Read about PhD student Matt Currie’s firsthand experience of the EuroBrake Student & Young Engineer Opportunities Programme.
Matt is a PhD researcher at the University of Leeds, nearing submission of his thesis titled “comparative life cycle assessment of novel environmentally friendly brake rotors”.
Matt’s specialist area of study/interest is automotive brake rotors, life cycle assessment, and sustainability, with key interests in fluid mechanics and simulation.
We asked how he heard about the programme, and what attracted him to it?
I heard about the programme through my supervisor (who is on the steering committee for the conference) and other students at the University who took part previously.
I was attracted to the idea of being a part of a group of similarly positioned people, most also attending their first conference, as well as the ability to discuss my research with industry professionals.
The application process was straightforward, I submitted an abstract for a poster presentation. This was good practice for conference paper submissions.
What were the key learnings?
I learnt a lot about other research being conducted outside of my specialty, within the braking industry, with some influencing my methodological choices for my own research.
The programme facilitated me meeting industry professionals, from varying backgrounds, who were very open and happy to have in-depth conversations about my research and life after academia, providing valuable suggestions.
The programme helped me improve my confidence in presenting work to my peers, which benefited my paper oral presentation within the conference itself. It also improved my confidence to approach industry professionals from the working group to discuss my research as well as topics they were working on, which was very beneficial for me to then get the most out of the exhibition hall sessions and improve my networking skills.
Matt Currie has a Master’s degree, University of Leeds, in mechanical engineering with an automotive focus.