Senumi Tebuwana

As a company of scientists and engineers, Ricardo is committed to promoting careers in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) and helping to inspire and recruit the next generation of STEM professionals. In support of that, Ricardo has a long-standing Engineering Prize which helps to identify and the leading female engineering undergraduates studying at UK universities. For the overall winner of the prize and all the finalists, their prize is a guaranteed work placement at Ricardo for their year in industry as part of their undergraduate degree. Senumi Tebuwana, who is reading electrical and electronics engineering at the University of Sussex, was one of the highly commended finalists in the Ricardo Engineering Prize 2023 cohort, and here she discusses her transformational journey on her placement year at Ricardo and how she is helping to inspire other young women to become engineers. 

 

Q Hello Senumi. Thank you so much for talking to us. Could you tell us about your placement because it sounds like you have worked on some very interesting projects so far?

Senumi Tebuwana: "Thank you! It’s great to be able to talk about my placement at Ricardo! The first project I worked on was an R&D sprint project, which is still ongoing, and it’s designing an emachine, particularly focusing on L category vehicles: two- or three-wheel vehicles like motorbikes and mopeds. I felt honoured to be playing a critical role on the project along with other teammates – working closely with them and having the chance to learn from experts who know so much about engineering and also the motorcycle sector specifically. In addition to working on demonstrator projects to help with the build, I also got the chance to get a lot of practical experience in procurement. The sprint project is ongoing, but I have been moved into a vehicle emissions project since November, and I am also working on the Alumotor project, which is focused on creating a low cost, robust and sustainable electrical machine for the light commercial vehicle and off highway market. The UK-Alumotor consortium is being led by Ricardo with Aspire Engineering, Brandauer, Warwick Manufacturing Group, Phoenix Scientific and Global Technologies Racing, to develop a supply chain around an innovative design of an electric motor."

Q You’ve said that doing your placement at Ricardo has transformed you into a totally different person! This sounds intriguing – can you tell us how you have transformed?

Senumi Tebuwana: "Yes! My work placement so far has given me a really thorough understanding of how big engineering companies would tend to approach client projects, like designing motors. But the knowledge that I have picked up is not just technical but also what I would describe as professional skills. I’m thinking here particularly of time management which is definitely one of the main skills I've learned. I really do feel as if I have successfully made the transition from a student to a working engineer, because I have learned a huge amount about how to multi-task and manage my time on projects so I can prioritise, sequence activities effectively, manage deadlines and make the mental switches required to go from a very technical engineering task on one project to say dealing with a procurement puzzle on another."

"To give you an example, one day, I might be sitting at my desk all day doing data analysis on emission tests or doing design and analysis on the motor designs that I'm working on for the sprint project. The next day, I am likely to be running in and out of the office to the workshop to see if the technicians are preparing everything needed to test the motorbikes, and then keeping track on the build progress for Alumotor."

"When I recently joined the Alumotor project team, I found that I could apply all the experience I have gained so far on my placement in terms of time management, and my ability to process all these different actions at once - getting things done to deadline. That enhanced skill and experience has made it so much easier for me now to approach my work on the project – I’ve really noticed the difference in myself! When I first started my placement, I didn’t know how to balance my time, and I would always go straight to my line manager, and say: ‘Who should I ask about this? Please can you help me with this particular task?’ Whereas now, I know how to do that: I know how to manage this myself rather than being dependent on others."

"I can feel the change and it's a very different from how it was before. I've certainly felt myself grow professionally. This experience is invaluable for me and has helped prepare me really thoroughly to succeed in the workplace as a professional engineer."

Q Do you think that being in an engineering or industrial environment as opposed to simply working has enhanced your skills and expertise?

Senumi Tebuwana: "Yes, definitely.  I have previously done part-time jobs, but never had the opportunity to work in industry or engineering.  I am an international student: I came to university in Sussex straight from doing my A-levels in Sri Lanka. Having the opportunity to do a work placement and spend a year in industry has enabled me to get into the flow of working in this sector, and it’s been absolutely great!"

Q Your father is an engineer. How influential has he been in your decision to choose a career in engineering yourself?

Senumi Tebuwana: “When I was really young, I had a massive obsession with vehicles - mainly construction vehicles. When I was three, my mother decided to have my sister’s and my birthdays celebrated together. My sister’s birthday cake decorated as a cat, right next to it, my birthday cake was decorated to look like a construction site, complete with a crane, a dumper truck and an excavator! I was very into vehicles! Certainly, when I was growing up, although I might not have known precisely what I wanted to do, I knew definitely that I wanted to work in the automotive industry, because it has always fascinated me.”

“In addition, looking at the strong points in my studies, my strongest subjects were always maths and sciences, particularly physics: learning about vehicle dynamics and anything related to vehicle parts, as well as the chemistry behind combustion engines. Probably this interest was what actually made me go towards engineering.”

“The other major influence in my decision to go into engineering has been my dad, who is an engineer in the oil industry. He helped me out a lot – because he has such a great understanding of maths and physics. Seeing him in action on conference calls, I have often thought to myself, I want to be this person! I want to be a technical expert like him! I idolised him for who he is as an engineer and how he leads teams. As a teenager, I may not have had a lot of experience working in industry, but seeing my dad at work really made me want to become an engineer!” 

