Divya Bhanderi

senior engineer and consultant, Arup

Expertise

Project Management

Location

United Kingdom

My highlights

Working on the International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure

Working on the Resilience Shift

Recognised in 2022 WES Top 50 Women in Engineering list

A day in my life

I like to start my day with some exercise which will range from heading to the gym or going for a walk.

When I get back, I have breakfast and then start working.

I start each day with prioritising my to-do list and checking in with the teams and people I manage to make sure they’re all okay.

My workday consists of a mix of meetings, collaboration workshops and some solo time to progress individual tasks.

I make sure I take regular breaks throughout my working day and always head out for a walk at lunch.

I would recommend a career in civil engineering because there’s so much variety and you won’t get bored! I rarely do the same thing twice.

We asked Divya…

I would recommend a career in civil engineering because…

There’s so much variety and you won’t get bored! I rarely do the same thing twice.

There’s nothing more rewarding than bringing an idea to life that will ultimately benefit the future of our planet.

Your ideas have the power to create a more sustainable future and you’ll have the opportunity to work on projects that make a real difference!

Complete this phrase: I’m a civil engineer, but I’m also…

A gym enthusiast and keen cook.

What about being a civil engineer gets you out of bed each morning?

The diversity in terms of people, projects and roles. No two projects are the same and there’s not a lot of repetition in what I do.

What’s one great thing that you love about civil engineering that you didn’t know until you started working in the industry?

How diverse it is! And how many different opportunities and roles there are.

It’s so much more than just traditional design and construction.

I didn’t know I could be performing the role I am now when I was a graduate.

Name one civil engineering myth you’d like to bust.

You’re not sat at a computer all day running models and doing calculations. If you want to do this you can, but there are so many other roles you can do!

What are you doing to help fight against climate change?

I work on projects that tackle the climate emergency and deliver sustainable and resilient outcomes. I’m constantly trying to learn more about what we can do to combat climate change.

I recently undertook a course at my workplace where I learned how I can help design for a changed climate and what I can do to help spread the message and inspire action.