Sussex student Peter Lloyd (right) meets the CEO of technology giants Apple, Tim Cook, during his visit to Silicon Valley

Peter also got to hear from a host of special guests during his trip, including Michelle Obama

Peter's trip also took in San Francisco (above) and Apple HQ (below)

A second-year Computer Science student at the University of Sussex has met Tim Cook, the Chief Executive of technology giant Apple, during a trip to Silicon Valley.

Peter Lloyd was one of just 350 people around the world picked this year by Apple to attend its annual developers conference in San Jose, California. Registration, flights and accommodation are included in the prize. 

The 21-year-old, who built his first computer aged 12, spent a week rubbing shoulders with the world’s best app developers and innovators. 

As well as meeting Mr Cook, he attended talks by a host of star speakers, including Michelle Obama, music star Will.i.am and pioneering mathematician Dr Christine Darden.

Peter said: "I’ve never been to America before and really enjoyed visiting Silicon Valley, the centre of app development and innovation.  

"I learnt so much, including machine learning, augmented reality and networking, and also had the chance to meet new people from around the world."

Peter secured his prestigious scholarship after impressing judges with his coding ability using the programming language Swift. Entrants were invited to create a ‘visually interactive scene’. 

He is no stranger to using technology to solve problems. In his first year at Sussex, he co-founded a start-up company called TRIM-IT, which is a app for booking appointments at the barber. It has been released in London and Brighton and has won many awards, including the University’s and Sussex Innovation’s flagship entrepreneurship contest StartUp Sussex. 

Alongside his studies in the School of Engineering and Informatics, Peter is a freelance iOS (Apple’s operating system) developer and in the future hopes to move into a more entrepreneurial or managerial position.