Meet the panellists who appeared in the Tomorrow's Engineers Week 2023 live broadcast, telling us about their working lives and the routes they took into their current jobs.
Broadcast panel
Hannah Brodrick - Monitor Engineer, Freelance
Hannah has been working in the Music Industry since 2011 and has been lucky enough to work with a huge variety of artists across many genres, performing a variety of roles, most recently with Florence + The Machine. Hannah is Co-Founder & Co-Director of 'Women in Live Music' (WILM).
Mike Hontoir - Space Energy Development Engineer, Space Solar
Mike has a background in Mechanical Engineering, as a Marine Engineer and as a Fusion Energy Engineer. After completing an apprenticeship, he now works as a Development Engineer for Space-Based Solar Power. This role enables Mike to be part of making a difference to contribute to Net Zero.
Natalie Eddleston - Wind Turbine Technician, RWE
Natalie is a wind turbine technician working at RWE in Wales. RWE are a leading supplier of renewables worldwide, with wind farms, solar power and battery storage facilities in many countries. Natalie entered engineering through the apprenticeships route and obtained a BTEC in Engineering.
Virtue Igbokwuwe - Graduate Civil Engineer, Taylor Woodrow
Virtue is a Civil Engineer and part-time YouTuber, sharing her passion for outreach and increasing the representation in the field. She has a Masters in Civil Engineering degree from the University of Southampton and now works at Taylor Woodrow where she aims to attain Chartered Civil Engineer status.
Meet the panellists who were on hand throughout Tomorrow's Engineers Week to answer your questions with their expert knowledge.
Your questions and their answers will be available to read from 6 November 2023
Q&A panel
Catrina Chau - Software Development Apprentice, Prime Video at Amazon UK
Catrina is a Software Development apprentice at Amazon while she finishes her Digital and Technology Solutions degree. Despite having no prior computer science qualifications, Catrina pursued a Computer Science A-level course and discovered a passion for programming. She now has hands-on experience with programming languages like Python and Typescript as well as front-end development with React and Redux.
Chloe Fisher - Naval Architect - SEA-KIT International
Chloe is a Naval Architect involved with the design and testing of sea vessels, including uncrewed fleets and alternative fuels. Chloe graduated from Newcastle University with a Masters in Marine Technology and completed an internship with SEA-KIT. Her career pursuits stem from being a Sea Cadet and so Chloe is now an Industry Ambassador, working to inspire the next generation!
David Trevelyan - Audio Software Engineer, Freelance
David got his degree in engineering before his PhD in Physics, eventually pursuing a career in software engineering. After his studies, David began building music generation software, ultimately joining TikTok in 2019 where he continued building the technology, always with a focus on helping people be musically creative.
Eleanor Eyre - Head of Careers, EngineeringUK
Eleanor is a careers advisor with over 10 years of experience working with secondary students across London. Eleanor works to enable young people from all backgrounds access to roles in Engineering and Technology through STEM outreach, careers education and marketing. Her resources outline the pathways into engineering by highlighting inspiring and inclusive careers on behalf of the wider engineering community.
Emily Taylor - Higher-Level Mechanical Engineering Apprentice, Babcock International
Emily has worked on submarines and warships while expanding her engineering knowledge. Her apprenticeship has also allowed her to achieve a Foundation Degree in Mechanical Engineering and an EngTech with the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). Emily is also an active STEM coordinator, inspiring the next generation of engineers.
Dr Florence Roberts - Careers Officer, Royal Aeronautical Society
Florence graduated from the University of London with a PhD in Electronic Engineering, specialising in Virtual Reality and immersive audio. She also has qualifications in physics and music. Dr Roberts explores how audio affects the perception of sound in virtual spaces. She also has a passion for inspiring others and is the current Careers Officer at the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Lucy Wheeler - Creative Technologist, Freelance
Lucy is a creative technologist who blends creativity and technology to address the digital impact on the world. As a creative technologist, Lucy uses a diverse range of skills from coding to designing to create a virtual reality experience. Her projects focus on themes such as climate change, AI and mental health.
Mohiuddin Shaikh - Graduate Engineer, RWE
Mohiuddin completed his Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, interned at an engineering consultancy company, and completed a Masters in Petroleum Production Engineering before joining RWEs graduate engineering scheme. Mohiuddin enjoyed that his apprenticeship involved less studying and had more practical involvement, but thinks all routes are equally great ways to becoming an engineer.
Rohinee Pattani - Assistant Civil Engineer, AtkinsRéalis
Rohinee’s role involves designing structures that stand against extreme events like earthquakes, blasts and high winds. Her job is very collaborative as she works with other engineers, clients and stakeholders to discuss ideas. Rohinee helps her colleagues to include Net Zero thinking in their designs, by developing a Python training course, and improving contributions towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Sam Conlon - Flood Defence Designer, JBA Bentley
Sam joined the civil engineering industry 7 years ago on a degree apprenticeship while completing his BA Sc in Civil Engineering. He works on the technical design elements of pumping stations, embankments, flood storage areas, drainage and flood retaining walls by collaborating with other engineering teams. Sam now mentors junior colleagues who share his concern for environmental impact and carbon output.
Stuart Bradley - Principle Engineer, Warwick Manufacturing Group (University of Warwick)
Stuart is an electrical and mechanical engineer. He lacked maths skills but had artistic talent and now has over 16 patent families and more than 70 inventions in total, most of which tackle problems with pollution and climate change. He has worked on making a never melting ice-cream and pumping up a bike tyre without a pump!
Svetlana Joao - Structural Engineer, TYPSA
Svetlana Joao works on the HS2 project and is the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) President's Future Leader 2022-2023. She oversees the tasks of various teams and manages the commercial aspects of projects. Her love for civil engineering comes from learning about the societal impacts of the role while studying for her BA in Civil Engineering and her MA in Structural Engineering at university in Lisbon.
Tayo Ajasa - Senior Engineering Consultant, Rockwell Automation
Tayo has worked in various processes including chocolate manufacturing, dairy, cement, oil & gas and starch production. She says that teamwork, adaptability and cooperation are the most valuable skills you can have as an engineer. Working in the manufacturing industry, she’s constantly striving to meet global demand for food and materials used in everyday life.