MEET OUR IEA ALUMNI – Saqib Moosa

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Personal details
First Name:	Saqib
Last Name:	Moosa
Department(s):	Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Academic status (Undergraduate/Postgraduate):	Undergraduate
Course(s)/Qualification(s):	BEng
Graduation year:	2016
Nationality:	Pakistani
Employer details
Job title:	Electr  Electrical Distribution Systems Lead Engineer
Employer name:	Jaguar Land Rover
What does your employer do?	Designs and builds consumer vehicles
Location:	West Midlands – Coventry/Birmingham/Wolverhampton
Industry sector:	Automotive
Website:	Jaguarlandrover.com
About the job
What are your main responsibilities?	Leading a team of engineers in order to develop and deliver the main engine harness, which is the bundle of wires that collect all of the sensors, actuators, and other electrical components to the main Engine Control Unit.
Can you describe a typical day?	I come in fairly early (about 730 AM), review major issues for the day and then look at any urgent requests received. This is followed by a day of working with other team members on finding solutions to issues found on engines and coming up with long term fixes. Sometimes I will go down to the line to see an engine or vehicle and of course, sometimes I get the chance to drive a car.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your current role or your greatest career achievement so far?	The most rewarding aspect of my job is having a design I worked on out on a vehicle that is released and seeing those cars out on the street. I worked on the all-electric Jaguar I-Pace and did some acceleration testing for the car, seeing videos talking about the car’s excellent performance and knowing that I had a part to play in the making of the car is really satisfying.
Are there any challenging aspects? If so, what are they?	Yes, it can be quite hYes it can be quite high-pressured sometimes trying to find a solution with strict time const with strict time constraints and knowing that the company is losing money for every min money for every minute the line is stopped.
What skills/qualifications from your degree or other training do you make use of in your job?	Many of the CAD packages and software used are fairly similar to things used at university. The basic knowledge about how capacitors, inductors, etc. work is also relevant however, the most relevant skills are the soft skills gained in working with a team or figuring out difficult technical concepts. Once you figure out your learning style you can quickly understand many of the things required at work.
How have these skills or your course made a difference in your career?	I think I would really struggle to progress in my role and sell myself further without those skills. Having run meetings etc. during my time at university also means that I am more confident in my role.

University experience
Why did you choose to study at Sheffield rather than another institution?	I chose Sheffield because, in addition to the excellent academic rankings and facilities, it offered a community feeling. The city is very friendly, the people at the career fair in Riyadh were really welcoming, and overall I got the impression that this would be a city I could call my “home away from home”.
Did your time at Sheffield meet your expectations?	Yes it far exceeded them. Sheffield is an excellent place to live and work, and I would never have moved out if I had the opportunity to stay.
What were the best things about studying in the Department?	The facilities in the department, from libraries to laboratories are quite excellent. I particularly love the long opening hours of the libraries and I really enjoy working in the diamond. It feels very cutting-edge and futuristic.
Career information
Please give a brief history since leaving University	I left university and moved down to Coventry. My graduate scheme at Jaguar Land Rover was very interesting and I was able to work on various different projects, including two placements working on electric cars. I then transitioned to a lead engineer role working on the wiring harness for engines, and am pursuing a part time masters through the company focused on electric vehicle technologies.
Where do you see yourself in the future?	I see myself working in a quality focussed role in the future with a focus on electric or hybrid vehicles. I have really enjoyed my time at JLR and think I still have a lot to learn and opportunities to grow within the business.
Advice to students
If you could give one piece of advice to current students or recent graduates, what would it be?	Take as many opportunities as possible to do various different things, university gives you the opportunity to meet a huge amount of people and try lots of things, and it is the skills and experiences that you pick up through extra-curricular activities that are most valuable to you.

Meet Our International Engineering Ambassador -Weronika Pawlowska

Background

Witaj! Nazywam się Weronika. Jeśli tutaj trafiłeś/trafiłaś zapewne rozważasz przyjazd Sheffield! Słowem wstępu, moje studia tutaj to była  najlepsza decycja którą podjęłam! Jeśli interesują cię ciekawostki z codziennego życia studenta na University of Sheffield, śledź IEA blog!

Hi! For those who are not fluent in Polish, my name is Weronika! 

If you’ve come here, you’ve probably been considering coming to Sheffield. My decision to come and study here was the best decision I made! If you are curious about a student’s daily life at the University of Sheffield, follow the IEA blog…

A bit about myself….

I’m a 2nd year MEng Civil Engineering student, and I am a positive person who tries to make the most of my time here in Sheffield. I am always happy to collaborate with people and share my experience and knowledge. As an IEA and Engineering Champion, I inspire and encourage younger generations to fulfil their potential and choose higher education regardless of doubts. Also, I help other students in our university student-led engineering workshop, the iForge, and help them in their personal and university projects. 

So why Engineering?

I have a real passion for structural design because it enables the creation of a healthy built environment and stretches the boundaries of what’s possible. My interest in the design aspect of engineering was piqued whilst working on a real-life two-storey passive house design project at uni. I enjoyed every moment of this design week, and due to this experience, I am positive that the choice of engineering was the right one!

Lastly, my vision for the future…

I would love to fulfil my role in the community as an engineer and make a real contribution towards making cities more sustainable. In seven years’ time, I see myself as a chartered engineer, working on challenging projects that will benefit current communities as well as future ones. 

