Austin completed his PhD in the Theoretical Physics of Vortex Matter in 2018 with the Theoretical Physics Group at the University of Birmingham. His research focused on the structure and dynamics of two-dimensional systems of repulsive vortices that appear in type-II superconductors.
Following this, he completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Education, specialising in secondary physics teaching and spent some time teaching in secondary schools developing pedagogy with a strong interest in A-Level standards.
Austin rejoined the University of Birmingham in 2020 as a teaching focused lecturer in the School of Metallurgy and Materials. He leads the mathematics and computer programming provision on the Engineering and Physical Sciences Foundation Year which progresses students onto undergraduate degrees within the college. He is the Academic Integrity Officer and upholds academic integrity standards in the school, supporting students with their work. He is also the Deputy Senior Tutor and supports foundation year and postgraduate research students.
Austin also co-founded 6 Bit Education LTD, an education technology company who developed Graide. Graide is a digital assessment technology that optimises grading workflow by learning how the assessor marks students’ work and automatically suggests feedback, saving time and effort while maintaining high standards of feedback.