Category: Employability

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From the University of Brighton to Director at Google

Stuart Green tells us about his journey from a Software Engineering degree to Director of User Experience at one of the world’s most recognisable brands in Google.

The Brighton Effect can take your career down many different paths. It just so happens, that this particular path has led to a senior position at tech mega-giant and one of the world’s well-known names – Google.

We caught up with Stuart Green who tells us about being a mature student at Brighton along with the support he received, to where he is now and his work with Google.

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Laura RubyLeave a comment
Ada headshot looking at the camera

Civil engineering graduate Ada tells us how Brighton provided the tools for life as a graduate 

Civil Engineering graduate Ada Nwadigo is managing director of her own company, Jona Infrastructure, and credits her time at Brighton with the tools to set her up for life as a graduate.

Ada tells us more about her time at Brighton and the combination of practical and theoretical aspects of her degree, engaging and working with a diverse range of people, opportunities to improve employability with industry contacts and the support she received from staff at the university.

Why choose the University of Brighton?

“My journey to the University of Brighton was influenced by a family connection and a deep fascination with the course content. My grandfather had studied Mechanical Engineering in the same town of Brighton, and his experiences had a profound impact on me. Moreover, the prospect of studying in the vibrant city of Brighton was highly appealing.

“What truly attracted me to the university and this degree was the course content itself. I found it to be incredibly compelling, especially when compared to what other universities had to offer. The opportunity to delve into technical subjects and work on cutting-edge technology excited me immensely. I believed that this course would equip me with the skills necessary to make a significant and positive impact on the world.”

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Stephanie ThomsonLeave a comment
Students watching a presentation about sustainability

Civil Engineering Practice module – guest lectures

Our first year civil engineering students were recently visited by guest lectures from professionals from industry as part of the Civil Engineering Practice module, which introduces students to the range of issues related to the content and role of the civil engineering profession.

Colin Toovey and Ian Denis from Royal Haskoning DHV, a global consulting engineering company were kind enough to come along and share some of their valuable insight with our students. They gave a sustainability presentation on ‘Nature-based solutions in Practice, Water, River and coastal focus’. We are working to organise some site visits with Royal Haskoning DHV later this year, and really look forward to working with them more!

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European Space Agency logo

European Space Agency collaborative projects

Deploy! Project

The DEPLOY! Project is a collaboration between the universities of Pisa, Parma, and Brighton, as well as the European Space Agency (ESA) sponsored PETRI student project, with additional funding received from the UK Space Agency.

The project focuses on the dynamic deployment of a novel satellite radiator panel thermal interface using a flexible Pulsating Heat Pipe. This research aligns with the ongoing work on Pulsating Heat Pipes at the universities of Brighton and Pisa. The project team, consisting of five Masters’ students and one PhD student, has been mentored by experts from the partner universities, who have provided access to their expertise and key experimental equipment. The DEPLOY! team, led by Erin Saltmarsh from the University of Brighton, has been spearheading the manufacturing and mechanical design aspects of the project.

The flight campaign for the DEPLOY! Project is scheduled to start on November 20th in Bordeaux, France. To learn more about this exciting project, visit their website.

Gell-P (Gravitational Effects of Lower Limb Perfusion)

Gell-P is a collaborative project between the School of Health Sciences and the School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering. The project aims to investigate the effects of gravity on foot perfusion to support a wider demographic of astronauts and mitigate injuries. By evaluating foot vascular flow under varying gravity conditions, the project seeks to understand lower limb injury healing for long-term astronaut missions.

The collaboration involves a team of podiatrists from the School of Health Sciences, led by project PI Rachel Forss, along with support from a team of engineers from the School of Architecture, Technology, and Engineering.

The experiment, designed and built at the AEB, will be tested during the 83rd European Space Agency parabolic flight campaign starting on November 20th. Read this post to learn more about this fascinating project.

European Low Gravity Research Association (ELGRA)

Dr Nicolas Miche has been selected as a mentor for the first European Low Gravity Research Association mentoring scheme. ELGRA is a nonprofit international society that promotes European research in microgravity, simulated microgravity, and hypergravity conditions. It serves as a platform for scientists interested in life and physical sciences in space.

