Engineering profiles - Hannah Jayne Robinson

What advice would you give to a young person who is considering engineering at university or as a career?  

Engineering is complex, but so rewarding. You will get to gain a huge skillset from technical mathematical skills, to artistic design, to communication, all of which are super important for future careers. Lots of people like to hire Engineers because they have this dynamic skill yet – an engineer is someone who can solve problems but is also someone who works well in a team.  

Do you think that engineering is inclusive, regardless of your background, gender or nationality? 

If you can solve problems, you can be an engineer. 100 years ago Engineering looked very different to how it does today, and as a queer woman I don’t think I would have the opportunities I do now, if I was working back then. But a diverse career needs diverse people to strive – you cannot design creative solutions if you only have one type of person in your team!  

How did you first become interested in engineering? What inspired you? 

Until 16 I didn’t really know what engineering was. I knew I liked maths and science, but I didn’t want to stop being artistic and creative. I remember looking around at university open days, going to session after session to find out where I could use all of my favourite subjects together. Eventually I stumbled across civil engineering, where people were building bridges, designing buildings, creating drinking water, and trying to stop tropical diseases through sanitation systems. I realised it was here where I could use my technical skills, whilst being creative and caring about people. 

How does your discipline affect people’s lives and the world around us?   

As a Civil Engineer, I am part of a community that help to provide essential services globally. Need a road to drive on? A toilet to use? A safe glass of water to drink? A safe building to relax and learn in? Civil Engineers are the people who design all of these. They get to work with lots of other disciplines, and often all over the world – everyone needs access to basic services! 

Is it possible to explain what being an engineer is like or can it be whatever you want it to be?

Engineers have many different jobs. I have friends who design train tracks, others that design prosthetic limbs, and I look at gender equality. I think in principle an Engineer’s job is to try and make the world a little better and maybe easier. It is about creating a product, a service, a system that means people can lead better lives and that is always going to look different on different people. 

For example, my research allows me to explore the world with some amazing colleagues. I have recently been working in India with several charities and Universities to understand how to improve gender equality for water and sanitation in India. Although I am a technical engineer by training, I also get to have a lot of cross over into gender theory, politics, governance, finance and more!  

What are your career aims and how might you achieve them? 

During my PhD I have conducted research with government, activists, academics… I have been able to see how engineering directly connects to so many different people and disciplines. In my career I would love the opportunity to work in many different roles – for national government, with international organisations such as UNICEF/WaterAid, and maybe one day I will come back to university as a lecturer!  

What skills and personal qualities and attributes are important for being an engineer?  

Engineers are people with a huge skillset. Lots of people think about the need for maths, science, and technical skills, however I also think ‘softer’ skills like communication, presenting, and creativity are hugely important! Engineers almost always work in a team, and so engineers need to be good team members, meaning they need to be good listeners and need to understand how to resolve conflict and at times figure out how to compromise. A good engineer is a good person, someone who wants to make a difference, and does so in a kind, creative, and interesting way.