Bethany Hall

"I bring loads of creativity and out-of-the box thinking to my work in engineering, and am extremely people-centric in my problem solving where I learn best from working side-by-side with others. I am great at organising my thoughts and schedule, and helping others to get organised too which shows through in my leadership style. I definitely resonate with the coach, innovator and manager personality types it is almost spooky how well they describe me.Working at a big engineering firm, it can be easy to follow processes and get on with what's required of you without asking too many questions. However, I have found freedom to bring fresh perspectives and new innovative ideas to every role I have worked in and it has been really well received. "

"I work as an Senior Systems Integration Engineer on sustainable aircraft propulsion system development, which uses hydrogen fuel and electrical technology. My role requires me to integrate different technologies being developed by many different system teams within my project, working with different specialists to optimise the overall aircraft design. I am very passionate about sustainability and designing things to help combat climate change, and aerospace is one of the biggest opportunities to decarbonise. I love working with other passionate engineers to develop important, sustainable technologies. My starting salary, as a graduate engineer was around £30,000."

"When I was fifteen, whilst attending an all-girls school that specialised in Engineering (crazy, I know), I completed a Higher-Level Engineering Diploma. I chose to study the diploma for a few reasons: (1) I had always loved maths, (2) my dad was an Engineer, and (3) it involved attending the local technical college after school, which seemed like a fun excursion.Soon after starting the diploma, I attended an IET lecture about the Bloodhound Supersonic Car. I remember Wing Commander Andy Green explaining the complex systems and novel technologies that were being integrated, and how great he felt being part of a team working towards such a ground-breaking goal. I remember distinctly deciding there and then that I would love to be part of a team developing something as pioneering as that.My engineering skills developed further through joining the schools Greenpower Challenge team, where we built an all-electric racing car. I later studied Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Art at A-Level, and learnt to code in C++ through an Engineering Education Scheme project with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), where myself and four other students designed & built an automated tracking robot.After A-Levels, I went on to study MEng Electrical & Electronic Engineering at Imperial College London, specialising in control system theory. In 2015 I was awarded the IET Power Academy Scholarship, sponsored by Rolls-Royce, which ultimately led me to join their engineering graduate scheme in 2018.Fast forward ten years from the Bloodhound SSC lecture to 2019 and I was working on the Rolls-Royce ‘Spirit of Innovation’ aircraft which has now broken the world record for ‘fastest all-electric aircraft’. This was a complete ‘pinch-me’ moment, to realise I had manifested my dream into reality."

"I love to sing! I was in an all-female A Cappella choir at university which was literally like being in the movie 'Pitch Perfect' but I now just sing in a very relaxed, drop-in community choir in Bristol. I also love art, and when I manage to find the time love to paint abstract things and do some life drawing! I also sometimes pop along to theatre workshop sessions hosted by a mental-health performance based charity, which is a really wonderful and inclusive atmosphere and helps me unwind after a busy working day. One of my biggest passions in life is travelling, exploring new cultures, trying different cuisines and meeting people from all paths of life! After university I had a gap year where I travelled to Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia and all over South-East Asia and became friends with some of the most wonderful people I've ever met! This love for travelling is one of my biggest drivers to work in sustainable aircraft development so that this hobby of mine has less of an impact on the planet."

"I mostly work from home, but travel to different offices for meetings, workshops and conferences every so often. I join lots of project meetings to collaborate with colleagues via Microsoft Teams, but the workshops in-person in the office tend to be much more productive! Between the big meetings I do solo working on technical topics or exchange thoughts via emails/Microsoft Teams chat.In addition to my engineering role, I am part of the WISE Young Professionals Board which promotes more women in STEM careers, and also part of an aerospace industry working group which looks at skills, STEM and diversity across the aerospace sector. I also spend some time volunteering with Engineers Without Borders to promote more global responsibility in engineering. These roles are great opportunities to network and give something back, to improve the engineering industry as a whole."

"A Levels: Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Art.MEng Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London.Engineering graduate scheme at Rolls-Royce"