Meet the team
Ali - CEO & Founder
Ali is the Program Leader 👨🏫 for the Creative Media Department at University College Kensington 🏫. During the day he leads & lectures for the undergraduate Computer Games Design 🎮 course. He has more than 15 years of experience and has worked on many different projects with many different companies such as Siemens, London Underground and Royal Air Force (RAF). In the eyes of his 12 year old nephew, he’s the coolest uncle in the world 😎, because he makes games! One day his nephew (who was 9 years old at the time) asked to learn games design. He was surprised 😮 to see how quickly his nephew learnt the same tools his adult students use. “You’re a lot more capable than I thought!” he said. He then taught the same techniques to his 8 years old niece who also learnt just as quick. This gave him the idea 💡 to set up Software Academy, so kids as young as 6 can start learning how to code 💻 and make 3D games.
Saeed - Operations Manager
Saeed has Master’s degree 🎓 in Digital Media Design from the University of Edinburgh (👀 number 16 in world’s university ranking!🌎).
Saeed was a lecturer 👨🏻🏫 on the games design course at West Herts College 🏫 Now he is our Operations manager, the go to guy for any problem parents and tutors may face! He is our own version of Superman always ready for action!🎮 Saeed enjoys sports 🏃🏻 & music 🎵. He’s described as a dedicated manager by all of our staff!
Ana - Head of QA
Ana is the Head of Quality assurance at Software Academy and lectures 3D Games and Development part-time at higher education🏫. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Games Design and a 🎓 Master’s degree in Digital Media Design from the University of Edinburgh (👀 number 16 in world’s university ranking!🌎) . She enjoys working with kids and has been described as a “caring tutor” by our students. Ana is also a true artist 🎨 with a creative mind. Besides being an experienced user of contemporary designing technologies, she is also a fantastic artist with traditional methods of drawings and illustrations👩🎨.
Marjan - Head of QM
Marjan is our Head of Qualification Management, she graduated with a 🎮Computer Games Design and Development Diploma 🎓 , she specialised in Unreal Engine and 3ds Max. She has always worked with young children👩🏻🎓 and has a passion for education. She loves Persian music 🎵and world foods!
Jane - Lead Admin
Jane (Janie) is a 3D artist and 2D illustrator 🎨 . She has a bachelor’s degree in Games Design and digital media and has taught overseas for 9 years (Japan) 🇯🇵. She has taught English, Maths, Science, P.E, STEAM classes and even Judo 🥋. In her free time, she enjoys character design, environments and illustration, as well as running. 🏃
Marley - Admin
Marley has graduated with a Bachelor’s in Digital Media 🎨 and Games Art 🎮 from the University of Huddersfield. She has a background with freelancing in graphics design, illustration and 3D modelling 🖼️. She loves self-learning and has learnt web development and is currently enjoying learning how to code ⌨️ for games whilst creating her own passion project game in her spare time. She loves playing games as well as making art for them and aside from her time spent on the computer she loves reading and hiking with her dog 🐶!
Ciara - Admin
Ciara graduated with a degree in Illustration 🎓 with a concentration in Concept Art for Games and Animation from Savannah College of Art and Design in the United States. She is a published children’s book illustrator 🎨 with a proficient understanding of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and creating Animated GIFS. Ever since a young age, Ciara has used digital platforms as a means to create artwork and bring to life colourful worlds and characters. 🐉🖌️ When she is not working, you can find her volunteering in Gaming Communities to host safe spaces for tournaments, exploring the United Kingdom, playing cosy video games or brainstorming her own passion game projects! 🌱
Matt - Admin
Matt has a background in Theoretical Physics from the University of York and proficiency in coding languages such as Python and C++ 💻. As a qualified Maths teacher with certifications in quantitative finance and cybersecurity, Matt has a range of technical knowledge 📊🔐. He excels in administrative tasks and loves to streamline things, ensuring smooth operations behind the scenes ⚙️. Outside of work, Matt enjoys baking sourdoughs 🍞, playing speed chess ♟️, traveling ✈️, surfing 🏄♂️, wild camping 🏕️, and discovering new music 🎧.
