Nausheen Basha is a research associate at Imperial College London. A graduate of the Aerospace Engineering Masters at the University, she’s recently won the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Most Distinguished Developing Career Achievement prize. We caught up with her to discuss the award, her career so far, and what the future holds.

Nausheen Basha is originally from Chennai in the south of India, but spent most of her early life in the United Arab Emirates. After completing a Bachelor’s course in Aerospace Engineering back in India, she moved to the University of Manchester for her Masters in Aerospace Engineering. Following graduation, she worked as a modelling and simulation engineer for a project funded by Innovate UK. She completed a PhD on Computational Modelling of Compressors before taking up her current role.

The Distinguished Developing Career Achievement prize is merely the most recent in an impressive list. Nausheen was voted one of the top 50 women in engineering by the Women’s Engineering Society, and prior to that her PhD work saw her awarded a Ted Perry Prize from the Institute of Refrigeration.

So what made her start her career in Manchester? She told us, “when I did my Bachelor’s, I had studied the modules on computational fluid dynamics. I was interested to explore this further, and I realized that Manchester has expertise in working in this area. I actually applied for Imperial as well, but London was too expensive! So I went for Manchester. It’s a great place. Many people that I collaborate with now in terms of research have done their undergrad or their Masters as well as their PhD at Manchester. So I often come across people who have had some relationship with the University of Manchester.“

What does Nausheen think led to her being awarded the Distinguished Developing Career Achievement? “I think it’s a few things. First, it’s been awarded by process industries, and I work in the area of designing and optimizing chemical reactors, which is fundamental in the process industry. So I think it’s an accumulation of some of those research achievements that I have, plus I like doing EDI work. I’m a part of the Women’s Engineering Society, but I mentor women and also I’m a STEM ambassador. So it’s a combination of the technical aspect as well as a responsible leadership, I suppose, that led to the prize.”

When it comes to Manchester itself, Nausheen strongly recommends the city to any prospective student. “I would say go ahead and apply for Manchester. It’s a great place to live because it is a vibrant student city. There is food from all parts of the world, so you can never get homesick. And it’s very affordable compared to London, as well as a great place to study. There are lots of supportive academics at Manchester, there’s a whole student community and it’s more like a student city. If you’re on Oxford Road, everyone is a student, so you feel like a positive student community there, so you don’t feel like you’re by yourself.”

And what does the future hold for Nausheen? It looks as though she’ll commit to academia in the longer-term as she’s currently applying for Fellowships within various organizations, and then possibly looking for an academic position.

With an impressive career already underway, and a list of prestigious awards already under her belt, it seems as though any institution would be lucky to have Nausheen on their staff. Another successful engineer; born in Chennai, and made in Manchester.

Words by Dave Espley

You can listen to the full interview, and there’s also a transcript available.