Racing to success: from Manchester to the Grand Prix
Alumni Engineering Materials science Women in engineering Women in STEMM 28 May 2021
Ella Podmore studied for a MEng in Materials Science and Engineering at Manchester and now works for McLaren. She recently won the Young Woman Engineer of the Year award by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
Hi Ella, it’s lovely to catch up with you again! Tell our readers a bit about you.
I’m Ella, 25 years old and I am from Oxford, currently living in London. I graduated from the MEng Materials Science and Engineering in 2018 and now work for McLaren as a Fault Analysis Engineer.
What did you enjoy most about the course?
I loved working in the laboratory especially with corrosion science experiments, the field trips to steel plants and other industrial buildings were also great but the best thing about my course was the ability to do an Industrial placement year, which I completed at McLaren Automotive.
And the wider University?
The sports community at the university was so rewarding to be a part of, most of my closest friends today were made at sports evenings and matchday Wednesdays!
The student festival Pangaea was the best thing all year, we were very lucky to have this at the union.
What are your thoughts on Manchester as a city?
I LOVED Manchester, you can do absolutely anything in the city. I consider it a more exciting, smaller, affordable London. There was so much to do outside of the university, I felt so independent and lucky to spend my university years getting to know a place that I will frequently visit later in life.
The historical links this city has to industry and scientific discoveries was one of the main reasons why I picked Manchester over other universities.
Can
you tell us a little about your career post-university, and the role you’re in now?
After completing my industrial placement year at McLaren, my thesis topic was focused around an Automotive corrosion investigation which lead to McLaren creating a department for me once I finished; I became McLaren’s first Materials Engineer. After two years in the role I have now recently moved into the Fault Analysis department where I am leading the body panel corrosion project and investigating material-related faults on all our projects.
How did your time at The University of Manchester help with this?
Manchester prepared me greatly for my move into a high-performance company like McLaren, because the potential of the university is phenomenal. If you have an interest and a drive to discover, learn, develop, you can find a way at Manchester to do it. For example, I was studying to be an engineer, yet I wanted business experience, there were options as part of Materials Engineer for me to understand business economics of an engineering firm.
I also wanted to partake in sports whilst enhancing my leadership skills; so, I was fortunate enough to be President of the University of Manchester Women’s Netball club.
What would you say to people considering coming to The University of Manchester to study?
The opportunities are there at Manchester university, make sure you grab them and become the best person you can be. I genuinely believe if you are interested in becoming an engineer, scientist, leader of industry, no place is better to prepare you than Manchester university.
Also make sure you consider joining a society or continue your hobby whilst at university, because at Manchester there will undoubtedly be a club for it, or if there isn’t, create one! The skills you learn in extracurricular activities is even more important now than in school.
And outside university… what do you get up to in your spare time?
I was heavily involved with Manchester netball as both a player and club President. This experience proved incredibly useful since the leadership qualities I acquired during this period were picked up on in every assessment day or job interview I have ever had.
AlumniCareersEngineeringManchesterMaterialsMaterials ScienceThe Department of MaterialsThe University of Manchester
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