 

To see more posts from this IEA click on the posts below

COVID-19: 3D Printed Face Shields at The University of Sheffield & iForge

Meet Our International Engineering Ambassador -Yashvardhan

Since childhood, I have had an inquisitive mind. I have been intrigued by the way all the gadgets around me were designed and worked. My interest in exploring the technical aspects behind these marvels was fuelled when I started reading books on invention of these gadgets.  Among the books that I have read, ‘The Soul of a Machine’ and ‘Empires of Light’ have been my all time favourites. I completed my schooling from Delhi Public School R.K. Puram, New Delhi. I  took up science in class XI, as I believed that almost anything in the world can be broken down into a mathematical equation, scientifically. The interdependence of the various sciences sparked my enthusiasm and yearning to learn to the fullest. With the advent of the latest technologies and advance systems, The interdisciplinary nature of the research in chemistry, mathematics and computers, completely qualified my interest in engineering. The fact that we can take a concept from the fields of chemistry and make a mathematical equation, and work with it, using computational methods showcases the magic of science.I believed that a degree in engineering would help me design tools that are useful for the society as a whole.

Before applying to universities, I visited U.K to understand the education system here. Coming from a family with generations that have studied in U.K, I had heard a lot about The University of Sheffield and was really looking forward to visiting Sheffield. On arriving in Sheffield the first thing that caught my eye was the Engineering block called The Diamond.  I was blown away by its unique architecture and the advance technical support that it provides students. That trip to U.K firmly embedded in my mind that I wanted to study at The University of Sheffield. My time in university has so far been an absolute delight and a great learning curve. The Engineering faculty here at the university of Sheffield has given me many unique opportunity to inculcate various useful skills. In my first year I participated in Global Engineering Challenge, a task focused on team skills, where I got an opportunity to  work with engineers from different subject disciplines to develop a ‘mobile retina scanner’ to detect infection among people of Kibera slum. In my second year, I participated in the Sheffield industrial project famously called the SHIPS and Engineer You are Hired. Sheffield Industrial Project gave me an opportunity to work in a team to find a solution to a problem set my a partner industrial company. On the other hand, Engineer You are Hired gave me an experience of working in the corporate world with fixed working hours and daily targets to meet.I hope to synergise this exposure with Industrial development business that I will eventually join.

I have also been proactively involved in many societies at the University. The University of Sheffield Students’ Union is one of the highest ranked students Union in the country. The Students’ Union has everything for everyone, with 370 societies and committees to choose from. I am currently elected as the vice chair and secretary of the International students’ committee as well as the events and publicity officer for Engineers without borders. Working in these capacities I have not only gained knowledge but have also gained experiences that I will cherish for life. The University of Sheffield has truly made me a better person. I wake up everyday with excitement to achieve something new.

Meet Our International Engineering Ambassador – Fadi Lama

Background

Hey there! My name is Fadi and I’m currently studying towards my BEng in Mechanical Engineering. As this is my International Engineering Ambassador profile, here’s a bit more about me! 

I was born and raised in Amman, Jordan (The Middle East) and I speak three languages; English, Arabic and Spanish. 

Whilst at home, I studied A Levels at high school so I had a greater chance of studying abroad. In the end, I chose the UK for my degree – an easy decision – and arrived in Sheffield to start my studies in 2018.

Why Engineering?

I’ve always dreamt of studying engineering! (top tip: don’t write this on your personal statement if you want to stand out!) 

Joking aside, the real reason I chose engineering was because of my ever growing interest in maths and physics back in high school, and wanting to apply it. The tricky part, I would say, was narrowing down my options and finding a specific field of engineering that suited me the most. 

After a lot of research and thinking, I finally chose mechanical engineering as it is one of the broadest fields in engineering and offers the hands-on experience that any prospective engineer looks for. 

And ever since the start of my studies at the University of Sheffield, I’ve been reassured that my choice of course was the right one for me – mechanical engineering is a great passport to a huge variety of fields, both within and outside the engineering industry.

Why Sheffield?

One of the many reasons I chose Sheffield was the high percentage of international students and the huge amount of support they receive from the University. Also, I’ve always been interested in knowing more about other cultures and languages by meeting people of different backgrounds. Perhaps it’s because I speak three languages? 

But I guess the main reason I chose the University of Sheffield was because of its fantastic reputation for education, especially in engineering. 

For example, the hands-on experience is my favourite part of the course so far. This includes one of my first-year modules where we had to design and build an instrument from scratch, coming up with a design where beginners could easily play four different chords. Who would’ve thought that was possible? 

With the help of our lecturer and full access to the University’s iForge workshop – the UK’s first student run makerspace, which has almost any tool you can think of, from laser cutters, to 3D printers – we managed to build a four-armed string instrument we called “The Quatar”. Although you could argue the musical performance wasn’t soothing to the ear, the whole experience was a highlight for my first semester and a brilliant start to my mechanical engineering studies. Read more

With what else are you involved apart from your studies?

The opportunities to get involved with things are endless… the sky is the limit!

I am the first-year Academic Representative for bioengineering, I got elected for the IPO SU Councillor role representing all the bioengineering, aerospace engineering, general engineering and foundation engineering students at the university (almost 1000 students!), I am a member of the Enactus Sheffield social enterprise (international portfolio – working on a smart irrigation system to implement at rural communities in Malawi), I am the Outreach Officer of the Avalon ROV team and the Media and Communications Director of the Sunride team which sends a rocket to the space. I’ve also been selected for the Student Panel to improve the marketing communications of the university, I am an ambassador of my department at the university’s open days and I have the pleasure to be part of the wonderful International Engineering Ambassadors scheme!

Any dreams about the future?

From what I’ve learnt so far at Sheffield, I can see my future-self working on projects that take a simple idea and evolves them into a new design or solution. 

So as I work through the coming years of my studies, I’ll continue to make the most of the endless support and facilities the University of Sheffield offers me – hopefully going on to achieve my goal of creating a solution that has a positive impact on the world and its people.

After all, isn’t that what us engineers do?