Prospects Postgrad 1

SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING Postgrad 73 Engineering experience INGA BARGMANN studied Mechanical I took up a postgraduate course because I wanted to gain experience in research and to specialise in my favourite topic of engineering. I chose the University of Leeds because the institution and my supervisor have strong connections in the industry and offered an interesting project to work on. My PhD is concerned with tribology (the science and technology of interacting surfaces in relative motion). Tribology was the focus of my Masters project. For my PhD I have taken this a step further, looking at industry problems related to tribology and corrosion. It deals with different sorts of materials, which I am testing under offshore conditions. The responsibility you have as a PhD student is different from that as an undergraduate. You are responsible for your own work and you have to solve After my first degree, I went straight to the University of Leeds to take up my PhD. I didn’t feel the need to enter industry first, as I had already gained a year’s work experience with Autoliv Pty Ltd in Australia. It was compulsory to work as a student engineer for one semester (20 weeks) during my first degree but I spent a year at Autoliv, as I got the chance to work on a research project. your own problems - you cannot ask your supervisors for the answers every time you have difficulties. Also, there is no one to tell you whether your research is right or wrong. It is your own responsibility to find out whether the data you have observed makes sense or not. And, you are also responsible for setting your own deadlines, although you may also have deadlines set by your supervisor or sponsor. TAKING RESPONSIBILITY Despite all this Engineering in Hamburg before making her way to the University of Leeds. Here she is studying a PhD at the School of Mechanical Engineering. responsibility, however, postgraduate study allows you to find out whether you want to work in education or industry. Additionally, you will gain theoretical knowledge about a specific subject/area that you might want to work in later on. Also, your first degree may not have given you the knowledge and skills an employer is looking for. Postgraduate study allows you to gain this experience. It is important, though, that you apply your knowledge to the real world, as there is a risk of being too focused on the theory. Make sure you pick a PhD that relates your work to industry. I would advise other students to find an area of study they want to pursue as a career and which matches best with their past study, to make sure the enthusiasm does not get lost during their project. Everything else they will find out during their studies. Once I have completed my PhD I hope to get my favourite job in the metal processing industry. Because of my background as a Mechanical Engineer, I could work in all fields of engineering. I want to make use of my actual experience gained in the use of analysing equipment and handling different materials, which could lead me to work as a project engineer or consultative engineer.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Prospects Postgrad 1

Prospects Postgrad Autumn 2008 Contents: What’s Inside For Love and Money Cash for Qualifications A Tale of Two Students Meet the Postgrad People All Aboard The Postgraduate Environment Maths Market The Postgrad Programme Teacher Training Arts and Humanities Science and Engineering Business and Management Social Sciences

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