Engineering Matters

What do engineers build? Often, the answer will be bridges and dams, apartment blocks and factories.

But in everything they do, engineers are also helping to build communities. They are contributing to building people’s careers, and it is those jobs that are central to building a better world.

In this episode, the last of four profiling shortlisted entries in the Engineering Matters Awards, we are looking at how engineers are helping to build better, more diverse workforces, and supporting the communities they work in.

Stuart Culley, Customer & Social Value Lead, Aureos

Victoria Hingley, Skills, Employment, and Education Lead, EKFB (Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and BAM Nuttall)

Katie Jarman, Assistant Chief Engineer, Rolls-Royce Novel Nuclear

Alan Lusty, Founder/CEO, adi Group

Emma Zeale, STEM Outreach Programme Manager, The Lightyear Foundation

Rosie Mellors, Community Manager, The Lightyear Foundation

Ali Birkett, Science Events Developer, Edinburgh Science

Mateja Lampe, CEO, Red Pitaya

Angela Groggins, Work Experience Lead, Sellafield Centre of Excellence

Claire O’Connor, Social Impact Community Lead, Sellafield Centre of Excellence

David Eldon, Behavioural Strategy Lead, Sellafield

Sulaman Mukhtar, Innovation Project Manager, National Highways

Jeff Richardson, Regional Manager, Remote Operations, Fugro

The post #312 Lifting Each Other Up — Engineering Matters Awards 2025 shortlist, People first appeared on Engineering Matters.

At the core of engineering and manufacturing, is the transformation of materials. 

A tree becomes a book. A stone is transformed into a concrete bridge, rocks into steel and glass skyscrapers.

Each of these transformations are inefficient. Raw materials are lost to waste. Mechanical energy is converted into lost heat. In this inefficiency, we gradually chip away at our planet, and its liveability.

If we are to maintain our planet, we must find new, more efficient ways to perform these transformations. We must move from a linear economy, where materials are extracted, transformed, used and then thrown away. Instead, we most focus on re-using, and build a truly circular economy.

In this episode, the third of four profiling shortlisted entries in the Engineering Matters Awards, we are looking at how engineers are helping to transform the world, by making manufacturing and transport efficient and sustainable.

Guests

Victoria Garcia, CEO, BindEthics

States Lee, Engineering Lead, Notpla

John-Paul Grogan, Product Designer, FrugalPac

Geoff Brighty, CTO, Mura Technology

Ed Fortin, Global Product Manager, Magna International

Tom Siekmann, CEO, Voodin Blade Technology

Keith Jones, CEO, CityShuttle

Joe Tighes, CEO, Klean Drive

Thomas Huggenberger, Product Manager, ABB

Fabiana Cavalcante, Global Head of Mobile E-Power, ABB

Steve Wilkinson, CTO, Avioxx

Maurice Briggs, CEO, Vertical Solar

Alf Oschatz, MD, SBP

Adhesh Shenoy, CEO, Guerilla

Victoria Edwards, CEO, Fido

The post #311 Transforming the World, and the Economy — Engineering Matters Awards 2025 shortlist, Planet, Part 3 first appeared on Engineering Matters.

Across every sector, from manufacturing to transportation, energy to construction, the race toward a net zero future is reshaping how we work, produce, and consume. These industries have powered global growth for decades, but now, they must also lead the way in securing a sustainable future.

The scale of the challenge is immense. Achieving a greener future will require more than incremental changes—it demands bold, transformative ideas. In this second episode of four looking at shortlisted entries to the Engineering Matters Awards, we’re looking at ways to make industry cleaner and more efficient. Whether that’s in construction, transport, materials or even valves, these entries are all helping deliver a net zero world.

