Research Associate in Systems Engineering in Civil Infrastructure

The AEngD regularly publishes details of research engineer opportunities leading to an Engineering Doctorate (EngD) qualification, but we are also keen to help those who complete their EngDs to take their next career steps.

For example, former AEngD steering group chair Professor Patrick Godfrey, strongly associated with the Systems Centre at the University of Bristol, has highlighted a full-time opportunity in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London. It is seeking a Research Associate in Systems Engineering in Civil Infrastructure.

The Research Associate will carry out leading research to investigate challenges of the digital transformation of civil infrastructure from a systems engineering perspective. The post requires specialist knowledge of systems approaches (which may be in resilient, safe, secure, digital and/or socio-technical systems) and of qualitative data collection methods for research within engineering project organizations and infrastructure owners. Familiarity with qualitative data analysis is needed and with statistical analyses and programming tools is an advantage.

The closing date for applications is 15 January 2017. For informal enquiries about the post please contact Professor Jennifer Whyte, Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at j.whyte@imperial.ac.uk

Materials researchers highlighting EngD opportunities

Two EngD research engineers have recently written website articles about their activities.

The EngD: Dr Who?

Richard Howard, studying in the Non-Destructive Evaluation industrial doctorate centre and based at London's Imperial College, wrote a feature, The EngD: Dr Who? for the college's online publication, Felix. He is clearly enthusiastic about both the programme itself and the immediate and long-term benefits it offers. Here's a few soundbites....

Merging the academic with the practical, it is a fulfilling way to apply the piles of knowledge that you have accumulated over your undergraduate years to real world problems. ...

... the doctoral students become experts in a key industry that will be relevant for many years to come. The remit of the doctorate is also to train future business leaders in these areas as well as furnishing them with technical expertise. For example, the UK’s renewed interest in nuclear power underscores the need for a new generation of nuclear engineers and since there is a dearth in nuclear experts (of all types) the current cohort of EngD nuclear engineers will be the ones running the industry in the future.

Importantly, the scheme is NOT just for engineers, scientists are actively encouraged...

If you are looking for a career in a particular industry, or at particular company, then an EngD can easily be far more than a foot in the door; more like a whole leg! You’ll work closely with your sponsor’s researchers and will make a raft of contacts, setting you up nicely.

Finally, when it comes to pay there should be no beating around the bush; an EngD candidate gets one of the highest academic postgraduate stipends available... This is the way it should be, treating you like a graduate research engineer with a pay scale to match.

Maria's Diary

Maria Felice, is also an EngD research engineer with the Non-Destructive Evaluation industrial doctorate centre, but is supervised from its University of Bristol site. She is based at Rolls Royce plc and was a finalist in the 2013 AEngD Research Writer of the Year competition. For the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) she wrote a diary entry highlighting her recent activities. She clearly valued the AEngD conference, and is worried about recent changes to EngD funding:

There was a meeting for EngD students - or ‘research engineers’ - at the conference, which was a great opportunity to talk to students from other EngD centres. At each university there are not many EngD students so we tend to become part of the PhD community, but there are actually quite a lot of differences between the two programmes e.g. EngD students tend to be based in industry.
...
A few days prior to the conference, it had been announced that funding for EngDs will be drastically reduced. This was a big shock since all stakeholders seem to be in agreement that the EngD is a highly successful scheme that is beneficial to the UK industry. It was not a surprise, therefore, that this was the main topic of conversation at the conference. However, it was still a fantastic celebration of the EngD scheme and the funding decision is going to be challenged.

Engineer yourself a lucrative career

"i-Education", within the Independent newspaper's succinct sister edition, yesterday (4 April 2013) had a feature on the demand for technical qualifications. Journalist Amy McLellan reported:

One increasingly popular alternative to the PhD, yet carrying the same academic weight, is the Engineering Doctorate. The qualification was launched in 1992 and it's thought around 2000 have either gained an EngD or are in the process of studying at one of 29 Industrial Doctorate Centres. Each has its own speciality, from formulation engineering at the University of Birmingham, to nanomaterials at Surrey or nuclear engineering at Imperial or Manchester.

"There is feedback from industry that they value the EngD very highly," says a spokesman for the Association of Engineering Doctorates. With a programme described as a four-year interview, research engineers spend 70 to 80 per cent of their time working on a research project for companies. "It fits them well for their future and the outputs from the research are not just valuable in terms of career advancement but also in terms of developing products, processes and intellectual property," says the spokesman. "It's very satisfying."