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Our alumni have used their engineering degrees to enter hugely varied careers in different fields and industries around the world. Read about the paths they have taken.
Orla Nimmo
After interning at distilleries and manufacturing facilities, Orla’s career in consulting means she has enjoyed working across different industries, particularly energy including Net Zero technology. Orla studied MEng Chemical Engineering with Management (2021).
Lyle Ross
From university labs predicting virus mechanics to GSK’s global platforms scaling pharmaceutical drugs, Lyle’s scientific acumen enhances lives through biotech. Lyle studied MEng Chemical Engineering with Management, 2022 and is now a Senior Scientist at GSK.
Alex Radford
After graduating with the BSc (Hons) Chemical Engineering in 1989, Alex Radford has worked in many operations supervision and management roles in ExxonMobil as well as assignments in supply. After discovering that his interests lay in getting the best out of people and operating facilities, he took up his current position as Reliability Coordinator for both chemicals and refining at ExxonMobil's Fawley site.
Azar Besharat-Moayeri (née Besharat)
Azar Besharat-Moayeri (née Besharat) graduated in 1967 – the first woman to graduate with a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Edinburgh. Since graduating, Azar has moved from Iran to Canada, triumphing over adversity to her hair removal product business, Parissa, into a thriving, recognised brand. Recently, Azar has again adapted to changing circumstances by turning her business over to the production of hand sanitiser during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dylan Pilarski
Since graduation, I have worked in two different roles, one as an engineering consultant in the surfactants industry (Stepan Company) and one as a project manager in the specialty chemicals and fermentation industry (Lonza Specialty Ingredients). I have also obtained my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification in the last few years.
Ian Cook
Choosing a University to study at was not easy. However, I decided to pick Edinburgh because:
- The University has an international reputation for excellence.
- The University attracts students from around the globe.
- Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Michael Bryce
Career highlights include mentoring graduates to chartership, personal development, and being involved in exciting projects.
Izzy Harris
Izzy's hands-on approach to engineering stems from a fiery passion ignited at Edinburgh, refined through projects like Robocean. Today, she engineers fire safety solutions.
Abd Al-Rahman (Al-Remal)
As a career path, I felt Engineering suited me largely due to my interests in school and where I thought I wanted to end up after university. The renewables (especially wind) industry was getting a lot of attention, and I decided I wanted to enter this industry.
Gabrielle du Toit
I chose Edinburgh largely due to the global reputation of the University and it’s high ranking, particularly in Engineering. Also, as a city, Edinburgh is incredibly appealing, with a rich history and cultural vibrancy.
Gillies
I enjoyed being at university, living with my flatmates, sailing and having lots of fun along the way!
Leopold Thebault
As a European student who applied before the Brexit vote, I chose to study at the University of Edinburgh because of its relatively high ranking and low fees. Other options I was considering were a number of universities in the UK as well as the more conventional engineering path in my home country, France.
Shanece Wilson
I chose to study at the University of Edinburgh because I wanted to delve into the sustainable energy industry but felt I lacked the foundational knowledge. The University's intriguing research and facilities (such as Flowave Ocean Energy Research Facility) captured my interest. Additionally, the allure of the stunning city of Edinburgh sealed the deal for me!
Bethan Wilkinson
Primarily, Edinburgh is a great place to live. Not only is the city really beautiful, there are events happening all year round and loads of opportunities to explore Scotland. The engineering programme had a broad range of options which was key for me as I didn't want to specialise too early.
Brian Chong
During my third year of study, I decided to change career path from the field of civil engineering to data science. I applied to many places in Europe, and got an offer to join Amazon for a data science internship in Luxembourg.
John-Paul Moberly
First and foremost I absolutely love Edinburgh as a city! The opportunity to study at such a prestigious institution and one of the best universities in the UK, while living in such an incredible city, was an opportunity I will forever be thankful for.
Sebastian Mitel
I wanted to work on historic buildings conservation, but my background was in STEM subjects. The University of Edinburgh's MEng Structural Engineering with Architecture course was a great match, since I could study architectural history and design.
Silvian Grosu
I graduated with first class honours MEng Civil Engineering from the University of Edinburgh in the summer of 2013. A couple of months before graduation I secured interviews with several different engineering and construction companies and was offered a graduate structural engineer position with Wardell Armstrong in their Edinburgh office.
Stephen Dickson
The breadth of learning you are allowed to do at Edinburgh really. I was able to study a relatively wide variety of subjects (including general engineering in first year), which I think provides engineers with a brilliant mindset for industry. This is because, even though we specialise into different job types, you still work with all types of engineers on large projects. Therefore, having studied some subjects that others do (even if to a fundamental level only), this gives you more understanding of their viewpoint on issues etc."
Vanessa Sloan
After graduating with a First class MEng in Civil Engineering with Architecture in 2001, Vanessa worked as a business strategist at Accenture before moving on to build a career in real estate. She is currently Partner at Patron Capital.
Abd Al-Rahman (Al-Remal)
As a career path, I felt Engineering suited me largely due to my interests in school and where I thought I wanted to end up after university. The renewables (especially wind) industry was getting a lot of attention, and I decided I wanted to enter this industry.
Brian Welsh
I was born and grew up in Edinburgh, and wanted to study physics or engineering. It was a choice between the University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt, or the universities of Glasgow or Strathclyde. Edinburgh was first choice for its reputation in physics and engineering.
Cindy Iskandar
I got my job at a leading company in my field. I am now working on cutting-edge software technology and on revolutionary projects with GE.
Fiona King
I loved maths and physics and knew I wanted to study something in that area at university. Engineering sounded interesting but as I hadn't studied it at school I wasn't sure what it involved and struggled to decide on a particular track.
Leopold Thebault
As a European student who applied before the Brexit vote, I chose to study at the University of Edinburgh because of its relatively high ranking and low fees. Other options I was considering were a number of universities in the UK as well as the more conventional engineering path in my home country, France.
Nikolay Momchev
I was interested in the elective subjects (bioelectronics) and in general had heard good things about the University.
Shubhankan Mukherjee
Scotland has always been at the forefront of leading and developing sustainable energy solutions and University of Edinburgh has played a key role by encouraging research and pioneering cutting-edge technologies in the aforementioned areas. Since graduation, I have remained committed to working in the renewable energy sector. The electrical grid is a dynamic system, and this has always made me solicitous and apprehensive about the intermittency of solar and wind systems, to name a few.
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