International Women in Engineering Day 2020!!

In celebration of INWED20 we are delighted to profile one of our energy modellers, Sarah Shepherd, who answered a few questions about what brought her to engineering.

Sarah Shepherd, EIT

What is your job title?

Energy modeller

What drew you to your career?

I met Susan (one of my bosses!) at a career fair at the end of my third year of university where I discovered what energy modelling was. It combined my passion for sustainability with my love for my favourite mechanical engineering topics – energy systems, thermodynamics, and heat transfer. I was thrilled to learn that there was a field where I could do interesting, challenging, and engaging work that also lined up so nicely with my personal values.

Did you always know you wanted to do this?

I didn’t even know energy modelling existed until my third year at university! When I was little, I wanted to be an “inventor”. I ended up studying mechanical engineering, which is where I discovered energy modelling. So it all worked out.

What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve done in your life?

When I was at university, I did a four-month research co-op in Brazil. I did research on the pyrolysis of biomass, and lived with 11 other young women who also studied engineering (or related fields). It was awesome.

We respectfully acknowledge and are committed to learning more about the Lək̓ʷəŋən People, on whose traditional territory we are privileged to live, play, and work.