Matthew Walker

Chemical engineering affects all aspects of everyday life, so you have the ability to choose a career where your interests lie - I chose nuclear decommissioning but I have friends who work in food and drink, oil and gas, project management and clean energy. These chemical engineering industries affect so many different parts of our lives and the world around us.

At Sellafield Ltd we decommission the Sellafield nuclear site, which is home to the UK’s nuclear legacy. This includes working on some of the most hazardous facilities in Europe to tackle really complex engineering challenges. The work being done here protects people and the environment, with safety and security as priorities, so you feel like you’re making a real difference in the national interest.

Post 16 Education: A Levels Maths, Physics, Chemistry, German

Higher Education: MEng Chemical Engineering

Why did you choose to study Chemical Engineering?

I was really keen to avoid a degree that might restrict my options in the future. A degree in chemical engineering gave me the opportunity to continue study in the subjects I enjoyed at school whilst not tying me into a particular job and offering really good career prospects. If think you want a career in engineering, then an undergraduate Masters (MEng) offers an easier route to Chartered Engineer status after you graduate.

Chemical Engineering involves transforming raw materials and energy sources into more useful products. Many of these processes are responsible for things that we use everyday - like tinned food, medicines, water, plastics and petrol.

Chemical Engineers apply science to design and produce solutions across a range of applications from the lab right up to huge plants and factories.

Matthew’s experience as a student

I loved university but was very nervous at first.

It’s a unique opportunity to meet new people, gain a whole range of different experiences and do things for yourself. I was a Loughborough student for five years but I spent a year of that working in industry and a further six months studying abroad in New Zealand.

Loughborough is a campus university and so felt like a town within itself, which I really liked. The overall student experience was amazing.

Matthew’s Career

I completed a 12-month placement at Sellafield Ltd, who operate the UK’s largest nuclear site, in between my second and third years at Loughborough.

The company offered me a job on their two-year Graduate Scheme. The company later offered me a role as a Process Engineer on their two-year Graduate Scheme, which (like the Loughborough degree programme) is accredited by the Institution of Chemical Engineering (IChemE). However, there are lots of options and several of my friends chose graduate roles in Project Management, Building Consultancy and Finance instead.