Profile
Lucia Rodriguez
-
About Me
I am an aerospace engineer living in Oxford. In my free time, I love listening to music 🎵, knitting 🧶 and stargazing ⭐. The two things I can't live without are books 📚 and travelling 🏝️ :)
-
Read more
I grew up in a small town where the main entertainment was looking for cool rocks during the day and stargazing during the night -that’s why ever since I’ve wanted to be a scientist!
My dream job would be to be an astronaut and that is why I chose to become an aerospace engineer :). I work in a company that is designing a rocket engine for a space plane and every day is different!
But not everything is work and during my free time I love to learn new crafts (I am now quite good at knitting and cross-stitching). I absolutely love to read (science fiction books are my favorite) and watch series and films. During the weekends, I love to go out into nature when I can and row with my club if the weather is not too bad.
However, the thing I really love doing is traveling 🙂 I have lived in three different countries so far (Spain, France and the UK) and visited over 30. I can’t wait to go on exploring!
-
My pronouns are
She/her
-
My Work
I work for a company that is designing an engine for a space plane! 🚀 I am the person that puts the different components together and makes sure that the engine will work fine
-
Read more
It is very difficult to put together a rocket engine, that’s why where I work there are lots of people very focused on designing specific components very well -these are the specialists! I am what is called a performance engineer: I put those components together and make sure that they can work well.
These are very expensive pieces of equipment so I spend a lot of time working with computers to make sure that the calculations have been properly done before the engine is built!
Sometimes, I also help the specialist with questions. Some days I find myself having to design a pipe, other days I get asked questions about ice buildup and sometimes, I have to (virtually) try to break the engine!
-
My Typical Day: Every day, I wake up really early, have a big breakfast, put my headphones on 🎵 and walk to the train station 🚆 to go to work. My day starts with lots of meetings where me and my colleagues help each other solve problems and divide the work to be done between ourselves. Then, I start working on my computer 🖥️ until lunchtime. That is when I meet with friends at the cafeteria to eat. In the afternoon, I usually have to write reports 📁 of the work I have done. At 4pm I go home and relax doing crafts or speaking with friends on the phone 📱.
-
Read more
I like to start my day really early, usually before 6am. I love to have a big breakfast while I read the news and my e-mails. I walk for 30 minutes to the train station (this wakes me up!) and arrive at work at 7.30am.
I usually have to attend a lot of meetings in the mornings. This is where me and my colleagues help each other with questions and issues that we have and agree on what work is to be done during the day (this is usually done over a cup of tea 🙂 ). I then go to my desk and work on my computer solving equations and running simulations of my engine. If my work is finished, I present it to my colleagues and we decide what to do next.
I have lunch at work around 12 and after that I go back to working until 4pm. At that point, I take the train back home and spend the evening relaxing, cooking or exercising.
-
What I'd do with the money
In my company, some colleagues and I are thinking of ways of engaging regularly with schoold in our area. I would like to use the prize money to run workshops with kids to show them that Engineering is fun!
-
Read more
I am part of a group of engineers that is trying to make our workplace more inclusive. One of the ideas that we have is to go to schools and run workshops with kids. I would love to win the price to buy materials and equipment to run those workshops and make them more fun!
-
Education:
I attended primary and secondary school in Spain. Then, I went to college at the Polytechnic University of Madrid but finished my Master’s Thesis in Bordeaux (France)
-
Qualifications:
Overseas, education is a bit different but for my university entrance exams I took Physics, Chemistry and Maths along with the mandatory Spanish, English and History.
-
Work History:
RIght after finishing university, I started working as an engineer in Toulouse (France) designing jet engines for airplanes. After that, I decided that I wanted to do research and came to work to the UK for Dyson (the vacuum cleaner guy!). There, I went on to manage projects with the guys who do the fans (the ones with the hole in the middle). After three years, I found my present job as a rocket scientist!
-
Current Job:
I solve equations and run simulations for a new concept of a rocket engine!
-
Employer:
The company I work for is called Reaction Engines and this is what the engine we are working on looks like!
-
My Interview
-
How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
adventure-lover aspiring astronaut
What's the best thing you've done in your career?
I have helped assemble several jet engines!
What or who inspired you to follow your career?
I have wanted to do this since I first saw a Space Shuttle taking off :)
What was your favourite subject at school?
Physics mostly but English and French were very close
What did you want to be after you left school?
Astronaut! (still working on it)
Were you ever in trouble at school?
I have never been in serious trouble but when I was 12 I almost failed Maths one term...
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
I would be a geologist -I love rocks and being out in nature
Who is your favourite singer or band?
I have soooo many but I am listening to a lot of BIllie EIlish and The Weekend
What's your favourite food?
My special treat is vegetable biryani and cheese -ANY cheese...
What is the most fun thing you've done?
I have gone camping with my best friend to a remote region in Botswana in Africa. We were once visited by rhinos during the night!
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1) travel to space 2) 40 hour-long days 3) learn how to sing
Tell us a joke.
What did Jupiter say to Saturn? "I like you, give me a ring sometime"
-