I work as an Applications Engineer at Wolfspeed, the leaders in silicon carbide technology, in North Carolina, USA. My role is ultimately to find answers and to solve problems for all our Wolfspeed customers which is something that I love doing. And now, supporting Jaguar TCS Racing, where I made the move to Kidlington in the UK, I literally get to see those problems that I solve come to life, and it’s so rewarding to see those tangible changes.
To get to where I am now, I think back to high school which is where I first discovered I enjoyed problem‑solving. I was always very happy to be doing puzzles and I really enjoyed Physics classes, especially working on circuits. There would be classes where I knew my peers were finding it harder to understand, but it all just seemed to make so much sense to me!
My love for this area came as both a surprise to me, and my parents! I’d never really shown much interest up until this point. So, I decided to really pursue it to explore my potential. I even joined my school’s Robotics Club!
I then went on to study a Masters in Electrical Engineering at Virgina Tech, and I found the Grad school to be particularly challenging, but I still enjoyed it.
My current role involves me working closely with the Race Team to understand their application of our product, running lots of simulations and carrying out comparisons. I can then identify where I can advise integration changes that could make even the slightest of improvements to the race car.
If you would have told me at the start of my career that I’d be improving a race‑winning all‑electric race car, then I never would’ve believed you. But it’s amazing to now work in motorsport and I’m really proud to be making an impact on the car. It‘s exciting to see the race car compete at a race with a change made to it based on the simulation that I ran.
It’s great to be marking International Women in Engineering Day and I hope to be able to inspire others with the work I’m doing now. One piece of advice that stuck with me early on in my career to try to find a mentor. This doesn’t need to be a really formal arrangement, it can be as simple as surrounding yourself with a support network such as your peers at work who you can lean on for advice when needed.
My other advice would be to remember that’s it’s okay if you’re unsure on what area of engineering you want to work in. I remember coming out of university being surrounded by people that knew exactly what they want to do. But there is no rush, and I’d really encourage applying for roles that offer rotation options, as they do at Wolfspeed or JLR. There are so many areas of engineering that you may not have discovered yet, and you’re not expected to have it all figured out from the start – or ever!
Engineering can be complex, but to me it’s as simple as problem‑solving. See a problem, find the solution – that’s engineering.
