Joshua is probably pushing the boundaries of being called a ‘young engineer’ now he’s completed his Masters, but at the Rochester Bridge Trust we like to keep in touch with all the students we’ve supported and Joshua’s continuing story of success is definitely worth sharing.
I’m now into my second year of PhD study at the University of Bristol, where I am looking into the distribution of forces within timber-concrete composite floors.
The main focus so far has been the construction and testing of two full-scale floor specimens, followed by breaking them in the lab to see how they behave. I took this research to Parliament via the STEM for Britain competition, as well as the IStructE Young Researcher’s Conference, where I was awarded second prize.
I have also recently found out my work has been shortlisted for a TRADA Timber Innovation Award and I will be presenting my work to a panel of judges this summer.
As a nice aside from my periods of intensive research, I teach for one day a week in the Civil Engineering Department. The units I work on include steel and concrete design, surveying and timber engineering. This is a good way for me to engage with the department and the undergraduate students.
Outside of my PhD I have been closely involved with the Badock Hall Association, which is the alumni association of my hall of residence. I joined the group as Secretary and have run the Richmond Lecture Series and the University/Student Union public lecture series in 2016/17. I believe it was for these two reasons that I was nominated for and won the Alumni Association Award for engagement with the Bristol alumni community.
To find out how Joshua fared in his Masters, click here, or follow his journey as a young engineer here.