Building my engineering skills at Bath

During my master's at Bath, I developed both my technical skills and the way I approach engineering problems. The course taught me to think more critically and systematically, helping me break down complex problems and learn from each project.

I also gained practical experience using simulation tools such as Simulink. This has become particularly useful in my career, where simulation is now an important part of my everyday work.

For my graduation project, I worked on an individual industry-linked project looking at the cooling system of an electric vehicle battery pack. I built simulation models to explore how the battery temperature could be controlled more effectively.

The project gave me the chance to put my simulation skills into practice and work on an engineering problem closely related to the automotive industry.

“The course helped me develop not only my technical skills, but also a more systematic way of approaching engineering problems.”

Building my confidence at Bath

One of the biggest challenges I faced when I first arrived in the UK was speaking English. I felt nervous communicating with others, especially when I couldn't express myself as clearly as I wanted to.

I tried to take every opportunity to speak with classmates from different countries, even when my English wasn't perfect. I also joined the University table tennis team, where I could chat and interact with my teammates during training.

Over time, these experiences helped improve my spoken English and made me more confident communicating with others.

This confidence has also been useful in my career, where working with people from different teams is an important part of my role.

Using my Bath experience at Volkswagen

I now work as a Powertrain Thermal Efficiency Engineer at Volkswagen China Technology Company. My role focuses on the efficiency and thermal management of vehicle powertrain systems. This includes setting technical requirements and using simulation to support their development and testing.

Many of the skills I developed at Bath are now part of my everyday work. The experience I gained with Simulink has been particularly useful. After joining Volkswagen, I was able to use this experience to work independently on powertrain simulation models.

The way I learned to approach engineering problems at Bath has also stayed with me. It helps me break down complex problems, review my work systematically and find practical solutions.

Communication is another important part of my role. I work with different teams across the company, so being able to explain my technical views clearly and work collaboratively helps me move projects forward.

“The critical engineering thinking, simulation modelling skills and communication abilities I developed at Bath still support the work I do today.”

Advice to future students

My advice to future students is not to focus only on theory. Take every opportunity to put what you learn into practice.

Spend time building practical skills through simulation and projects but also get involved and work with people from different backgrounds. The technical experience I gained at Bath prepared me for my career, while working with others helped me become more confident in communicating my ideas.

For me, university is about more than what you learn in lectures. It is also about the experiences you gain along the way.