Research is a way to explore my curiosity further

IStructE student member shares her PhD research experiences

In my final year of the civil engineering programme at the University of Edinburgh, I had to decide what to do next. Up until that point, I had always imagined myself working in industry as a structural engineer after graduation.  

I was confident about that choice because one of the things I enjoyed most during my degree was applying the knowledge and tools we had learned to real design scenarios. For example, we carried out feasibility studies for a new dam and a residential building. I loved the opportunities to be creative while solving problems. 

The summer before my final year, however, I took a chance on a research internship offered by my department. That experience made me reconsider my next step.  

Each year, the department invited students to join ongoing research projects, and I was assigned to work closely with a PhD candidate. Through that internship, I gained a new perspective on research and its role in structural engineering. Until then, research had never felt like an option for me.  

But I began to appreciate how research and industry inform and strengthen each other. Research allows us to question existing methods, improve them, and explore new ideas. The opportunity to work on a problem of interest and contribute to new knowledge appealed to me. I began to see research as a way to explore my curiosity further. 

Encouraged by that experience, I decided to take a leap. I applied for a PhD at the University of Oxford, focusing on the impact of climate change on buildings that are vulnerable to subsidence damage. I was fortunate to be offered a place, and I am still at Oxford working on my PhD today.  

Looking back, I am deeply grateful for the community that encouraged me to give research a try. At the time, I had little research experience, and it was a clear detour from the industry path I had planned. But 'giving things a try' didn’t end when I started the PhD - it has become a core part of my work. 

Much of what I do now involves trial and error. In research, there is no escaping failed models or unsuccessful attempts. They are part of the process. There would be no need for research if all the answers were known. Every failure is a learning opportunity that refines the next attempt.  

In my case, I spend a lot of time coding and developing computer models to simulate soil and the buildings founded on it. Getting a model to work takes a lot of effort and many iterations. I often joke that I spend 5% of my time writing code and 95% debugging or improving it after an initial approach falls short. The process is rarely linear, and it requires patience and persistence. 

Through this, I’ve learned that we often learn the most when things go wrong. Figuring out why something doesn’t work demands a deep understanding of the subject and reveals the gaps in our knowledge. I’ve also come to appreciate how curiosity sustains us when progress feels slow. It’s not easy to keep working on something when you can’t yet see the results, but curiosity keeps you engaged and hopeful. By approaching problems with curiosity and finding joy in the search for answers, I have found resilience. 

Engineering and research both rely on daring to discover and on being willing to try, fail, and try again.