Age: 34

A-levels: Maths, Physics, Chemistry, General Studies

Degree course: M.Eng.&Man. in Mechanical Engineering,
               Manufacturing and Management,
               University of Birmingham

Emma appreciates the smaller things in life. Emma looks at how different forces come into play when machines get microscopic.

My job is...
I’m a researcher at the University of Birmingham's Nanotechnology Research Group where I'm currently investigating how the Casimir force can be used in MEMS (micro electromechanical systems) machines. I've just finished my PhD which involved numerical modelling of pedestrian and cyclist accidents - very different from my new job!

Home is...
A large, old house in Acocks Green, Birmingham, which I share with my husband, several lodgers and 2 cats! It's a bit like being back in a hall of residence - never lonely!

Story so far...
I actually liked the arts subjects at school as well as the science ones - I played the French Horn and Piano all through secondary school and loved acting - but since the age of about 14, I really wanted to find out how everything worked so I decided to focus on science for academic subjects and keep the music and drama as more of a hobby. In 6th form, I entered an industrial design competition with some other girls and we won, which went down really well at my University interviews and even got me a lower offer. The degree I chose was one of the broadest engineering degrees I could find as I wasn’t sure exactly where I wanted to specialise and thought the management bit would be useful for anything. It was quite an intense 4 years but worth the effort and I still managed to make time for other stuff like church, joining the TA and learning new sports. After graduating I worked in small manufacturing companies in the West Midlands which gave me loads of experience and responsibility early on and some great opportunities to travel. After about 6 years of that I decided I needed a new challenge and went back to Uni to do a PhD in pedestrian and cyclist safety research. After 18 months I was offered a job to carry on doing what I was doing for my PhD - then April 2006 switched to investigating car crashes and researching the effects of vehicle manouevres. I've just started a completely new job in the very exciting field of nanotechnology.

Day in the life
I either drive, get the train or cycle - depending on the weather and how much I need to transport - and arrive about 9am. I may spend some time working in the clean room which is a special lab for micro and nano engineering that means dust doesn't get into you components which can be a real problem when their so small. There are various pieces of equipment that I'll use including an electron microsope for taking images of the things I've made. I've started doing some lecturing now so one afternoon a week I'm teaching a hall full of undergraduates which can be quite daunting.

It's a European funded project so this involves some travel as the meetings are all over Europe. The last two were in Paris and Sweden but the next one is in Leicester!

Pet project
Just started it - it's all about the Casimir force (look it up on the internet - it's really interesting!) which was discovered 50 years ago but there is still lots to investigate. My job is thinking about how we can use it in micro-mechanical systems (i.e. really tiny machines).

Freetime
I love music and I enjoy playing the keyboard or the drums at church or just playing the piano at home on my own. I try to keep fit with a bit of swimming and running every week and circuit training when I'm feeling very energetic and Pilates (great for firm abs!!). To relax I like to go to the cinema or to La Verde - my favourite restaurant. If I have a week or two to spare, my ideal holiday would involve either scuba diving with my husband or skiing with a bunch of friends somewhere in the Alps.

Burning ambitions
I’d like to jump out of a plane – with a parachute – and get a part as a stunt extra!

The best thing is...
Working on my own initiative most of the time and doing something which really challenges me. I also appreciate being able to do almost any sport I fancy at lunchtime or after work.

Regrets?
I think with hindsight I’d have done a year in industry either in the middle of my degree or before it because when I did start work, some things that I’d struggled with in my degree began to make sense once I’d used them in a real work situation.