Profile
Emma Robertson
Curriculum Vitae
-
Education:
School: Writhlington School, Years 7-13. University: Loughborough University
-
Qualifications:
Mixture of GCSEs including Maths, English Language/Literature, Science, Product Design, Art, Geography, French and Business Studies. AS-levels: Photography. A-levels: Maths, Physics, Geography. University degree: MEng Product Design Engineering
-
Work History:
My first job was in Customer Service at WHSmith. I have also worked at Bentley Motors (for 1 year, designing car seats) and have done a summer placement at Tata Motors (for 3 months, car interiors).
-
Current Job:
Industrial Design Engineer
-
Employer:
Global technology and engineering company, Renishaw
-
About Me
I'm an Industrial Design Engineer in Bristol who also loves home DIY!
-
Read more
I live in Bristol with my partner, our 2 cats and over 100 plants in our home which we have been updating for the last 2 years! I like understanding how things work and making things so I always have plenty of projects on the go (some recent ones include making shelves, making an outdoor cat house and creating a plant wall!). My hobbies include running, skiing and interior design.
As well as being an engineer, I also run my own craft business which I started up in the first lockdown in 2020, making home decorations such as plant holders and wall hangings. I also love to paint and restore furniture to give it a new lease of life.
-
My Work
I design metal 3D printing machines, come up with new ideas and make products easier for people to use.
-
Read more
I am an Industrial Design Engineer and my main focus is on designing 3D printing machines. I also look at how humans use our products so I can make them nicer and easier to use. I spend a lot of time coming up with new ideas and sketching them out, and then start to develop these ideas into products. A lot of my time at work is spent solving many different problems.
I am also a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) Ambassador so I do a lot of activities with local schools such as talks, careers fairs and Renishaw visits.
-
My Typical Day: My typical day starts around 7:30am when I get to work (currently I am working from home due to Covid). When I go into work, I spent a lot of the day working on my computer and I can go down to the lab to look at how people use our products and to make prototypes. At lunch, I eat and go on a walk with friends, and then go back to work to do tasks such as sketching ideas and going to meetings, before finishing work at 4:15pm.
-
Read more
My typical day starts around 7:30am when I get to work (currently I am working from home due to Covid). When I go into work, I spent a lot of the day working on my computer and I can go down to the lab to look at how people use our products and to make prototypes. My desk is in the office upstairs, with labs below us downstairs. We also have a product demonstration area where our products are shown to customers.
I work on many different projects across our business and I enjoy the variety of work. Sometimes I will be sketching out ideas, other times I will be 3D modelling on the computer. Communication is an important part of my job so I spend a lot of time speaking to a range of people around the business.
If I am doing a STEM event, I will often go to our auditorium to do a talk or run activities with students.
My day usually finishes around 4:15pm, apart from on Friday where it’s a half day and we finish at 12:30pm!
-
What I'd do with the money
I have two ideas: 1. I would put the money towards a STEM outreach activity/workshop at my work to encourage more diverse audiences to consider STEM careers. 2. I would use the money for STEM outreach activities as part of International Women in Engineering Day.
-
Read more
For my two ideas:
1. I would put the money towards STEM outreach activities at my work to provide STEM engagement to encourage more diverse audiences (such as BAME students, neurodiverse students and disabled students) to consider STEM careers. The activity/workshop would likely be something along the lines of a school visit to Renishaw (or to schools) with engineer talks and hands-on activities.
2. I would use the money for STEM outreach activities as part of International Women in Engineering Day, for competition prizes and STEM activities. -
My Interview
-
How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Creative, organised, engineer
What's the best thing you've done in your career?
Probably my role in creating STEM-inspired Gromitronic for the Grand Appeal's Gromit Unleashed 2 trail in Bristol during Summer 2018! Google ‘Gromitronic’ if you’d like to see!
What or who inspired you to follow your career?
I have always liked finding out how things work and solving problems, as well as wanting to help improve the world we live in. When I found out I could do all of this as an engineer, that was my career sorted!
What was your favourite subject at school?
Maths and Design Technology
What did you want to be after you left school?
An engineer! Or a personal trainer or a photographer
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Not really! Sometimes for chatting in class but that’s about it!
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
Probably an interior designer, or a personal trainer!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
deadmau5
What's your favourite food?
Lasagne
What is the most fun thing you've done?
Definitely skiing! I love it and try to go every year
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
I would wish that: 1. Renovating/doing up a house was quicker! 2. I had a photographic memory! 3. I could go on more holidays to visit more countries!
Tell us a joke.
Why was 6 afraid of 7? Because 7, 8, 9
-