Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
I'm 23 years old, and I'm from Cork. I studied in UL from 2020 until 2024. I then immediately started my MSc in Thermal Power and Propulsion at Cranfield University and now I'm working in Switzerland. During both my undergrad and masters, I liked to build rockets in my spare time. When I'm not doing that, I enjoy running.
Why did you choose to study Aeronautical Engineering at UL?
I always had a strong interest in space exploration and aircraft growing up, and I knew from a young age that I would want to study something related to that. There are not many options in Ireland to do this, so UL was almost my default choice, but I remember going to the UL open day when I was in 6th Year and being very impressed. I think the fact that my mum is an alumnus also influenced my choice.
What did you enjoy most about the course?
To be very specific and in no particular order, Applied Mechanics, Aerodynamics 1, and Aircraft Conceptual Design were my favorite modules. I also really enjoyed learning how to simulate supersonic flows using computational fluid dynamics for my Final Year Project.
What did you enjoy about UL? What is student life like here?
UL was great because I think for a lot of people it was their first time living away from home. They were coming to UL alone, so everyone was friendly and open. The friends I made during my time there were from every county in the country. The Clubs and Societies and Student Life team make a real effort to ensure that there's always something to do to take your mind off studies, and there's always music in Stables at least once a week.
Here at UL, we’re known as the ‘Home of Firsts’ – are there any important ‘firsts’ that you experienced as a UL student that you would like to share?
The most obvious “firsts” come from my time leading The UL Aeronautical Society High-Powered Rocketry Team (ULAS HiPR), more on that later. This was the first Irish rocketry team to compete in Mach-24 in Scotland and the European Rocketry Challenge. This also made us the first Irish team to compete abroad at a rocketry competition.
Are there any campus locations that hold special significance for you?
Has to be the Glucksman, no question. A close second would be the path next to the Shannon that leads into the city. I did most of my runs along there in every type of weather. The tables in Kemmy are also great for assembling small rockets.
How did UL support you throughout your studies and placements?
There’s many people in the School of Engineering who were very helpful during my time at UL, but Philip Griffin, Pat Frawley and Vincenzo Oliveri were particularly willing to help me with the various projects I worked on, including my FYP.
Lisa, Paul and Aisling from UL Wolves also deserve a mention for all the help that they gave UL Aeronautical Society and for being so patient with all my questions and many (many) emails.
Were you a member of any clubs and societies? If so, tell us about your experience.
When I was in my second year together with four friends, I co-founded the UL Aeronautical Society. I served as Treasurer, Chairperson and Rocketry Officer, and in this time we were awarded Best New Society and Best Society.
I also led the development of a dedicated high-powered rocket team, ULAS HiPR. In our first year we launched three large rockets, and so you can imagine the amount of time that was spent doing this on top of coursework.
The experience I gained from designing the rockets and managing the team had a huge influence on the choices I would make after UL. It exposed me to a whole world of rockets and space while also giving me the confidence to jump at any opportunity that came my way.
Looking at what the team has achieved since I left, it really stands out as one of things I’m most proud of from my time at UL. It’s great now to speak to people who have joined since I left who tell me how much they’ve benefited from being a member.
I would encourage anyone who is reading this now and has even the smallest bit of curiosity to reach out to the group and get building. I know they have some even more impressive projects planned for the year ahead.
I must also mention UL Athletics Club. I was lucky enough to be able to train with some of the best athletes in the country, and I ran some of my fastest times wearing a UL singlet.
Tell me about your own career journey so far.
My career as an engineer really started with my co-operative education at Rockwell Engineering in Cork. This was my first experience in an engineering office, and the 9 months really helped me to calibrate what I wanted to do in my career.
I returned to Rockwell the following summer between third and fourth year. The summer after my last exam in UL, I did an internship in ABEC, also in Cork. This was another valuable experience, and I was lucky to be able to compare two different work environments before I even graduated.
Despite my interests, I never had the opportunity to work in the aerospace industry before my current job. Both Rockwell and ABEC were in the pharmaceutical industry; however, I don’t think this reduced the value of getting working experience early on.
After finishing in UL, I knew that I wanted to continue my studies and gain a better understanding of propulsion in particular. Thanks to the advice of some UL alumni and my final year project supervisor, I chose to do my MSc in Thermal Power and Propulsion at Cranfield University.
While studying at Cranfield, I took the opportunity to join CranSEDS as a Project Manager for their hybrid rocket engine team. This was a great opportunity to get hands-on with a rocket engine and build on the experience I had from HiPR.
Through this, I took part in the Race2Space competition and was exposed to some extremely talented teams from across the UK who were building impressive rocket engines. Since my thesis was also about the design of a rocket test stand, I really got to indulge in my love of propulsion while at Cranfield.
I was very lucky to finish my MSc with a job already lined up at Destinus in Switzerland as a Propulsion Test Engineering Trainee. So far, it has been a great experience, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to apply myself after 5 years of study. Everyone at the company has a background in student rocketry, and I don’t think that I would have been hired without my own similar experiences.
What or who inspired you to pursue this career?
I think my parents encouraging me to read and bringing me to so many museums is what got me interested in aerospace to begin with.
While studying at UL, we were lucky enough to have a guest lecturer from John E. Ward, who was working at Realtra Space Systems at the time. Up until this point, I hadn’t been very aware of the European space industry and Ireland's role in ESA, so I remember this as the “lightbulb” moment that made me realise that someone from Ireland can work on interesting space missions and projects. I think this realisation has motivated me ever since.
How have your studies at UL contributed to your career?
I think my time at UL with HiPR helped me hugely. On paper, it looks good on a CV, and in practice, it has helped me to massively improve my project management skills and learn how to make progress with difficult projects. I’m also grateful for meeting people who share my interests and have continued to keep me motivated.
UL was also where I first learnt anything about aerospace engineering. Aerodynamics 1, Applied Mechanics and other modules will always be my first introduction into one of the coolest career paths anyone can do.
Are there any lessons or insights you wish you had known when starting your career?
There’s loads of time to get good at things. Don’t rush and burn yourself out early. Equally, don’t doubt yourself, just say yes and learn as you go.
What are your hopes and plans for the future?
In the near future, I hope to keep on working on interesting projects, especially in propulsion.
I’m particularly interested in the recent growth of interest in space exploration, especially the commercialisation and reduction of cost that’s allowing non-state groups to be active in space.
Long term, I’d like to return to Ireland and figure out how I can keep working on what I’m interested in. There are a lot of talented engineers in Ireland, so there’s no reason that we couldn’t have a healthy aerospace R&D industry. So maybe there’s an entrepreneurial period in my future.
Here at UL, we encourage our students to ‘Stay Curious’. What keeps you curious?
My time in UL has shown me how much can be gained and learnt by constantly asking questions and following through on what might seem like crazy ideas.
It might not seem obvious from day to day, but when you look back over 4 years, you’ve gained a lot of experience.