Q How did you find out about the Ricardo Engineering Prize?

Senumi Tebuwana: “Some of my friends at university knew about Ricardo, but I first got to know about Ricardo and the Engineering Prize when my lecturer approached me during my second year and said that he thought it would be very worthwhile me being considered for the competition. When he offered to nominate me, I said: ‘Sure, why not?’ Preparing for the prize assessment day, I read through all the material I could find on Ricardo, reading through the whole website before I came to Ricardo Shoreham Technical Centre for the competition. That research really intrigued me, and it was great to find out all about Ricardo’s work.”

Q You are working with some incredibly knowledgeable and expert engineers at Ricardo. What has that experience been like?

Senumi Tebuwana: “For every project that I have worked on so far – the emissions testing team, the electrification team and the motorcycles department - everyone has been so supportive in their guidance. I have also had the opportunity to experience calibrations and testing. I'm working with Paul Cawsey, an emissions expertise on emissions testing and my gosh, the amount of knowledge that I've learned about emissions, about combustion engines, about development testing from Paul! It's just been really valuable. 

“What I am finding really invaluable as a student of electrical and electronic engineering, is learning from my Ricardo colleagues here like Max Zimmer, who studied mechanical engineering at university. Being an electrical engineer, my main placement has been focused more towards calibration and testing. I could reverse my knowledge and take all of those things that I learned about a motorcycle, about how it works, the vehicle dynamics of that and then apply to the Sprint project, too. So I was able to work in both ways.”

“Dave Hawke, from the electrification team has taught me so much as well. It’s no exaggeration to say that I truly idolise Paul, Max and Dave for their knowledge and for being such really good technical experts in their fields. Every day, I ask: how do they know so much? I really just wish that I could have their knowledge right now, but I do know that I'm growing so much with them - it's been really great to learn from them.”

“In addition to being amazing technical experts, they are really nice people and really friendly. I don't feel afraid asking them a question, even though it can be a simple or very basic question because I know that they are very understanding. Dragica Kostic Perovic, the Chief Engineer for Power Electronics Motors and Drives, Dave Hawke and Andy Lane, my line manager: they are brilliant role models as leaders, so supportive, and from each of them I’ve learned great ‘soft’ skills from them as well, such as time management, effortlessly switch between projects, delivering all the time. Just from observing them going about their work, I have learned so much from them. I look forward to coming into work every day, because I get to see them and talk to them.”

“Sometimes, with the other graduates we do coffee catch-ups in the morning or the afternoon. It’s great. The community here at Shoreham Technical Centre has been absolutely amazing.”

Q Have you had the chance to help at any science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)?

Senumi Tebuwana: “Yes. I went to Davidson High School in Worthing in West Sussex in the UK. Girls came in and said to us: ‘OK, what exactly do we do in engineering? How they viewed engineering completely changed when they actually talked to us and actually heard what we do. They thought that what we did was actually really amazing!"

“I may not have got as involved in STEM events as much as the other placement students, but for the times I have been at events, it's just been really exciting for me to inspire them and you know, I personally feel so proud of myself as well at those times. I thought to myself: ‘Wow, I made it this far!’ The fact that I'm inspiring these kids as well; they need to know, truly what it's like for women to be in this engineering field: not just doing hands-on testing, but things like data analysis or design work. Engineering can give you so many options.”

Q Has working at Ricardo given you an insight into what your long-term career in engineering could look like?

Senumi Tebuwana: “Definitely. For example, I never knew that working in engineering could enable me to work in different countries around the world. Working at Ricardo and getting more of an overview of the engineering industry made me realise I could have these opportunities. If you work in test, you could work in Switzerland for cold weather testing or America for hot weather testing, for example. That really interests me. It has made me love engineering even more and made me certain that this is the place that I want to work long-term.”

“For me, my long-term ambition has to be to work in electrification. I do really like electrical engineering and studying it at university further developed my interest to pursue this field. Now that I’m here in my placement and have got a wider view of what it’s like in the industry, I believe that electrification and hybridisation is the way to go in the automotive industry for a more sustainable future. So we will be a main part of the world to help in the future of sustainability. It's definitely electrification where I want to have my long-term career.”

Q If you could give any advice to female engineering undergraduates who might be thinking of applying for the Engineering Prize next year, what would you say?

Senumi Tebuwana: “The main advice that I would give to them is just to be yourself and do not underestimate who you are and what you can offer. I applied and at that point, I had never had work experience in industry and engineering. I barely knew what engineering was, and yet, here I am! So even if you don't win the prize – and I didn’t get the prize, but I was a finalist - in the end, I've achieved so much already by just being in this placement. You've got nothing to lose for when you are coming into the prize and also in the competition itself. Also, you're amongst all these other bright girls as well, and you get the opportunity to hear their presentations, which gives you a great insight into what other women are like in this in this field as well, and then you get to meet the other female engineers as well.”

“You’ve got nothing to lose, so just go for it. It’s definitely a win-win!  I guarantee that you’ll achieve so much from the experience: not just the prize but everything that comes along with it. It’s great, so get involved!”