Without perspectives from people with different backgrounds, engineers are destined to see problems through a single lens. This will not be resolved without creating systemic change to level the playing field for women and minorities.

Alumna Micheala Chan

“Access to clean water and sanitation are key issues that we don’t talk about enough,” says Micheala, one of six young engineers recruited as Future Leaders for 2020/21 by ICE President Rachel Skinner. The cohort will work on projects assigned to them to help drive forward the ICE President’s agenda with a focus on a carbon net-zero future.

“Sanitation, in particular, is a crucial element to global health and yet it often suffers from political neglect, given that water is often more politically expedient and favourable. I hope to bring a much-needed focus on sanitation, to highlight that the real challenges we face in global access are delivery and access (as opposed to fancy technical solutions), and to bring attention to the intersections between Sustainable Development Goal 6 – ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all – and other exacerbating factors.”

“It is time for the civil engineering industry to push the boundaries with respect to climate change and I’m excited to share this platform with the ICE President’s Future Leaders team,” she added.

Micheala, who studied a Master of Engineering (MEng) at Cambridge, is an assistant civil engineer at Arcadis, a global design and consulting company. She leads on civil engineering design across a number of projects, liaising with stakeholders on cost, programmes and designs. Her main responsibilities include preparation of outline and detailed design packages. She is currently working on Thames Water Developer Services projects, involving pipeline design, and Thames Water Asset Protection, reviewing impact assessments for a number of new developments.

Here she helps bust some myths about civil engineering, shares valuable advice, and reminisces about her top Cambridge moments.

Many people believe that civil engineering is all about calculations and building bridges. I believe that times are changing and the civil engineering industry has felt the onus to change its approach to our jobs. 

Civil engineers have a moral imperative to consider social factors and big-picture considerations, not just technical (for example, designing for inclusivity and equity) and we are really starting to see that come out in certain sectors and projects.

My advice for budding engineers is to pursue your passions and what challenges you, and if you are doing what you love, this will keep you going when the going gets tough. Keep your eyes open and stay curious; inspiration is everywhere. Be confident and keep trying.

For me, it has always been a dream to study at Cambridge. My motivation for studying Engineering began in in Year 4, when I was given a project to research and present an aspect of Ancient Egyptian history to the class. In my research, I became fascinated by Ancient Egyptian irrigation systems and the power that we have to shape society and build civilisations by harnessing the power of nature.

One of the best parts of my Cambridge experience was being able to get involved with so many extra-curricular opportunities. This allowed me to find my interests and meet many like-minded and inspirational people.

Working with the Cambridge Development Initiative was the ultimate highlight of my time at Cambridge. I learned a lot from my experience helping to run a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working in international development in Tanzania, particularly with regards to the role that engineers can play in improving quality of life and the wider ethical implications of our work. It also gave me the chance to use my skills to push boundaries towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6.

Internships also provided me with an amazing opportunity to apply the knowledge I was learning in the lecture theatre to real-world experience. Internships also build your professional network and give you increased visibility in the field. With a general engineering degree like the one at Cambridge, internships give you the opportunity to explore various career paths to find out what you enjoy.

Without perspectives from people with different backgrounds, engineers are destined to see problems through a single lens. This will not be resolved without creating systemic change to level the playing field for women and minorities. I have often felt imposter syndrome when given a seat at the table, but I have also been reminded, by the many amazing women around me, that my voice and what I have to say matters, and so does yours!

As well as raising awareness of big issues such as climate equity, in the future I hope to work on projects in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) to improve equitable access globally. I would like to change the mindset of engineers, to encourage the industry to demonstrate its social awareness and ability to break silos to deliver sustainable and human-centred results for people. I try to live by the African American novelist Toni Morrison’s quote, “Your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.”