What sparked your interest in Engineering?   

I have two big brothers and they’re the people who inspired me to choose the field of Engineering. During my childhood, they created a water tank overflow alarm at our home. This made my mum’s life so much easier as she didn’t need to worry about water loss from the tank. 

I was born and bought up in India where water from a well is pumped by a motor to fill a rooftop water tank, ready to be used for our daily needs. I was really impressed by how successful the overflow alarm was and this incident influenced my future decisions. 

Gradually, I become more interested in science and its wonderful world. Exploring the magic of new innovations and finding out how much I enjoyed this area made me realise that Engineering was the path for me. As Engineers, we are constantly changing the world with inventions and solutions that affect everyone’s lives. We get to dream up all the coolest gadgets, then we get to go into the lab and actually make them. I’m still learning every day and enjoying every moment.

Can you tell us about your career so far?  

After graduating, I had to move back to India as there were no options for me to stay in the UK in 2018 and this was quite a disappointing period for me. But, I got a job as a Technical Documentation Specialist in a Robotics company. I saw an advertisement, applied and then was appointed after an interview. 

Currently, I’m working as a Research and Development Engineer at Unifi.id. The company is based in London and focuses on Automated Movement Intelligence to enhance workspaces to make them smarter, safer and more efficient.

I’m responsible for creating new product ideas and designs, redesigning existing products to enhance functionality and reduce costs, testing prototype products, resolving product issues, collaborating with engineering and marketing departments on product feasibility, conducting market research and working with universities to improve knowledge transfer from academia to industry.  

From the skills gained during your time at Manchester Met, which have you used most in your career so far?  

Manchester Met helped me to improve my professional and personal skills a lot. I had the chance to work on an industry-standard radio frequency and microwave packages known as FEKO for radio communication devices and system design like antennas and electronics. I also learned about the importance of teamwork and collaboration which directly and indirectly helped me a lot in my journey so far.   

Outside of the course teaching, I had opportunities to be involved in several seminars and training workshops arranged by the Communication and Space Systems Engineering team as well as industry visits. 

What are your greatest achievements so far?   

Getting appointed as a Research and Development Engineer at Unifi.id and publishing a referred technical paper entitled ‘Design of a Multiband RF Slotted-Antenna for Biosensing Applications.’ 

What does diversity in Engineering mean to you?   

Engineering is about solving complex problems with faster and easier solutions. So it’s essential to have diverse approaches, skillsets and ideas. More diversity creates more areas to explore and learn about. 

I believe that diversity is key to the future of Engineering. It is important to focus on talent and capability to increase innovation and business growth. Moreover, fair treatment based on ability is essential for the growth of the Engineering industry.