Sami - Admin & Tutor
Sami Graduated from Teeside University in Computer Games Design 🎮 studying extensively in Unreal Engine and being ‘Lead Level Designer’ in his team 🆙️ with extensive knowledge of most recent games especially MMO Sami is your go to guy if you want to know what to play next 🎯 in his spare time Sami loves Swimming 🏊♂️ and believes he is the fastest in the world 🏆
Matin - tutor
Matin was also Ali’s student, however unlike others, he wasn’t an official student of his. Ali has known Matin since he was 12 years old as he used to teach him games design privately! Matin started working at Software Academy as a teacher assistant at the age of 17, and at the age of 18, he’s became one of our tutors and we’re proud to have him! At Software Academy, Matin is mainly famous for the fact that he has the same IQ score as Albert Einstein!
Jaymez - Tutor
Jaymez has been studying game design 
and programming 
for the last 4 years, whilst perusing his master’s degree in computer science 
, Although his experience with games design extends far beyond his academic career. He has a lot of experience with Unreal Engine’s blueprint system and C++ reflection system 
, Other than Unreal Engine; Jaymez has a lot of experience with Native C++, x86 Assembly, Java, C#, JavaScript, NodeJS and Python. Aside from programming, he also likes to create his own game music, whether it be playing the piano 
or a guitar 
. Jaymez is always excited to share his knowledge with students!
William - Tutor
Will has been developing games since he was a teenager and has always had a passion for gaming 🎮 and coding . He studied Games Development at Norwich University of the Arts 🎓 where he focused on games development with Unreal Engine ⚙️. After he left university he went on to create two games, first one for phones 📱 and the second for consoles and computers 🖥️. He then went back into education at the University of East Anglia 🎓 where he earned his Masters degree in Advanced Computer Science 👨💻. Aside from making games in his spare time he also enjoys playing them 🕹️ and tinkering with all sorts of tech! 🔧
Isabella - Tutor
Bella is a graduate 🎓 from Nottingham Trent University with a BA(Hons) in Animation 📽 . She specialises in 2D Digital Design in Photoshop and Illustrator ✏, and 2D animation with a focus on character creation . She has been studying digital 2D design since she was young and loves using digital programs to help her create new magical creatures and worlds , often inspired by nature ! She has directed and animated several short films that have been featured in festivals across the UK. When she isn’t working on a new project, you can usually find her out in the wilderness trying to spot different animals , or playing video games!
Jakub - Tutor
Meet Jakub, a recent masters graduate 🎓 from Teesside University 🏫 in Computer Game Design! Jakub has studied Computer Game Design 🎮 for the past 4 years, with his interest in Unreal engine going beyond that, he knows Unreal’s blueprint system like the back of his hand. With a background in Creative Digital media 🎨, Jakub can visualise any design be it in 3D, or 2D. With his passion for art going past work and becoming a deep part of his hobby! He also enjoys games 🕹️ in his spare time, and loves the opportunity to combine his passion for design with the ability to share his knowledge .
Alastair - Tutor
Alastair has three interests: coding, animation and dragons 🐉. He has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Animation Technical Arts from Bournemouth University, and enjoys spending time developing games 🎮. He had dabbled with programming and game development growing up, but it was during the course that he fell in love with coding ♥, quickly finding he was spending every free moment to code in Lua, Python 🐍 or C++. Patient and thorough, quality and creativity in the details is his goal. That, and making dragons a reality, but he is unsure how to do that just yet 🐲.
Goncalo - Tutor
Gonçalo has a deep passion for game design and development 🎮. He thrives on programming in languages like C and Odin, often building game engines from the ground up 🦾. Additionally, he enjoys working with established engines such as Unity, Godot, and Unreal. Beyond game development, Gonçalo is enthusiastic about robotics and Arduinos 🤖. Gonçalo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Bath. In his spare time, he enjoys playing a variety of games with his friends, with recent favorites including League of Legends 😶🌫️.
Alan - Tutor
Alan is a Masters student at the University of Birmingham 🎓. He studies Cyber Security 🖥🔐, where he learns about cyber attacks and defence. He was introduced to programming in high school, where he started learning Python 👨💻, and has been learning more by participating in online challenges. During his degree 📚, his research project included making an iris recognition program 👁 using Python. When he’s not programming and learning more about cyber security methodologies 📂, he plays sports such as badminton 🏸, cricket 🏏 and football ⚽️.
