Ella-Mae

Organisation: Loughborough University
Role: Senior Lecturer in Systems Engineering

Qualifications

A Level Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Systems & Control D&T, Meng Systems Engineering and PhD Human Sciences (Ergonomics)

Career journey

Now I’m a Senior Lecturer in Systems Engineering at Loughborough University. I’m doing lots of research in human factors within engineering – understanding how people work with the different technology around us. We’re taking account of things like whether people trust AI, the impact of the appearance of robots and how we measure productivity and support wellbeing within engineering organisations.  

I always had a plan of where I wanted to be and what I wanted to do – but this was never it (in a good way!), as I moved through my education and career, I have identified new opportunities and worked with some great mentors who have encouraged me to grab those opportunities.

What inspired you to pursue a career in engineering

I’ve always been fascinated with how things work, which is what got me into engineering in the first place. Now I’m interested in why and how people use things – it’s not enough for it to simply work if no one wants it, needs it, or will use it.

Academic knowledge and skills important to engineers

  • Engineering design
  • Creativity
  • Innovation
  • General understanding of the engineering processes and approach

What would a typical week look like for you?

Every day is different! These are just a few things that I could be doing during a day:

  • Delivering content on a module
  • Meeting with PhD students
  • Visiting students during their placement years
  • Board meetings
  • Working on projects

As you can see it’s multidisciplinary.

What do you think have been the most influential/important achievements and innovations in engineering over the last 50 years?

In my opinion, the technology has been very influential e.g., the increased use of automation has become prominent in everything we do.

In addition to this, the increased appreciation of the impact that metal health can have on the workforce and the awareness of sustainable productivity.

What are your predictions for the future of your industry in 50 years' time?

We are going to get better at designing systems to do what we need them to do, which will provide an enriched experience for people.