My career inspiration

My father. His career showed me the direct link between engineering, humanitarian development and an international career.

He studied civil engineering and became a water and wastewater engineer, working in state and private sectors in developed and developing contexts across the globe in Singapore, Sri Lanka, Canada, Ireland, and the UK.

As a young child, the idea of wastewater and sewage treatment seemed pretty unpleasant. "My dad works in the treatment of toilet water" wasn't exactly something you told other kids with pride.

It was only once I was older that I realised the direct effects such a career could have. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports (GLAAS 2012) that around 1.1 billion people globally don't have access to improved water supply sources and 2.4 billion people don't have access to any type of improved sanitation facility. Every year, about 2 million people die from diarrhoeal diseases; most of them are children less than five years of age.

I realised that I could also have a profound impact through engineering in addressing the wider issues that, left unattended, result in the need for medical treatment. There’s scope to prevent – rather than treating – disease through basic infrastructure.

What I love about being a civil engineer (that I didn’t know before I became one)

That there are so many branches of civil engineering, and that the path to solving problems doesn’t rest in one little box.

There’s a great opportunity to learn and adopt new technologies to change the way that we design, build and maintain our built environment.

I had no idea that I’d work as a designer, on sites, and now end up working with the space sector, all working on the same problem with different skills and angles.

The civil engineering myth I’d like to bust

The usual hard hats and high vis stereotype.

Sometimes it’s fun to put the kit on and be on site, and some people love to make a career directly on site, but there are so many other sides for those who aren’t as keen on working in the mud!

I’d recommend a career in civil engineering because

Civil engineering has the opportunity to be many kinds of career, suited to many different kinds of people. At its root, it’s a career that can support working on global challenges, but also have an impact on day-to-day lives.

It’s creative, whether it’s bringing a drawing on paper to life, to working out how to thread a tunnel through the congested ground below the feet of Londoners, to working out how to lift 100 tonnes of steelwork and install a bridge over a live railway to how to provide access to water and electricity in a geography that lacks both resources and has scarce resource.  

What gets me out of bed every morning?

Knowing that what I do as a civil engineer makes a tangible and significant impact on society.  

Education

I went to high school in Sheffield, completing my GCSEs and A Levels (Physics, Chemistry, Math and Further Math A Level, Biology to AS Level and Art on the side for fun because of a kind teacher who knew I loved making art).

Studied General Engineering, later specialising in Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering at the University of Cambridge (BA, MEng)

Worked in industry and took my professional Chartership qualification (CEng MICE).

Returned to University of Cambridge for a PhD.

Other hobbies and interests

I love meeting people and learning languages (I grew up speaking Tamil (relearning again now), speak English and Spanish, and have started learning German).

I developed and run the Youth Scheme ‘Construkt’ with Paul and Rommell from Serious About Youth, which was created with support from the ICE.

It supports a wide range of young people (in school but also those not in training, education or employment) from underrepresented groups to get experience in civil engineering and access to industry professionals.

The most complex thing I've made out of Lego

I’m not sure. Lego is something I’ve had since childhood, and there was never a fixed project. There were a series of structures that evolved over time, often by imagination rather than following any particular set of instructions.