Aisha - Tutor
Aisha is an interior architect and design graduate🎓. She has specialised in sketchup and AutoCad for three years now which she enjoys as it enables her to bring her creative designs together 🎨. Having previously worked in a primary school 🏫, Aisha understands the exploration students have amongst design and wants to help her students explore their creativity . In her spare time she likes to balance her workload by participating in sports like badminton 🏸, martial arts and also travelling 🚆.
Joseph - Tutor
Joseph has a background in creative design and a degree from Norwich University of the Arts 🎓.
He has previously worked as an electrical tech ⚡, a drone pilot 🎮 and a sound engineer on TV shows 🎬.
In the past he has created lots of 3D printed equipment for TV and drones 🛸.
Joseph is knowledgeable about the linux operating system 🐧with lots of experience writing code in 🐍 Python, C++ and bash / shell.
Lee - Tutor
Lee started as a hobbyist map maker 🎨 as a teenager as a 3D artist and went on to study games design 🎮 where he received a BA Hons degree 🎓 in Grimsby. He has 10 years experience in Unreal Engine and has published over a dozen projects. Lee has worked on building VR training simulators 🥽 in Unreal for laboratories 🧪 and released two games.
Tarek - Tutor
Tarek recently graduated from the University of Warwick with a degree in Computer Science 🎓 and is about to embark on a Master’s in Artificial Intelligence at Loughborough University London 🤖. With 6 years of tutoring experience, he has guided students from Year 1 to A-Level 📚. A coding enthusiast, Tarek has been programming in Python since secondary school and gained expertise in Java during university 💻. Outside of academics, he’s a gym regular 🏋️, a fan of video games 🎮 anime 🎥, enjoys badminton 🏸 and swimming 🏊♂️. Passionate about sharing his knowledge, Tarek loves to offer tips and tricks to help others master programming languages efficiently from a young age 🌟.
Wajiha - Tutor
Wajiha is a third year computer science student at Goldsmiths University of London💻 she has been studying computer science for 6 years! 🎆 She has also been a tutor for 3 years teaching both online and in person. Away from her studies she loves to travel and explore new places and cultures ✈️☀️ and loves trying new food and cuisine!🥘
Will - tutor
Will has three years experience in the games industry and a degree in Computer Science from the
University of Worcester 🎓. Specialising in Game Design and Programming, 🎮 he is skilled in a variety
of programming languages and game engines. Ever since learning Python 🐍 in secondary school, Will
has had a passion for problem solving and realising game ideas – recently participating in game jams.
When he’s not making or playing video games, Will also plays and teaches Chess ♟️, practices music
🎸 and plays tabletop games such as Dungeons and Dragons 🐉.
Daniel - Tutor
Meet Daniel, an indie game developer with a First Class Bachelor’s Degree 🎓 in Computer Science with Games Programming at the University of Huddersfield🏫. Based in Wakefield, Daniel is a director of his own indie games company, currently deep in development of their first commercial title 🎮! His bread and butter is game design, sound design, and programming in Unity. In his spare time he loves hosting Dungeons & Dragons🐉 , airsofting, mountain biking 🚵♂️, and doing game jams.
Katie - Tutor
Katie is an undergraduate digital media student 🎓✏️ from Bristol. She’s been studying for the past 2 years however her experience with the adobe suit and HTML goes beyond this. Along side her studies, Katie is a avid netball player🏐, loves playing games🎮and getting creative🎨
Sean - Tutor
Sean has a bachelor’s degree in Architecture ✏️📏 from the University of Nottingham, where he specialised in orthographic drawing, technical detailing, 3D modelling, and architectural visualisation, using AutoCAD, Revit, Photoshop, and InDesign. Using these programmes, he is able to create architectural proposals for sustainable, healthy built spaces 🏠, which often use natural environments as focal points for his ideas🌳. In his spare time, Sean volunteers his time with a local homeless charity🍴.
Fran - Tutor
Fran is a second-year computer science student who loves programming, problem-solving, and maths! They have always been fascinated by technology 👾 and, fuelled by this curiosity💥, enjoy learning and discovering more about cybersecurity ⚛️, machine learning 🤖, and all things computers 💻.
Oliver - Tutor
Oliver achieved his undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Nottingham Trent University🎓 . He taught himself to code from a very young age and loves solving challenging problems and being creative 🧠. He has worked on lots of exciting projects in Python, C# and C++ from games to virtual assistants to mobile apps. When not working on his own projects Oliver enjoys exercise🎾, photography📷 and reading📚.
