Paige Rabey: Following my aerodynamics dream

PhD subject area: PhD in Experimental high-speed aerodynamics

PhD completion year: 2020

Current position: Aerodynamics Engineer, Airbus

Previous education: MEng Aeronautical Engineering and MRes Fluid Mechanics, Imperial College London

Alumni wisdom:Follow your interests to take pride in what you do

Studying at Imperial

Why did you choose to study a PhD within the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial?

I really enjoyed my final year project, during my MEng, where I was able to focus for four months on a research problem. I particularly enjoyed reading the literature and getting to understand a field in-depth.

What values from your studies have you carried into professional life/your career?

Working independently on problems – I think that people appreciate that you can demonstrate that you’ve thought about how to solve the problem before asking for help. I think that doing a PhD requires you to develop this skill a lot. I also gained a lot of confidence throughout my PhD, and became more comfortable presenting to others.

What has been the greatest benefit of achieving your PhD?

My PhD helped me to remain in the field of aerodynamics, through further specialisation. I am really proud to have followed this dream.

What did you find inspiring at Imperial and why?

I found it inspiring that really intelligent and motivated people came to study and work at Imperial from around the world. It was amazing to work and socialise with such people on a daily basis.

Career path and future goals

What are you currently doing and how has your PhD helped you achieve this?

I’m currently working as an aerodynamics engineer at Airbus and have just been promoted to lead the research and technology projects. My PhD has helped me to already be familiar with a wide range of the topics that are covered here and I am able to make meaningful contributions to the discussions.

At Airbus, there are many wind tunnel tests going on and my PhD helped me to be comfortable in this environment.

What has been your greatest achievement/career highlight so far?

I presented my PhD project to colleagues at MBDA and they were really engaged and interested and impressed by the results.

What are your future career goals?

I would like to stay in the research branch at Airbus, there are opportunities for me to become more involved with the funding bodies and even PhD proposals.

What excites you most about your current area of work?

We’re working towards fully decarbonising the aviation sector through hydrogen-powered aircraft. It would be great to be able to say that I worked on that from the beginning.

What has your journey been since leaving Imperial?

I moved to Bristol and worked for three years at MBDA, a defence company, as an aerodynamics engineer before moving to Airbus Commercial a year ago.

Alumni experience

What makes you proud to be an Imperial Aeronautics alumnus?

Imperial has a large, specialised Aeronautics department which helps give it a reputation for being a difficult but rewarding place to study.