Month: November 2019

Joshua Rasera, Research Assistant, Department of Earth Science and Engineering

“I love being surrounded by friendly, bright and talented researchers, and thankful that working at Imperial allows me to live my dream of being a part of the space sector.”

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to work in the space sector. As I was nearing the end of school, I decided to go into mechanical engineering with the goal of leveraging this education to a space career.

I completed my undergraduate and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering at the University of Waterloo in Canada, with a specialisation in heat transfer and metallurgy for automotive applications (i.e, not space). Following this, I worked as a process engineer at a hearing aid manufacturing company, Unitron Global, where I developed manufacturing methods and standards for custom hearing aids (again, not space). (more…)

Hans Chan, Undergraduate, BSc Chemistry

“Imperial is more than just an academic institution – there is a culture of facilitating innovation and helping students to implement and execute great ideas, which you might not find in a pure research environment.”

Since starting my Chemistry degree at Imperial, I have been involved in a variety of things – from being a part of the Robotics and Drone society, to getting involved in tech entrepreneurship competitions hosted by the College.

The College has incredible resources, which enable both students and staff to carry out ground-breaking work in both natural sciences and engineering. At Imperial, there is a celebratory feel in the air whenever something new is created, and this is an environment I enjoy being part of. Imperial is more than just an academic institution – there is a culture of facilitating innovation and helping students to implement and execute great ideas, which you might not find in a pure research environment. (more…)

Dr Julianne Viola, Research Associate, Centre for Higher Education Research and Scholarship

“My research focuses on understanding Imperial students’ sense of belonging, and how that influences their contributions to and participation in social and political life inside and outside of the College.”

My experience as an educator and mentor for secondary school students in the United States inspired me to pursue research that empowers young people.

I realised that my true passion is to conduct and disseminate the research that influences policy and social attitudes. I am most interested in how young people develop and express their own opinions and effect social change, and I completed my doctorate at the University of Oxford earlier this year, before joining Imperial in April. (more…)

Gareth Oliver, Remote IT Support Engineer, Information and Communication Technologies

“I remember how brilliant it was when high speed internet arrived in the UK – we could suddenly download movies while making a cup of tea instead of having to wait for hours!”

I was born and raised in Wales, with Welsh being my first language. After studying Maths at the University of Wales Aberystwyth, I briefly worked in retail and then started my career in IT.

Working for Cable & Wireless (which became NTL and then Virgin Media) at the start of the broadband rollout was really exciting. My role involved analysing faults and responding to customers. I remember how brilliant it was when high speed internet arrived in the UK – we could suddenly download movies while making a cup of tea instead of having to wait for hours! (more…)