My Skills My Life
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Moira Watson

Lecturer (Education) at School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

STEM Ambassador Computing Role Model Northern Ireland Role Model
A career in engineering and science means you get to be involved in solving some of the most important problems. That feels seriously good!
Moira is a...

Innovator – the idea generator

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Investigator – the problem solver

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Manager – the team leader

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About Moira...

Who am I?

"It was interesting doing the quiz as it reflects were I am in my career now. The quiz would have given quite different results at the start of my career. Now I am scoring high on skills that are key for manager and leader type roles. It shows how I have developed!"

What do I do?

"I teach undergraduate and post graduate students taking computing related courses. I also carry out research into effective ways to teach computer science and engineering subjects. I am the school's Athena SWAN champion which means that I lead on initiatives to improve the gender balance in my school. My main passions are problem-solving and engineering, teaching and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging."

How did I get here?

"I loved maths and physics at school but following some advice I was given decided to study to be an optician. I knew within a couple of months it wasn't the right career for me, so I managed to swap to Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the same university. I started doing a bit of programming in my final year and decided that I really wanted to be a programmer. I did another postgraduate studies in computer science and loved it but I especially enjoyed teaching others to program. I have been teaching computer science and software engineering in university and further education colleges since."

The life I live

"I am very busy with work, but also busy at home. I have a horse and dogs which all need exercised. I also like hiking, cycling, running, gardening and reading. I'm usually very tired by the end of the day! My friends say I am active relaxer because I can't sit still and I have to be busy all the time."

My typical day

"I check my emails to see if anything urgent or important has popped in during the night. Then I check my diary. If I am teaching then I will review my lecture and then go and deliver it in one of the University's lecture theatres. Sometimes I have as many as 350 students! I will be back at my desk shortly afterwards to have an online or in-person meeting to plan ways to increase the number of girls in electronics, electrical engineering and computer science. I might head to the gym at the University for a class or go for a run. In the afternoon I might meet a team of students who are working to develop a prototype mobile app for a local charity or another team who are carrying out a project with industry. If there is any time left I might start working on a presentation for a conference which is taking place in a month in Spain."

My qualifications

"BSc Electrical and Electronic EngineeringMSc Computer SciencePostgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Teaching"