The best thing about engineering research is that feeling that you're doing something for the very first time...it might be a small thing, but it makes you feel like a pioneer every day

Wendy Birtwistle, Engineering Team Leader in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, shares why engineering research is so exciting.

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The highlight of my engineering journey so far, is not so much one thing but more the variety of projects I've got to work on over the years. So I started in electronics then moved into flight simulation and now I'm in additive manufacturing.

Every new student that walks through the door brings new ideas, and can change the direction of that research. So, I don't know where I'll be next but I'm still quite excited by that.

The best thing about engineering research is that feeling that you're doing something for the very first time and nobody else has done that before. It might be a very, very small thing, but it makes you feel like a pioneer every day.

Wendy Birtwistle

Engineering Team Leader

Wendy interviewed in March 2025

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