actively engage with interdisciplinary groups like the PROGRAMme research collective, which investigates foundational questions about computational programs. Recent projects include analyzing concurrency models and the role of formal methods in 20th-century European computer science.

Publications & Engagement: Troy’s recent work includes studies on historical computing devices and formal language theory. They organize public events like the 2019 Newcastle exhibition on campus-wide computing history. As Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Annals of the History of Computing (2024–2026), they promote scholarly discourse in computing history.

Grants & Collaborations: Troy leads the Leverhulme-funded project Separation & Interference: Learning from the History of Concurrency (2019). They collaborate with committees such as the ACM History Committee and contribute to academic initiatives like the Swansea Computing History Collection.

Teaching & Supervision: Current teaching focuses on programming fundamentals and digital systems. They co-supervise two PhD candidates: one exploring data quantification in 19th/20th-century sports and another studying transgender experiences with digital technology in Wales.