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Michael Frayn
Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme
Name: Michael Frayn
Age: 28
Born: Toronto, Canada
Lived in Scotland: Since September 2001
One of the first Fresh Talent clients was Canadian Michael Frayn who applied to the scheme in its first week of operation.
Joining the scheme meant his visa to work in the UK came through smoothly and quickly.
"If it wasn't for the Fresh Talent Scheme, my visa application would have taken several months to process, and it still might not have been approved. Instead, it was basically instantaneous and my academic success all but ensured approval," he said.
Mike (28) who comes from Toronto, first came to Scotland in September 2001 to take a BSC (Hons) Computer Games Technology programme at the University of Abertay in Dundee. He graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in May of last year with an Honours dissertation that focused on AI (Artificial Intelligence) Research.
"I researched the concepts of intelligence in computational models and the development of AI characters for use in predator-prey scenarios (common in video games), using the cutting-edge technique neuroevolution," he said.
After high school in Canada, Mike began teaching himself game programming at home, using whatever books he could find on the subject.
"I managed to complete several projects, over a couple of years, and built up a substantial portfolio of work," he said.
With his home-taught skills and his academic qualifications now under his belt, Mike was offered a job as a software engineer with Real Time Worlds, the entrepreneurial online games company based in Dundee.
The company is going multinational and has just opened an office in Seoul in Korea, a country that is rapidly becoming more central to the gaming world.
While Toronto to Dundee is a considerable leap in culture as well as miles, Mike has found a city he can call home
"A significant percentage of the population are students and, as a result, there is a certain vitality to the city. Furthermore, many of those students are international and this allows you to regularly interact with people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures.
"For me, coming from Toronto, that was very important."
Mike believes that programmes such as the Fresh Talent scheme are indicative of the openness of Scotland.
"The Highlands help, too," he joked.
A curious, creative and sociable individual who constantly strives to expand his intellectual horizons, Mike aims to excel in whatever he does and always welcomes a new challenge or experience.
"It was the consideration of these criteria that led me to accept my job with Real Time Worlds," he added.
"And whatever future opportunities provide the most satisfaction in these regards will be the ones that I follow through on."
Information correct at March 2007
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