Student Profiles

Second year BEng Mechanical Engineering student (Wenzhou City, Zhejiang, China)

I love cars, and this was what made me want to study mechanical engineering. I also liked the idea of using mathematics to solve complex practical problems. Now that I’m doing my degree, I particularly enjoy mechatronics, which is the area of interface between electronic and mechanical engineering. Doing mechatronics, you come across fantastic tiny components, such as sensors, and micro-controllers.

I chose to come to Bristol because I knew the city is surrounded by great countryside, and also because of the reputation as having a friendly student community and great engineering facilities in my subject area. Now I’m here I’ve found the staff to be particularly friendly, and I love working in my favourite engines lab (see my picture with one of the test engines). When I graduate I hope to pursue my dream of working for an automobile company.

Third year MEng Civil Engineering student (Kenya, of Tanzanian nationality)

I became interested in civil engineering as a boy visiting construction sites with my father, who owned a window glazing business. I like the idea of working on a project and then having a tangible result that I can point to and say, “I did that!” and also how people with a wide array of interests and expertise combine in a Civil Engineering project. The field gives you the opportunity to be creative, but most of all I love the sensation when all the pieces of a project fit together to form something that transcends the sum of its parts.

I chose to come to the UK because it has a fantastic reputation for education in Kenya. So for prestige and respect along with a degree, the choice of country was a no-brainer – Bristol ranked highly for engineering, and I knew someone in the city, so it seemed like a great choice. The city has turned out to provide a great atmosphere for learning Civil Engineering with great inspirations like the works of Brunel all around. In my free time I like to travel to places around Bristol. The region is full of interesting places to visit, like Cheddar Gorge, Bath, Windsor…though I always keep time on the weekends to catch Match of the Day on TV.

PhD in Computer Science (India and Germany)

IT plays an increasing role in society and life, has fast innovation lifecycles and develops very quickly. It is still a growing market and continues to revolutionise the way humans live and act, and contributes what society can achieve – this seemed like the kind of area I wanted to work in! Before starting my PhD I worked for Hewlett-Packard Research Labs who have their European Labs in Bristol – now they are sponsoring my PhD, so industry and university are working together really well for me.

The department of Computer Science at Bristol is small enough for PhD students to know all staff and at the same time big enough to offer a good variety and quality in research. People treat each other well and are really supportive, and the technical expertise is outstanding. I use most of my spare time for sports. I am a member at two gyms, play football in the Bristol Downs League, one of the largest single-sited football leagues, and run Marathons. I also enjoy nightlife.

PhD in Aerospace Engineering  (Anhui Province, China)

My father is a mechanical engineer, and he owned a small business making mechanical components for cars. When I was a child he used to take me to his workshops to see what he was working on, and he also taught me how to make mechanical toys (including a fire-breathing lion!) – I enjoyed making these so much I made them for my sister and friends as well.

So I was a keen engineer from an early age, but I was also attracted to engineering because it offered a set of skills that would be valuable under all circumstances, so as well as being enjoyable had good employment prospects. I studied in China and worked for a car company and a scientific company before coming to Bristol to do my PhD. I considered various different countries for my postgraduate studies, but I chose the UK because of its reputation for taking the teaching of international students very seriously. Also, I’d heard that the UK was very friendly – both of these things turned out to be true!

Bristol is world-famous for its aviation, so seemed a good choice for my PhD in Aerospace Engineering – more generally I have been helped in developing my research, presentation and writing skills, so it has provided a really balanced education. Outside work, there are so many clubs, societies and things to do it can sometimes be a bit of a distraction from work!