After I completed my MEng in aerospace engineering, I spent four years working in the energy industry on both nuclear and wind energy projects. My work was a mix of shorter and longer-term projects, and it was the bigger projects that made me think I might want to undertake my own research. 

I was a bit wary of jumping straight into a PhD, since they’re a much longer commitment, so the MScR seemed like a good starting point to make sure research was right for me. I also think that if I’d done a PhD straight out of my undergrad degree, I would have been quite disorganised! Having some time out in industry definitely helped with the life and organisational skills needed for independent research. I’m now over halfway through my PhD, and the MScR definitely played a major role in getting me here – it was like the first chapter of my PhD journey. 

My research project

My MScR project looked at using machine learning models as ‘surrogate models’ for physics-based simulations. Traditionally, these simulations can take hours or even days to run, but machine learning can make it much faster, which can save time and resources. This was in a wind energy context, running calculations for wind flows over specific terrains, to identify the best places to locate wind turbines. 

I was very fortunate to have supervisors from the University (including one from Cabot) and also from industry (DNV), who were all incredibly supportive. After I completed the MScR programme, I published a research paper on the work, co-authored with Daniel Poole (UoB), and Lars Landberg & Elizabeth Traiger from DNV. I was also lucky enough to win PhD funding which has definitely helped me to continue pursuing research. I’m now working on a PhD on machine learning for wind farm control, which explores the use of data-driven methods to jointly optimise wind turbine settings for maximum power generation.  

A variety of opportunities 

I haven’t decided yet what I’ll do after my PhD. On one hand, I’d like to be a researcher in the industry, and having the MScR and subsequent PhD shows that I have really in-depth knowledge in this area. On the other hand, I really enjoy academia and have been able to do some teaching and marking, so I’m keeping both options open! The MScR definitely opens up a lot of future opportunities.  

Advice to applicants