23 June 2021 What got you into engineering originally?/Tell us about your journey into engineering:

I’ve always really loved physics and maths, so engineering felt like a fairly natural progression. I have quite an inquisitive mind, so learning more about how structures fit together and function was something that I very much enjoyed.

I graduated from the University of Glasgow with an MEng in Civil and Structural Engineering in June 2019 before taking a year out to travel a bit, and figure out which part of the industry interested me the most- a step I’d really recommend. I’ve always loved architecture and aesthetic buildings, so working with Constructure felt like an easy choice- so I moved down to London in September 2020 to start my first graduate position as a Structural Engineer!

Describe your role at Constructure?/What do you do at Constructure?/what is your day to day like?

As a graduate engineer at Constructure, I get to work on a huge range of projects with all different members of the team. We mainly work on bespoke residential properties, collaborating very closely with architects- which I find very interesting. The variety of scale of our projects means that I am able to experience quite a lot of autonomy on one project and then have a lot of guidance and tuition on the next, which I think has been incredibly beneficial for my development as a young engineer. I think that my next steps are to continue working towards my Chartership with the ICE, which I think the varied work I do at Constructure will greatly prepare me for.

Where do your particular passions, skills and interests lie?

Almost 40% of global CO2 emissions come from the building sector, and I think that as design engineers we are in the unique position to make a real positive impact, so sustainability and sustainable design is very important to me. I’m also fascinated by the design of structures within cities- trying to complete the design process whilst keeping a city like London moving is a challenge I’ve always been very interested in.


The theme for this year’s campaign is ‘Engineering Heroes’. Tell us about yours:

I’ve worked with some really excellent engineers already in my short career, but I have to admit that I didn’t really grow up with any role models within engineering. I do think that my parents were excellent role models though - they taught me to work hard and have always been incredibly supportive of my interests in engineering and wherever it has taken me, so I’m super grateful for both of them.

What can we do better as an industry to promote engineering as a career path to more women?

I think that outreach to schools is a really important step in bringing more diversity to the engineering profession. We need to make engineering feel like a real and viable option to children that might not have any engineering role models so that they feel comfortable and confident enough to get involved. It can also feel quite isolating when it feels like everyone around you is gaining internships and opportunities through engineering contacts when you don’t have any, so I think it’s really important for companies to try to hire a broad range of candidates even at the lower level and more temporary positions.

What is your career highlight so far?

Definitely my involvement in the FemEng in Rwanda project as the Deputy Project Manager. We stayed in Rwanda for a full month working with a composite team of 20 Scottish and Rwandan students to design workshops promoting STEM which we proceeded to deliver to over 1,300 school children. It felt fantastic to be using my engineering knowledge to make a positive difference and it’s something I intend to be more involved in now that I’m settled in London.