Your organising committee:
Meet the team working behind the scenes to bring you Future of Design Manchester 2020
[separator headline=”h2″ title=”Eddy Keegan | Jacobs“]
Eddy first entered the world of engineering as an undergraduate at Jacobs in 2013, undertaking inspections and assessments of historic railway assets in his university holidays. He graduated from the University of Manchester in 2016 and joined Jacobs’ Bridges team in Manchester.
Whilst working in Manchester, Eddy has built on his inspection and assessment experience to develop a number of asset management systems for local authorities in the surrounding area. Eddy has also been fortunate enough to work on a wide variety of design projects, ranging from the CFRP strengthening of a small car park in Manchester to larger schemes such as Smart Motorways, HS2 and rail viaduct designs as far afield as Jakarta and Adelaide. He is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to witness the construction of his first full bridge design – a modest footway/cycleway bridge in Chelmsford.
Eddy has a particular interest in the wider social and environmental responsibilities of engineers and is a member of Engineers Without Borders.
[separator headline=”h2″ title=”Rebecca Morgan | Arup“]
Bridge enthusiast at heart, Rebecca’s dream job is working on exciting and technical bridges. She assessed Putney Bridge and she will undertake the detailed design for a new 7km long viaduct.?In partnership with Arup and the charity Bridges to Prosperity, Rebecca will be travelling to Rwanda to build a 50m suspended footbridge in 2020. She is the vice chair for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Arup Manchester. And actively supports the LGBT+ group Building Equality. In her spare time, she enjoys skiing very well and climbing very badly. If she isn’t doing an extreme sport or enjoying a bridge view, then she is outdoors hiking with her dog.?
In her opinion, the ‘future of design’ is in sustainable and socially responsible infrastructure. She would like to see engineers embracing automation, green spaces, circular economies, low-carbon concrete and sustainable building materials.?
[separator headline=”h2″ title=”Georgia Panagiotidou| Jacobs“]
Georgia is a civil engineer at Jacobs, working as Assistant Project Manager for HE’s Manchester North West Quadrant.
Georgia graduated with a First-Class MEng in Mining and an MSc in International Oil and Gas Management with a scholarship from Hellenic Petroleum. Due to her love of technical challenges, she also completed an MSc in Civil Engineering with Merit, specialising in lightweight aggregate concrete and its use in sustainable infrastructure. Due to outstanding performance, she was granted a scholarship from MPA.
She is Chair of the Jacobs Women’s Network. In this role she has organised several gender inclusion awareness workshops that promote equal opportunities in the workplace and beyond. Georgia also spends time taking bolt action rifle shooting courses, helping her to enhance her self-discipline.
In terms of the ‘future of design’, Georgia would like to see more recycled components in concrete and better building practices that will allow infrastructure to last with little maintenance.
[separator headline=”h2″ title=”Sara Peters | Arcadis“]
Sara Peters is a bridge engineer working for Arcadis in Manchester. She was a keen horse rider but sadly a back injury has stopped this for her. She now enjoys going to the gym and is trying her best to get into running. Sara enjoys exploring holidays in as many different countries as she can, typically you can see her randomly running off to look at bridges in the different countries to look at their intricacies and taking plenty of pictures. She has volunteered with Engineers for Overseas Development in Uganda, working and helping in the developing world is something Sara is very passionate about.
In terms of the ‘future of design’, Sara wants to see more robotics and AI in the industry with a focus on achieving zero carbon in the industry as soon as we can.
[separator headline=”h2″ title=”Andrey Smirnov| Stantec“]
Andrey developed a passion for civil engineering and infrastructure in his childhood, drawing inspiration from watching his architect dad sketching out interesting building and then seeing these built in reality. Originally from Moscow, Andrey moved to the UK in 2006 to complete his high school studies. He has since graduated from the University of Bristol with an MEng in Civil Engineering, enjoying a year abroad in Spain along the way, and recently achieved a major professional goal in becoming a Chartered Civil Engineer. Andrey enjoys new challenges working on a range of diverse projects and problems. Starting his career in rail engineering at AECOM, he is now designing bridges and structures at Stantec. Outside of work, Andrey enjoys racing and karting, running, hiking, and exploring the world. One of his life-long goals is to cross the Eurasian continent by land and sea.
In his opinion, the ‘future of design’ will use emerging technologies like 3D-printing and natural materials like timber to create elegant and sustainable structures which enhance the environment around us, without damaging it or its future.