Adam Higham-Naylor, Engineering Technician from the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, has been awarded Incorporated Engineer (IEng) status with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).
The IEng status is recognized by the Engineering Council in the UK and is a globally respected credential for engineers who maintain, manage, and apply current and developing technology in mechanical engineering and related fields.
Having completed his MEng Mechanical Engineering in 2022 with a 1st class degree, Adam has been working for the School since July 2023 and we asked him a few questions about the award, his degree and what his plans are for the future.
How do you feel about being awarded this early on in your career?
It’s incredibly rewarding to receive this recognition early on in my time here. Unfortunately I think sometimes the word technician can carry some unfair negative connotations, but having worked as an engineer elsewhere, the skill of my colleagues in the school is evident, so it's really nice to see the IMechE validate the work produced by the technicians at the University.
What does IEng status mean to you?
Achieving IEng status means a great deal to me. On a personal level, it’s meaningful to have the IMechE recognise the skills I’ve developed while working at the university. During the interview process, it was especially gratifying to see the panel of engineers be so impressed and genuinely interested by the work carried out here.
Also, professionally, this accreditation is a very helpful way to demonstrate my level of competence. In a specialised field like research, where the work can be complex and not always easily explained, having the recognition and backing of the IMechE helps communicate what I do to those outside of the research.
What does your day to day role consist of?
I work within the School of MAC (Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering), providing the technical support for the research carried out by the school.
In practical terms, my role mainly involves the design and construction of bespoke research test rigs. Because each rig is tailored to a specific research project, no two are the same, which keeps the work very varied.
I'm especially grateful to be able to be involved in every stage of a project — from the initial design and manufacturing, through to developing electrical and control systems, setting up data acquisition, and finally commissioning the rig. Speaking to my friends it seems very rare to be able to have that level of end-to-end involvement, and it makes the work particularly fulfilling.
How was your time at Sheffield when you were studying for your MEng?
Overwhelmingly positive! As well as enjoying the studying itself, I think Sheffield is a fantastic place to live!
It’s lively music scene has been very welcoming and allowed me to have a fantastic past four years of gigging around the city, and as someone who is a big fan of basically anything outdoorsy, being able to nip out to the peaks in 15 minutes after work for some climbing or a wild swim is a pretty unbeatable perk of living here.
What are your plans for the future?
I’ve become increasingly involved with the electronics and control aspects of the test rigs over the past year, and I’ve really enjoyed the challenge. Despite being much more mechanical by background I would love to continue to pursue electronics more formally as I think it is work that I could be well suited to and I’m finding it very satisfying learning about this field I knew relatively little about before.
