• Scottish Highers: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Art & Design, French, Craft & Design, English.
• Scottish Advanced Highers: Mathematics, Art & Design.
• Also did a non-assessed Mechanics course that my Physics teacher ran after school as an extra-curricular activity.
• University of Glasgow (2001-06): 5 year MEng Mechanical Design Engineering
• Cranfield University (2006-07): 1 Year MSc Motorsport Engineering and Management

I have been an avid fan of F1 for many years and have always been fascinated with the technology and mentality of the sport and of the motorsport industry in general. Upon discovering the Cranfield Motorsport Engineering Masters course and then undertaking practical work experience with Legends Racing as an apprentice mechanic during the summer 2006, I realised that motorsport was the way in which I wanted to apply my engineering knowledge and skills.

During the masters course, following my application and an interview with the COO of the company, I was awarded a bursary from Williams F1 and so carried out my individual thesis project with them from May until September 2007. I was fortunate enough to be based in the Williams F1 headquarters throughout the duration of my project and I feel this was very beneficial in helping me gain eventual full-time employment. Once my thesis project was over, I was offered a full-time position in my current role after proving myself as a capable and worthwhile addition to the team.

There weren't any other routes I could have taken to get this job. The position I was offered wasn’t an advertised position as such. It was created for me as Williams F1 realised that the work I had carried out during my thesis project was important, meaningful and valid. However, I had applied for the job of an R&D Technician with the team previously and so had been through an interview process with them. I actually turned down a job as a Design Engineer at Renault F1 to take my role here at Williams!

The best part of my job is that I get to be involved in both the R&D and the design side of engineering. This brings a great deal of diversity to my role and ensures that everyday presents me with a different challenge, which I relish. One of the most exciting parts of my job is seeing parts that I have designed working well over a race weekend. Knowing that I have made a worthwhile contribution to the company and the development of our F1 car is the best feeling I could ask for in my job.

Getting a career as a motorsport engineer requires a lot of hard work and dedication so you have to be prepared to start making the right decisions early on. You need to take the correct subjects at school: make sure you have a mixture of relevant subjects like mathemetics, physics, mechanics, technology and of course, design. Also, practical experience is key and the more you can get before you are ready to start applying for jobs, the better chance you will have of making important contacts and ensuring your C.V. shows a keen interest in motorsport.

Research the variety of courses on offer from universities and colleges. The route I took isn’t the most direct as there are now universities, such as Oxford Brookes, that offer undergraduate courses in Motorsport Engineering. Work hard at whatever course you undertake and don’t forget to get as much practical experience as you can in your spare time. Get involved in the university’s Formula Student team or offer your services as a voluntary marshall at your local race track!

This year I ran my very first marathon - the Flora London Marathon - in a pretty respectable time of 6 hours. Myself and a group of 4 colleagues from Williams agreed to raise £1500 each for the Spinal Injuries Association, a charity very close to the company’s heart, by running the London Marathon in April of this year. I have never done anything so difficult in all of my life! I’d never attempted anything longer than a 5km run before so the challenge I presented myself with was huge! However, I threw myself into training and after 4 months I had reached distances of 18 miles on my long Sunday training runs. Two weeks before the marathon, disaster struck! A niggling problem that I’d had with my knees got worse until running even small distances was agony. I rested as much as I could, just hoping that my knees would be ok on marathon day. Luckily, come the event itself, my knees felt much better and I started the marathon on a high! I felt strong and on track and even managed to overtake Katie Price and Peter Andre at mile 14! This gave me a boost but unfortunately I hit the “wall” just after mile 18. Those last 8 miles were the most difficult I’d ever run. Eventually, giving in to the pain in my knees, I walked between miles 23 and 25. I was physically and emotionally exhausted by this point but the one thing I didn’t want to do was walk over the finish line. So, as I passed the mile 26 marker, I gritted my teeth, picked up the pace and managed to run the last mile. Crossing the finish line was the biggest rush ever although the first thing I did was burst into tears! Knowing that I had raised so much money for such a worthwhile charity and that I had managed to complete the London Marathon was incredible and it is my biggest achievement to date. It took my poor knees a long time to recover after the marathon but I’m already considering running a half marathon next year!