Neeka Nourshargh
- Course
- Chemical Engineering MEng
- Subject area
- Chemical Engineering
Chemical Engineering appealed to me because brings together my love of Maths and Science to solve problems associated with large scale production. I chose Loughborough as I loved the modern and vibrant feel to the campus when I visited. Loughborough’s impressive reputation for Engineering also played a factor.
The Chemical Engineering building has recently been refurbished so there are lots of new study spaces including an IT room with access to a kitchen, which was extremely useful for working between lectures and during the exam period. Lecturers and laboratory staff are helpful and keen to ensure all the module content is understood by everyone.
Lecturers often have office hours they set aside for students to come and ask specific questions regarding to module content and are also prompt with responding to email queries. The department offered support to students during the COVID-19 pandemic, for example I had regular Skype calls with my project supervisor and the department called all the students to ensure everyone had a quiet place to work and any queries were answered.
The beauty of Chemical Engineering is that it is a course that equips you with skills that are desired in a broad range of job roles and industries, such as fast moving consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas or even finance to name a few. I’m excited to see where these skills take me; what I hope for is something fast-paced and challenging.
I thoroughly enjoyed my third-year research project as I was applying my chemical engineering technical knowledge to research a specific field that was industrially relevant. I was incredibly happy to have achieved a First in this project, which had to be changed and completed from home without access to laboratories due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You need to be prepared to put in a lot of hours (most likely more than your peers on other courses), however Chemical Engineering is an extremely rewarding subject. Don’t be afraid to ask lecturers and students in older years questions as everyone is happy to help.
Due to Loughborough’s links with the industry they have brought in guest speakers from large multinational companies, such as Exxon Mobile, BP, and Rolls Royce. These links were also useful when looking for placements, as I secured one with Unilever through the university. I completed an industrial placement year between years 2 and 3 of my course working as a process development engineer with Unilever. I would definitely recommend doing a placement year as it is a great first insight into the industrial applications of Chemical Engineering. I really enjoyed taking a year out to work and breaking up the four years of studying. Also, the experience and skills gained will be highly sought after when I start applying for graduate jobs.
Loughborough is a very sociable campus, so I have been lucky to meet people from a range of backgrounds, all with different ideas and aspirations. The links to industry Loughborough has means I am always given new career ideas.