Mahfuzur - Tutor
Mahfuzur is a Computer Science graduate 🎓 with a Bachelor’s degree from King’s College London. He has 4 years of programming experience and has developed several applications, including a budget spending tracker and a music school management system 💻. In his spare time, he enjoys playing video games 🎮 and hitting the gym as a powerlifter 🏋️.
Amelia - Tutor
Amelia is currently studying for a BSc degree in💻 Computer Science🎓. She enjoys coding in a variety of programming languages (such as Python and Java) and she has developed multiple applications in these languages. Amelia has taught children how to code previously and she has assisted others in developing projects. She is passionate about giving back to the community and enjoys teaching. In her free time, Amelia likes to volunteer with local organisations and play badminton.🏸
Safoan - Tutor
Safoan is an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Data Science and Computer Science 🖥️. His passion lies in using Python for data visualization 📊, pattern recognition, and machine learning. With a strong interest in finance and ML 💹🤖, Safoan spends his free time working on personal electronics projects 🔌, hitting the gym, and playing multiplayer games 🎮. He’s been coding since the age of 15 and aspires to make a mark in the world of data-driven solutions, and help others achieve their own goals.
Luke - Tutor
Luke graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Games Development at John Moores University🎓 where he specialized in Unreal Engine and C++🤖. He’s been using Unreal Engine for 5 years and programming for 8 years, starting at 14 where he found his passion. In his free time, Luke enjoys playing Crown Green Bowls, Walking🚶, and playing computer games 🖥️
Khadija - Tutor
Khadija is an interior architecture and design graduate 🎓 with a first-class honours degree from Coventry University. With a keen interest in 2D, 3D modelling, and design rendering, as well as specialised in softwares like AutoCAD, SketchUp, and InDesign, Khadija is passionate about helping students bring their creative visions to life. In her free time, Khadija enjoys creating digital drawings ✍️, swimming 🏊♀️, and visiting design exhibitions ✨, always exploring new ways to enhance her creativity.
Agha - Tutor
Agha is a passionate programmer who started his coding journey at 14 years old 💻. With strong skills in Python 🐍, he loves solving problems and exploring new tech. He volunteered at Bletchley Park as a Learning Activities Assistant, helping young students discover the world of AI and robotics 🤖. In his spare time, Imran enjoys hitting the gym 🏋️, hiking ⛰️, painting 🎨, building custom PCs 🛠️. He’s a big fan of gaming 🎮 and socializing, he’s always up for fun and meeting new people!
Ahmad - Tutor
Ahmad is doing a bachelor’s at Kingston University 🏫 . Studying in the field of Computer Science, specializing in Python as a programming language 💻 for over 5 years. Keen on actively trying to branch out and learn other creative and innovative programming languages 🧠. In his free time, Ahmad loves to play video games 🎮 and playing 🏐. With 3 plus years of experience in teaching Python 🧑🏫, Ahmad is looking forward to helping and spreading his passion for programming.
Brandon - Tutor
Brandon is a dedicated game developer currently studying at Belfast Metropolitan College 🎓, where he’s working towards a Bachelor’s degree in Game Development, having already achieved a Level 3 qualification over 2 years! However their skills go beyond this. 🎮 He’s passionate about animated shows, particularly the behind-the-scenes magic that brings them to life. 🎬 In his spare time, Brandon enjoys retro video games, programming in Unreal Engine. ⚙️ digital art with Photoshop and Blender, and music! 🎨🎵
Callum - Tutor
Meet Callum 👋! With 10 years of Unreal Engine experience ⚙️, his journey started in 2014 at school 🎓—before Game Development was mainstream. With no courses available, he taught himself, building projects to master the engine 🛠️. After earning a spot at Norwich University of the Arts 🏫, he mentored students, refining tools and blueprint skills 💡. Since then, he’s worked in the industry, gaining insights into large game studios 🤯. Callum specializes in Blueprint Logic and Level Design 🎮 but loves experimenting with Virtual Reality and Destruction Systems 💥.