The goals of ELGRA include representing and strengthening the scientific community of altered gravity research and involving young people in research through educational programmes.

ELGRA achieves these goals by organising scientific symposia and courses, cooperating with institutions and agencies to organise scientific events, spreading information about opportunities and new platforms, and supporting students and young scientists through grants and educational programmes from ESA.

Laura RubyLeave a comment
Students Max,James and Alex pictured in company building of Paxon Access

Brighton students land scholarships with global technology firm

Students from Brighton have been awarded two of three annual scholarships offered by a leading Brighton-based global technology company, Paxton Access.

This is the sixth year that Paxton has offered engineering scholarships to students studying STEM courses at University of Brighton and University of Sussex. Successful applicants receive £10,000 each towards their final year university fees, and a three-month paid work placement within Paxton’s experienced Development department.

This year, the scholarships are awarded to Alex Moreton and Max Lewandowski from University of Brighton, and James Napp from University of Sussex. The scholars have been working at Paxton for more than a month and have found the placement beneficial for building new skill sets that will be useful in their future career.

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Laura RubyLeave a comment
Female civil engineering student looking through total station

Need civil engineering career advice? We offer one-to-one meetings with industry experts

Civil engineering students studying at University of Brighton are given the opportunity to take part in 1-1 ‘surgery’ meetings with professionals that form our Industrial Advisory Board.

Look out for the weekly email with details on how to arrange one, and take advantage of their expertise!

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Laura RubyLeave a comment
Students working in architecture studio

How to become an architect

At Brighton, we offer the qualifications required for every stage in becoming a fully-fledged architect. Here, Ben Sweeting, Architecture BA(Hons), explains out how to get there. Spoiler alert: it’s not seven full years at uni!

How long will it take me to become an architect?

Qualifying to be an architect usually involves five years at university (three years of undergraduate study and two years of postgraduate study) and two years’ practical experience.

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Laura RubyLeave a comment
Three students with their model rocket car

Getting motivated through competition and seeing projects come to life

In the third and final blog in this series about the Engineering Practice module, Cristian, one of our Electrical Engineering students from Group 17, shares his thoughts on researching, workshops, cooperation, competition, and public speaking as part of this module.

Read about Theodore, Connor and Will’s experiences of the Engineering Practice module here

Read about Jake, Valentin, Edward, Connor and Isabel’s experience here

Engineering Without Borders

Since our objective was to help a region of the UK with relatively low life expectancy, we chose to go with a sustainable and overall cheaper way for the consumer to motivate them into exercising more frequently. Using our field in electrical engineering we opted to lower membership prices and have a reward system integrated by connecting electricity generating attachments to gym equipment. What made us the proudest was finishing a full-fledged project with complete research and being able to present in such a way that would be appealing to regional infrastructure developers and investors underlining the importance of physical exercise with some niche improvements on sustainability.

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Laura RubyLeave a comment
Four students with their rocket car

Engineering projects for future careers

In the second blog in this series about the Engineering Practice module, Mechanical Engineering students Jake, Valentin, Edward, Connor and Isabel from Group 15 tell us about their experience, and how they developed and enhanced their skills individually and as a group which will now help them in their professional futures.

Read about Theodore, Connor and Will’s experiences of the Engineering Practice module here

Read about Electrical Engineering student Cristian’s experience here

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Laura RubyLeave a comment
Alex Witty

Brighton allowed me to be extremely creative and just pretty weird

We spoke to Alex Witty, who graduated in 2022 with a Product Design BSc(Hons), and is the Founder of The Piezo Project, to find out about his Brighton Effect story.

Q: How did your experience at Brighton bring you to where you are now personally or professionally?

Brighton enabled me to think freely and really explore my true interests and passions, which enabled me to grow in confidence and start my own business off the back of my final year project. Brighton allowed me to be extremely creative and frankly, just pretty weird which allowed me to explore my passions without any judgment but instead, support and backing. I can say for sure that without being at the University of Brighton I would not be doing my dream job right now in running my own business.

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Laura RubyLeave a comment