Guests

Matt Lamb, Senior Design Engineer, Hiperenergy, Aureos (formerly Keltbray)

Dan Summerbell, Chief Solutions Officer, CarbonRe

Christoph Birkl, CEO, Brill Power

Melissa Giusti, Principal Innovation Advisor, National Highways

Peter Toxopeus, Fleet Development Manager, Fugro

David Tindall, Global Product Owner, Land Equipment, Fugro

Mohammed Khan, CEO, Immaterial

George Hunter, Head of Sale, Carnot

Anne Franzas, Global Product Manager, Circularity, Drives Division, ABB

Dave Hawley, Global Head of Sales, Low Voltage Motors, ABB

Heikki Vepsäläinen, President, Large Motors and Generators, ABB

Brendan Hegerty, Director of Marketing and Sustainability, Oxford Flow

Joachim Knapp, CEO, Anker Tech

The post #310 Manufacturing a Brighter Future – Engineering Matters Awards 2025 shortlist, Planet, Part 2 first appeared on Engineering Matters.

What links draught excluders and nuclear reactors? Or carbon capture and methane monitoring? As we enter a generation of change, these and other ideas will be key to developing efficient, decarbonised energy, and to how we use this energy in our homes.

This week, we introduce the shortlisted entries for the 2025 Engineering Matters Awards. The awards aim to celebrate the impact that engineers have on people, and on the planet. In this first episode of four, we look at how shortlisted entries in the Net Zero, Environment, and Sustainability categories are changing energy generation, and domestic energy use.

Guests

Patrick Möller, CEO, CorPower Ocean

Jaymish Patel, CEO, BioFuel Evolution

Thomas Fudge, CEO, WASE

Andreas Aepli, CFO, Climeworks

Maxime Tornier, VP, R&D, Climeworks

Jasper Wong, CTO, Airhive

Clément Gourrierec, Director, CrystalTrade

Michelle Brechtelsbauer, VP, Strategy, Last Energy

James Montgomery, Chief Design Engineer, Novel Nuclear, Rolls-Royce

John Mason, Systems Design & Integration Specialist, Novel Nuclear, Rolls-Royce

Mateja Lampe, CEO, Red Pitaya

Derek Egan, Chartered Engineer, EirGrid

Dunstan Power, MD, Versinetic

Jess Prevost, Marketing Director, Switchee

Mauro Fazion, CTO, SuSy

Sam Cryer, CEO, Thermulon

Sally Philips, Founder, Chimney Sheep

The post #309 A Generation of Change – Engineering Matters Awards 2025 shortlist, Planet, Part 1 first appeared on Engineering Matters.

We live in a world where data and connectivity are essential to almost everything we do. Cable and satellite connections add value to business through trade and collaboration, and enrich our personal lives with the ability to engage with friends and family around the world. Maintaining these connections is a central aim of engineers in the 21st century.

Little has changed in a hundred years. In the early years of the 20th Century, London was the backbone router of a communications network that was revolutionising the business and social lives of Britons. Information was transferred by letters and parcels, rather than data packets, but the ability to ensure efficient data transmission was the same.

In 1913, work commenced on a project that would smooth this transmission: the General Post Office’s underground railway. This allowed information to flow freely, minimising bandwidth constraints and enabling efficient handling. In March, attendees at the Engineering Matters Awards will have the opportunity to ride on the railway. In this episode, we tell the story of how it was planned, built and operated.

Guests

Chris Taft, head of collections, The Postal Museum

Ray Middlesworth, maintenance engineer (retired), the Post Office Underground Railway

The post #308 Building Bandwidth in the 1920s first appeared on Engineering Matters.

For many of us, now is a season of giving. A well chosen gift can bring lasting joy. But it’s easy to get wrong. One of the finest gifts anyone can give, is the gift of engineering. But how can engineers and designers ensure that when they share their gifts, they really meet the needs of users? 

This November, Engineers Without Borders UK brought together a diverse panel of experts to discuss the ‘Voices That Matter’ in engineering. In a conversation moderated by Jonathan Truslove, the panellists—Kamran Mallick, Marsha Ramroop, and Natalia Vasnier—discussed how engineers, and particularly those new to the industry, can work to ensure their work responds to the needs of all users.

