Occupation

Senior Antenna Engineer

Organisation

SELEX Galileo

Could you give a potted history of your career to date?

A scenic one. Maths and Physics were always my favourite subjects at school but I had no real concept of what I could do with them, no role models, no information at school. I initially intended to do a Maths/English degree, because I thought it might be general and useful enough to apply to lots of jobs. However, I still wasn't so sure and deferred for a year and went to work in the Trust Accounts section of an insurance company (no, I don't know why either). The money was nice, experiencing real work was interesting but eventually I was frustrated by my lack of degree and knew I was not destined for greater insurance things.

After 3 years I applied for a place on an Electrical and Electronic HND course run by the (now ex-) EITB, encouraging women into engineering, with the aim of using it to go into a degree course. The course was at an old nautical training college in Edinburgh and had a lot of radio and radar kit to play with, and I realised quickly that microwaves/ RF was the field for me. I got into the 2nd year of a 4 year Electrical and Electronic degree course at Heriot-Watt and finished with a first class degree.

I stayed on at the university to carry out microwave research but after a couple of years I was poached by a software company based in London, looking for an application engineer to support and promote their electromagnetic modelling software. The role was perfect, with lots of travel, meeting lots of new customers, learning about a huge variety of their engineering problems and working through solutions for them. It involved presentations, training courses, providing feedback to the software developing. A very intense, hectic job, but immensely satisfying.

I moved from there to a small engineering company making flight-line test equipment for aircraft, but it had a decreasing amount of relevant work for me. I had been looking to move back up to Edinburgh for a long time, and when I saw a position for an antenna engineer at SELEX I jumped at it. The company and some of the people were familiar to me, and the work incorporates all the knowledge and experience I have acquired up until this point.

What are you responsible for in your job and what do you like best about it?

The nature of my job is that I am involved in the early research of novel antenna designs for one of our new radars, but I'm also involved in the final production design for the antenna components of a complete radar system. On top of that is the relatively random work associated with more general RF issues from people who think RF is really just a black art and ask for help from the Antenna Group. My responsibilities are for the design and reliability of the RF antennas contained within a couple of million pounds radar system, and any advice given to others for their contributions within similar systems.

What is your working environment like?

Sat at a desk with two computers and two monitors. My desk is in an open plan office with around 100 other engineers scattered around my section of the office. There are 4 other female engineers (one graduate) and two female administrative staff also in the office. I'm usually plugged into the radio or my MP3 player. Dress is from informal (jeans) to smart (suit), depending on personal preferences and situations, such as customer meetings. A lot of my work involves simulation of new designs, to maximise the chances that a prototype antenna actually works when we build it. I deal with manufacturers about a design process if we have a new idea, and feedback from our production drawings and specifications. When the radars have been assembled and go through testing, on-site, I will have the opportunity to get involved in ensuring they operate as they should before they are fitted into aircraft, although I haven't yet been involved in a large scale test and qualification process but I'm still relatively new to the company and the life cycle of a radar is very long. The responsibility of making sure that a pilot gets equipment he needs and relies on is enormous.

Do you ever make mistakes? How do you deal with that? 

Oh yes, ‘to err is human'. How I deal with it depends on the impact of the mistake, any knock-on impact of the mistake, and who is involved. There is never any point trying to cover it up because the truth will always track you down and it's better to be the one making it public. So, prepare for any backlash, assess any necessary corrective action, grit your teeth and get it over with. If it was an entirely innocent mistake - opposed to a lazy one - don't let anyone blow it out of proportion. Fixing any problems caused by the mistake should be the primary concern, not your humiliation or atonement. And don't torture yourself over it, just learn from it.

What is your greatest achievement?

Not a single great achievement, but several smaller ones. Being happy, financially independent, doing a good job in a field that is challenging and relevant, proving a few people wrong, contributing positively to society (I hope).

What would be your ideal holiday?

A week on a lovely sunny beach, in the warmth for a change, followed by a week on the Scottish hills in the snow. Perfection.

What would you like to be doing in 5 years time?

As long as I am happy and healthy I don't mind - losing close family members makes you realise you shouldn't wish your life away. As long as I have some control over my fate I won't mind.

What do you think could be done to encourage more women to enter your field?

I had no exposure to anyone in a field in which I now work, and I know I would have benefited from getting a better understanding of what jobs actually existed, and what I would need to do to get them. I tell people I am an electronics engineer and people in the UK assume engineering is dirty, and is about fixing photo-copiers and washing machines. So, I think these types of case studies, along with opportunities to get into companies, to see what working environments are like and what positions exist, would help young girls see what is available to them. There is no real reason why any women can't do something she wants if she enjoys it and has the qualifications or experience needed.