Can you tell us about your Engineering journey so far?  

After graduating high school in Iraq, I was awarded a scholarship to study a foundation degree in Physical Science and Engineering at Newcastle University. Afterward, I pursued my undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering. During this degree, I entered and was a semi-finalist in The Telegraph STEM Awards (2016) and had my scientific ideas published by them.

My first job as an Engineer was during a placement as a Combustion Engineering at Cummins Engine Plant in Northampton. I was attracted to this role because it involved applying thermodynamic, chemistry and heat transfer principles, all of which were areas that I enjoyed learning out during my undergraduate study. This placement taught me valuable skills in data analytics, teamwork and technical report writing, as well as enabling me to learn about engine combustion and the internal combustion industry.

After this placement, I continued my studies, conducting research as part of a joint research project between Newcastle University and Cummins about reducing NOx emissions from biogas operations. I presented the results of this research at the British Conference for Undergraduate Research (2019). After graduating, I worked briefly as a Process Engineer at ConocoPhillips refinery in Teeside. Here, I worked as part of the Process Engineering Team and was aided by the skills I developed at Cummins. 

 After this,  I decided to pursue a career in renewables research. and I was awarded the Warwick-Monash PhD  Scholarship Alliance. The scholarship is worth £115,000 for international students pursuing joint research at the University of Warwick and Monash University.   

Currently, I work as a PhD candidate and Teaching Assistant at the University of Warwick where I run labs for undergraduate students. The teaching experience is very rewarding, as I can share knowledge with students that I’ve developed in their respective engineering modules over the years. 

 Finally, as of October 2020, I was elected as the Chair of the Institute of Chemical Engineer’s National Early Career Research Committee (NECC). The NECC is part of the Institute of Chemical Engineers Regional Committee Group and acts as a balanced representation to support early career Chemical Engineers as well as facilitating training and providing networking opportunities. 

How did your degree prepare you for your career?  

My degree has prepared me for my current roles, both in terms of technical knowledge and in skills development. I rely heavily on the knowledge gained from the assignments and modules I took during my postgraduate studies. For example, I use to refer to knowledge gained during reaction engineering and chemistry modules to design the reactor for my PhD thesis studies and produce a network of reaction pathways for CO2 conversion. I also rely on experience gained during a wealth of report writing assignments during my undergraduate degree for producing research articles and conveying scientific knowledge.

Outside of the course teaching, what other opportunities did you get involved in during your time at University?

Outside of my studies, I took part in Engineers Without Borders Society, which contributed to an award granted to students who spent more than 35 hours on extracurricular activities. This reflected very well on my CV. I acted as president of the Society and Society’s  STEM ambassador. During my role as President, I oversaw the Society’s activities and held weekly meetings with the committee to plan our next events. The highlight of being part of Engineers Without Borders was organising the Nuclear Energy Debate at Newcastle University. The event went onto be chosen as the “event of the month” at Newcastle University Students’ Union. 

Volunteering at University inspired me to pursue voluntary work back in my home country. In July 2017, I volunteered with an NGO based in Bagdad which delivered food aid to people living in refugee camps who had fled the intense conflict in Iraq’s Northern Regions at the time.    

What does diversity in Engineering mean to you?   

I was taken aback by the disproportionality of male to female employees in refineries. For example, I was one of the only women in some meetings which had more than twenty men in attendance. Both companies I worked for had a significant drive to encourage more women to participate in Engineering and in their own sectors. There was a recognition that work is still required to achieve a more diverse environment. 

Diversity is a crucial element for progress to be achieved in Engineering. Projects thrive with a diverse pool of talents. Diversity of thought, knowledge and backgrounds must be present where decisions on the course of action in the Engineering sector are being taken.  

Explore your extracurricular opportunities.