Izzy Harris

Why did you decide to study at the University of Edinburgh? And why Engineering?

I have family that live in Edinburgh and I spent my summers with them.  I’ve always really liked Edinburgh and how the University was spread out across the city. The idea of Edinburgh, moving away and starting fresh, was appealing.  

To be completely honest, I chose to study engineering because I got told I shouldn’t… 

I’ve always liked science, maths and art, and for a while I fancied being an architect. But when I found out that I had to write an essay in my A-Level art exam I decided to focus on science and maths instead.

I had considered physics as a degree but suspected that it was a bit too theory heavy. I'd gone to a careers event (‘Not Just for Boys’) when I was in school and met a rep from GE, Aviation, and she encouraged me to look at mechanical engineering as this would enable me to try a bit of everything.   

I still had some teachers trying to push me in a different direction, but I wanted to try engineering and decide for myself if it was the right path.  

I figured that engineering would give me the opportunity to do the ‘hands on’ stuff but also develop my creative thinking and problem-solving skills, and experience project work. I liked that I could explore different areas of engineering at Edinburgh, and that gave me time to figure out what my interests within the discipline were.  

How did you get to where you are? 

In my third year, I had planned to get an engineering-related summer job, to help my future applications. Because of the pandemic, there were very few opportunities. So, my university friends and I  decided to pursue an idea we’d had for a while for an engineering-based start-up; Robocean. Robocean is subsea robotics company mechanising seagrass restoration. We had very little robotics experience – but we thought, why not start researching and see where we get with this?!  In fourth year, we were able to enter Robocean into the Red Bull Basement competition, we got to the final and it snowballed from there. The University helped us in this process – we needed space to film, and the Estates team kindly gave us access to spaces in the School of Engineering. I remember a very embarrassing photo shoot in the corridors! 

I had my industrial placement in the second half of fourth year, and was working with an energy consulting firm, specialising in oil and gas; Xodus Group. I worked within the vibration team, which in essence, looks at what happens when pipes fail and prevention of this. I found this really interesting. Being able to see the other side of the industry, and understanding the working relationships between project managers, engineers, and clients was great to experience. The industrial placements were organised by the University as part of my degree. A highlight of my placement was a site visit to an onshore gas terminal, in particular getting to experience more hands-on work, I’m sure I looked very glamourous in my boilersuit! I loved this – getting stuck in and being out and about.  

As I was coming towards the end of my degree, I was considering the idea of staying with Robocean or looking for a graduate role elsewhere. My industrial placement made me realise I liked the structure of working in a more established company, and that I could benefit from this and the learning opportunities they provide. I stepped away from Robocean, but it’s still running and it’s great to see how well it’s doing. 

In university, I really liked fluid mechanics and focused my graduate job search for a career in this area. I found a role involving CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) modelling and applied, and that’s where I work now, in a fire engineering consultancy, with Jensen Hughes. I enjoy the consulting side of the business – you get to work with so many people, there are lots of different projects to work on at once, it’s fast paced, and truly never boring. It’s great because I can learn so much in the role. I didn’t go into the role with a fire engineering background, but my experiences with mechanical engineering set me up to apply my knowledge and learn as I go.  

Any personal or professional achievements in your career so far? Or a highlight of your journey so far?      

Most things at work I’m not at liberty to disclose. However, this year I worked as part of the team within Jensen Hughes providing assistance to the coroner in the Stardust Fire Inquests.  It is incredibly rewarding to work on something with a significant impact and legacy at such an early stage in my career. 

What did you gain from your time at the University of Edinburgh, and were there any experiences during your time at university that could have helped you prepare for life after graduation? 

In the five years I was there, I gained some really close friendships, and I learned how to be an adult on my own! University gave me so much independence. 

The industrial placement for me was really important – and it influenced my selection criteria when applying for university. I wanted the chance to have relevant work experience before I graduated. I didn’t have personal connections in the industry, so the fact Edinburgh offered this opportunity as a part of my degree was great. The variety of placements you could apply to was amazing. All of my friends were in different areas of the industry, but all working. It gave you the basic experiences, like filling out time sheets, managing your emails, speaking with high-profile clients – but in a supportive environment where I could learn. It was so useful. Applying for jobs after university, with this experience behind me, was helpful. It meant that when I started full-time work, I didn’t feel worried that I was new in a job, or that I didn’t know much about fire engineering, because I had experienced being in a new environment and ultimately the people around you want to help you learn. If I hadn’t had my placement, I would have been much more nervous going into full-time work, post-graduation. 

I loved the Careers Service – in particular, Matt Vickers, the Careers Consultant for the School of Engineering. My appointments with Matt involved chatting through my CV and considering summer jobs/placements/internships that I could apply for. Matt helped me to tailor my CV for different roles – related and not related to engineering. It was so useful to have an extra pair of eyes and to get advice from someone who knows what they are talking about. He was a great point of contact for me.  

What is a highlight from your time at University? 

My birthday is in September, so it always coincided with everyone returning to Edinburgh for the new academic year. At the start of fifth year, I had a bunch of course friends round to celebrate my birthday and the start of our final year. As most people finish their degrees after 4 years, it was nice to be with this group going into the fifth and final year together.  

Obviously, the late-night library sessions where you’ve all gone slightly mad were memorable. In hindsight, I seemed mad to have done this because I now go to bed at 10pm! 

What would be your advice to future students who are considering studying Engineering at The University of Edinburgh? 

Edinburgh is a big enough place that there are so many different companies and opportunities for you to find out what you like. You can learn from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (iMechE), the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Pint of Science, the Science Festival, the list goes on… 

It took me time to figure out what I liked but the curriculum is very broad so I could try different things. The University was really supportive of this.  

And of course, Edinburgh is a really nice city to live in. It’s got the appeal of everything that a capital city has, but it’s a small city. It’s walkable and it’s safe. It’s also very pretty!