Dylan - Tutor
Dylan is a current BSc Games Development (Hons) student at the University of Staffordshire 👨🎓 with over 4 years of experience in Unreal Engine 💻. He is highly passionate about anything related to games, whether he is creating, teaching, or even playing 🎮! He enjoys plenty of things outside of games too, such as going to the gym 🏋️♂️, working on his car 🔧, or jamming to music 🎧. Dylan is also a part of a fostering family who have been fostering and caring for looked after young people for over a decade!
Frey - Tutor
Frey is all about anime, 3D, and creativity unleashed🎨✨. Armed with a bachelor’s degree in Games Design and Digital Media from the University of Greenwich and fueled by a collection of manga📚and a shelf overflowing with figurines, Frey discovered a calling: crafting 3D characters for anime games and media🎮🌸. Blender is the playground where characters come to life, each with their own stories and flair. Always exploring new ways to capture the magic of anime art styles, Frey’s mission is simple: to bring virtual characters from dreams to digital reality.🚀
Jak - Tutor
Jak is a Digital Arts student 🎨 currently pursuing an Executive Master of Business Administration 🎓. With over 15 years of experience as a Front-End Developer, he specializes in UI, UX, and Accessibility Design 💻. For the past 10 years, Jak has worked on large-scale enterprise Django/Angular applications 🚀 and is excited to explore new development waters and get stuck into new projects 🌊. In his spare time, he enjoys making (terrible) electronic music 🎶 and traveling the world ✈️.
Kieran - Tutor
From Devon, Kieran specializes in Photoshop, Illustrator, and the Adobe Creative Suite. Kieran combines technical expertise with an understanding of creative strategy which he’s learning from his degree in Creative Advertising. He’s passionate about sharing his knowledge, helping others discover their potential, and seeing what they can create. Known for his friendly demeanour and eye for detail, Kieran approaches every challenge with his personal mantra: “It’s not over till it’s over, so keep trying!” Outside the creative world, they enjoy playing squash, watching films 🎥, and playing video games🎮—especially Pokémon🐉. A highlight of his life was when they fundraised £5,000 to embark on a charity trip to Peru!
Rhys - Tutor
Rhys is a hard-surface modeller with over 10 years of experience in 3D software🖥️. With strong skills in Blender, Adobe Substance Painter/Photoshop, his work specialises in recreating vehicles 🚝 and iconic landmarks📍. Rhys’ 3D creations have allowed him to produce multiple official DLCs for a popular advanced bus simulator🚌. He enjoys working with children and loves sharing his continued knowledge in various software to many! Rhys also is a bus enthusiast, loves Pokémon, and considers himself a very big gamer!🎮
Seb - Tutor
Seb is a 3D artist who graduated 🎓 from Bournemouth University with a Master’s degree in 3D animation. He fell in love with 3D visualisations in his undergraduate course and decided he wanted to create 3D worlds for architecture and video games, using Blender and Unreal Engine. He enjoys surfing 🏄, playing the guitar 🎸and riding motorcycles 🏍️ in his spare time, as well as modelling props and environments for games, animation and architecture.🏠
Nick - Tutor
🎮 Nick Speedie is a Bournemouth University graduate with expertise in Level Design, Unreal Engine 5, and procedural generation techniques. 🛠️ Nick’s final year project/dissertation was recognized by TIGA (The Independent Game Developers Association), an industry body supporting game developers and their Level Design Fundamentals assignment is being showcased as a model example to current 1st year students. 🌟 They were also the founder and president of the Games Development Society at Bournemouth Uni, Nick organized industry events on campus with speakers like Larian Studios and led workshops to foster collaboration and learning. In addition to this, Nick does freelance level design, and outside of that loves D&D🐉, video games and expanding their music taste.
Asiyah - Tutor
Asiyah is a Computer Science student 🎓 at King’s College London, passionate about programming, especially in Python 💻. For her A-level project, she created a 2D environment-themed 🌳 platformer game featuring Stanley, a cute plant character!! In her free time, Asiyah enjoys baking sweet treats 🧁 and playing Nintendo games. 🏍
Fun Fact About Our Staff
Most of our tutors are Ali’s previous students! After graduation, they became the family members of Software Academy.
This means the staff are carefully selected and trusted individuals. We’ve known them for years, truly believe in their talents, skills, and believe are the right tutors to train our students!
Even though we have known our tutors for many years, we still run an enhanced DBS background check for all tutors!