In this episode, featuring excerpts from the discussion, we offer a guide to the gift that keeps on giving—inclusive engineering, inspired from the start by the voices of users.

This is our last episode of 2024. We’re taking a two week break for Christmas and the New Year. We’ll be back in January, with a mini-series on the shortlisted entries in this year’s Engineering Matters Awards.

Featuring

Jonathan Truslove, education and skills lead, EWB UK

Kamran Mallick, chief executive, Disability Rights UK

Marsha Ramroop, author, Building Inclusion: Practical Guide to EDI in Architecture & the Built Environment

Natalia Vasnier, founder, editor-in-chief, The Conference Corner

The post #307 Giving the Gift of Engineering first appeared on Engineering Matters.

This week, we are returning to Rothera, in the Antarctic, where, in 2021 the British Antarctic Survey had just completed work on a project it has called ‘the world’s most extreme construction site’. Pour yourself a warming drink, and enjoy the episode. We’ll be back with a new episode next week.

Since the end of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, humanity has focused its activities in the southern continent on science and research. To do this effectively, logistics are critical.

To prepare for the arrival of its new ship, the RRS Sir David Attenborough, the wharf at Rothera Research Station needed to be replaced. The new wharf needed to be built in the extreme conditions of Antarctica, and able to withstand impacts from 15,000 tonne icebergs. 

In this episode we speak to the people who made it happen, and find out what it’s like to work in the most desolate environment known.

Guests

Bruce Wulff, Project Manager, Ramboll

David Seaton, Head of Construction, British Antarctic Survey

Martha McGowan, Project Manager, Bam Nuttall

Stewart Craigie, Technical Director, Sweco

The post #306 Revisited: Building Rothera Wharf first appeared on Engineering Matters.

Nature-based solutions are emerging as vital tools to tackle the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss by leveraging nature’s inherent resilience to protect and restore ecosystems. This episode explores how innovative approaches can make these solutions mainstream and economically viable while addressing complex challenges like urban flooding, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable investment opportunities.

As species vanish at unprecedented rates, ecosystems lose their resilience, diminishing their ability to mitigate climate impacts such as floods and heatwaves. Traditional grey engineering solutions, like concrete sea walls, often address a specific issue but can create long-term challenges. In contrast, nature-based solutions leverage the inherent adaptability and efficiency of natural systems, offering multifunctional benefits like enhanced biodiversity, flood management, and improved urban living conditions. Nature-based solutions integrate ecological processes into infrastructure and land management, delivering diverse benefits to urban and rural settings. However, scaling these methods requires overcoming challenges in measuring their long-term benefits, articulating their value, and shifting industry focus from short-term cost efficiencies to long-term systemic resilience. 

Economic viability is crucial for the widespread adoption of nature-based solutions. Companies like Nattergal are pioneering models that make nature restoration an investable asset, transforming public goods like carbon sequestration and clean water into marketable ecosystem services. Incentives like biodiversity net gain credits in the UK show how policy can direct funding toward environmental recovery. By demonstrating tangible financial returns alongside environmental benefits, these initiatives aim to align corporate interests with sustainable practices, ensuring businesses can protect their futures while contributing to global climate resilience.

Guests

Philip Hoare, Chief Operating Officer, AtkinsRéalis

Stuart McLaren, Global Director for net zero innovation, AtkinsRéalis

Claire Wansbury, Fellow and technical director for ecology, AtkinsRéalis

Zoe Metcalfe, Client director for local and central government, AtkinsRéalis

Francis Heil, Associate director for climate change and resilience, AtkinsRéalis

Ben Hart, head of operations, Nattergal 

Ivan de Clay, head of natural capital, Nattergal

The post #305 Making the Case for Nature-Based Solutions first appeared on Engineering Matters.