Emma Lancaster

"Coordinator: I think this personality type very closely matches me, as I like to take a lead on projects in order to support others, for example by ensuring that they are aware of their personal contribution and inputs to a project, and that they have someone they can contact if they have any questions. i also like to stay organised which is crucial when balancing my workload across a range of projects.Developer: I think to be a developer you need to be able to come up with solutions to a problem, and I'm quite willing to suggest ideas when problems arise in a project. I also sometimes like to be left to my own devices for a while in order to think through a problem properly - this definitely helps me come up with a better solution.Quality Controller: This personality type represents the side of me that pays close attention to detail to ensure that the work I do is exactly what is wanted from me. I also quite proactive, and am not afraid to ask lots of questions to make sure I'm on the right track. For example, I really like to get a good grasp of a project's 'bigger picture' to see how my work feeds into the whole project."

"I am a Graduate Scientist at Atkins, working within the Water Management Consultancy team, that sits in the Environment Practice. As I work for a consultancy, I work on a range of projects for lots of different clients, but all my work is related to managing water. Some of the projects I have been involved with include:* Using the new Met Office climate change projections (UKCP18) to calculate what impact climate change is likely to have on river flows. This is important for water companies, as they need to plan how much water is available to them, in order to keep the taps running in our homes and businesses.* Producing a flood risk assessment that looks at whether a new building is at risk from any source of flooding (from rivers, coasts, heavy rainfall, groundwater), both now and in the future under climate change.* Helping to update a computer model using Python that simulates water resources across the whole of East Anglia."

"In the summer holidays after my second year of university, I was an intern at Anglian Water, one of England's largest water companies. I worked with their 'Water Resources' team, helping them in the final stages of preparing their Water Resources Management Plan, a report that outlines how the water company is going to continue to provide enough water to their 6 million customers over the next 25 years (the report take 5 years to prepare and I was there for some of the last 8 weeks!). This is a big challenge for water companies, as demand is increasing over time due to population growth, as well as the fact that climate change is causing more frequent and more extreme droughts - meaning less rainfall and therefore less water available for water companies. Also, water demand and water supply often aren't in the same place, so the geography of the area also needs to be considered - sometimes water needs to be transferred long distances from areas with lots of supply, to areas with lots of demand. All of these topics are geography-related and things I had studied at both school and university, and I found it so interesting how all of these topics need to be considered together, in order to find a solution. I've always liked problem-solving and this is a massive real-life challenge!When applying for graduate jobs in the months following my internship, I knew I wanted to work in the water industry, but I also wanted to try flood risk management, as I was starting to write my dissertation on how land use change could reduce flood risk. Therefore, I opted for a job as a consultant, so I could work on a wide range of projects that suit my interests."

"I really enjoy traveling and I am looking forward to my next trip - I was lucky enough to go on a fieldtrip to the Nepal last year! I also love meeting up with my friends, often trying new restaurants and new cuisines. When I'm at home, I like to cook, make my own clothes, read and watch TV."

"Every day is so different! But here is a summary of how I have spent today:9:00: Arrive at 'work' - my home office. Atkins are very flexible about home-working, which has meant the imposed home-working due to Covid-19 has been less of a logistical challenge than it otherwise would have been!9:00 - 9:15: While we are home-working, my line manager has organised daily morning calls. This is a great way to check in with everyone and find out what everyone has been getting up to, as well as finding out if people have the right amount of work to do.9:15-10:00: I check and respond to any quick emails, and prepare for my meeting at 10. I also have a to-do list going, so I check that and see how I'm getting on.10:00 - 11:00: This is a very popular meeting time. Today I had a weekly catch-up meeting about one of my projects, to check everyone's progress. I am in charge of writing some meeting minutes and actions, so I have to pay close attention!12:30: Lunch - when I work in the office, there is always a group that goes to lunch together. As we are working from home at the moment it's not quite the same, but we do sometimes video call to have a catch-up.13:15-17:30: I carry on working on my projects. I have a call with a new member of the team, as she is getting started with Python. I also continue writing up a case study report about extreme droughts and the new climate change projections."

"TL;DRA Levels: Maths (A*), Chemistry (A*), Geography(A) (Further Maths AS - A)University: BSc Hons in Geography (First Class) - Durham UniversityWhen I was at school I really enjoyed STEM subjects; my main interest was geography and I was particularly passionate about climate change. I studied Maths, Chemistry and Geography during sixth form; I knew I wanted to continue studying at university but for a while I couldn't decide what to study, but eventually I settled on Geography as I knew that if I was going to study one subject for three years, I needed to be really interested in it. I decided to study for a BSc (Bachelors' of Sciences) Geography degree at Durham University - a university I chose because I knew the course was fairly science-based compared to courses at other universities. During my degree, I opted to study the science-heavy modules as these suited my strengths and my interests, and this led to studying a lot of modules on hydrology (the study of water on the Earth). I graduated from university in July 2019."