Can you tell us a little about your job? My role involves creating strategies for energy and the generation of mixed use communities and housing development projects. I work with developers and local authorities to bring engineering knowledge and practicalities into the field of sustainable design.

What inspired you to become an engineer? I wanted to do something which would be beneficial for the environment and combine creativity with science and logic.

How did you get started? By choosing a Civil Engineering with Architecture degree at Leeds. It was a very rounded course, covering aspects such as water and building services, architectural design and structural engineering. So it gave me a very broad base of knowledge and some terrific skills.

Which subjects are you glad you studied in school and how did they help you with your career? Maths – it really is a building block in logic and gives you specific skills in how to respond to questions and understand numbers and physical relationships. I also found Physics and Art really helpful.

What qualifications do you have? Membership of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Civil Engineering with Architecture, CIBSE Low Carbon Consultant, BRE Environmental Assessment Method Assessor and City and Guilds in Computer Aided Design (CAD)

What excites you most about engineering? I love bringing the logic to the table that helps overcome problems and create solutions that have a positive benefit for people and their lives.

What’s the most important part of the engineering process? The engineering process itself, never losing sight of the big picture and the journey taken, even when you’re drilling down into the detail .

Have you travelled anywhere particularly exciting for work? China, advising engineers on new developments, Ireland and Switzerland for conferences.

Have you met any interesting people through work? Lots! Engineering is full of interesting and interested people who ask a lot of questions.

What’s the one thing you hope will result from urban evolution? Humans become more conscious of their impact.

If you could give one piece of advice to a young person who is considering becoming an engineer, what would it be? Do it! Engineering training will open doors for you in life, even in you decide over time not to be an engineer. It will equip you in a way few other skills training can.

What should no engineer leave home without? A sense of humour.

Where do you go from here? That’s a hard question! Having spent 8 years developing a specialist discipline, I'd like to bring that knowledge to a wider industry, maybe teaching or in the academic world.