Case studies: Design engineer: Tim

Tim undertook a degree in mechanical engineering at Brunel University and an MSc in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Surrey. He now works for Bath Institute of Medical Engineering as a design engineer...

I knew from the age of four that I wanted to be an engineer. So I took all the right O-levels (I was in the last year before they changed to GCSEs) and A-levels and went on to do a degree in mechanical engineering. It was a four-year sandwich degree course, which I'd really recommend because it gave me invaluable experience in the field. It wasn't until my final year at university, when I took a biomedical engineering option, that I decided this was the area of engineering I really wanted to go into.

I was sponsored during my degree by a manufacturer, Fairfield Mabey Ltd. So, after my degree, I spent two years working there. At the time, though, I desperately wanted to work for Martin Baker - a defence industry company making ejection seats - as the designing was all about saving lives. I wrote numerous letters trying to persuade the company to take me on. As part of that persuasion, I left my position as project manager at the Mabey Group and went on to get my MSc in Biomedical Engineering.

I loved going back to university to learn and I discovered a whole field I hadn't really been aware of previously. As a result, Martin Baker faded into the background and my direction of focus changed to assistive technology (wheelchairs, crutches etc). Once I'd finished my MSc, I applied for a mechanical engineering and marketing position with the Bath Institute of Medical Engineering (BIME) at the University of Bath Royal United Hospital. The rest, as they say, is history.

It's a fantastic job - the work is so varied and rewarding. I could be developing a fracture fixator, a drinks holder for wheelchairs or working on complex smart house systems for people with dementia - these are devices built into a patient's home to off-set the effects of dementia and enable them to live at home safely, for longer. This could include designing a device to switch the oven off if they forget or for a light to come on automatically when the person gets out of bed - anything that helps the person to be more independent and retain more control and dignity in the face of their illness.

BIME is on friendly terms with the Restricted Growth Association and I have worked very closely with them, attending conferences to present our work and joining in with dinners and activities. In fact, my best day was a few years back when a mother surprised her four-year-old daughter with restricted growth by bringing her to pick up a bike that we had designed for her. The little girl rode up and down the corridor for ages with the biggest grin on her face. There was no other way that she could have a bicycle because the proportions of a normal child's bike are just impossible for someone with restricted growth.

I am also working to develop proposals and projects in new and uncharted areas of work. To do this, I am developing new collaborative working relationships with people from universities and companies in several countries. I have travelled abroad to learn as well as to present my work at conferences for people in clinical and engineering fields.

Biomedical engineering is really quite a special field. You can't use conventional engineering design methods as there is much more trial and error involved - you simply can't predict what the solution will be at the beginning of a project. You have to start with guesswork and work closely with the disabled person and their professional team to explore the problem in a physical and practical way.

My job requires a lot of sensitivity and patience. You build up close relationships with people over the years when you're working in their homes, installing designs and talking about very personal things with them. It's not enough to want to be an engineer and to be a creative person, it's also vital that you want to work with people.

I love my job and can't recommend it enough. I travel 70 miles each way to work every day, and I could probably be earning about twice as much again if I went into industry, but I honestly wouldn't change my job for anything.