Farhana Rosol

What year did you graduate?
2020

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey?
I was born and raised in Malaysia and studying in the UK has been my lifelong dream. That being said, my former ambition when I was in high-school was to become a doctor (neurosurgeon) but the path deviated not long before starting my A-Levels. The turning point was the moment I was invited for ExxonMobil scholarship interview to study in the US. I started to research a lot about chemical engineering and the industries this type of career offers, particularly in the oil and gas sector. Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful, and I merely made it to the final stage interview. But little did I know that I started to love chemical engineering from then onwards, to which it then became my new goal and ambition. And I eventually made it! To UCL for chemical engineering course. A dream comes true.

Can you tell us about your degree and time at university?
MEng Chemical Engineering is a four-year integrated master’s degree programme. Students are able to work on a group design project in Year 3. Following that, in Year 4, each student will then have the opportunity to work on an individual research project under the supervision of a lecturer/supervisor. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at UCL because it extends beyond just academic and assessments. For example, there are plenty of (paid) volunteering opportunities offered. Considering that time was very limited and demanding with coursework and assignments one after the other, doing volunteering works occasionally (such as transition mentor, STEM ambassador, UCL Changemakers student reviewer) were indeed refreshing. I got to meet different groups of people and appreciate the diverse community UCL has.

What aspects of the course did you enjoy the most?
In Chemical Engineering department, the fact that students are given platforms to think outside the box through the different projects, as early as in Year 1 was a wholesome experience. This also allowed me to apply the theoretical knowledge learnt in each module/subject to solve interesting engineering problems.

What were the most interesting things you did, saw or got involved with while at UCL?
Integrated Engineering Programme (IEP) has to be on the top list. Having to experience two full-term projects known as Challenge, six 1-week long intense projects known as Scenario, and Design Project in Year 3 provided me with invaluable exposures to real-world problem simulations. This allows the students including myself to appreciate the interdisciplinary nature of engineering as well as developing crucial skills such as communication and analytical skills.  Also in Year 2, I participated in a two-week summer school of How to Change the World programme. Collaborating with students from different departments on some pressing open-ended societal challenge such as sustainable cities, not only allow me to learn many things about the different courses at UCL and the various approaches to solve the grand challenges but I have also made lifelong friends too.

What is your current job title/company?
Process Control Application Engineer, ExxonMobil

How did you arrive at your current job and what do you do?
The job is applied through the normal process via company’s website and went through a couple of interview stages. As a process control application engineer working from Kuala Lumpur Technology Centre (KLTC), I am remotely supporting refineries and chemical plants across the globe, particularly in the Europe region such as the UK and Netherlands. The responsibilities cover the development, implementation as well as continuous monitoring and troubleshooting of sites’ basic regulatory and advanced control applications, by leveraging digital technologies.

Which parts of your UCL experience were the best preparation for your job?  
The research project that I did in Year 4, on ‘Evaluation of Reactive Distillation Technologies with Emphasis on Process Control Of Ethylene Glycol Production’ has tremendously helped me to understand the fundamentals of process control particularly for a distillation unit. Moreover, Process Dynamics and Control module taught in Year 3 also helped me to prepare and kick-start the job as a graduate engineer, as it provided me with a thorough background theory and understanding of plant-wide process control.

Is there anything that you did at UCL that you think helped you succeed in finding a job/starting work?
The module choices, on top of the very well-structured and integrated programme certainly helped me to succeed in securing the job that I love. Also, each module taught at UCL requires the usage of some software and programming tools, to a certain extent. These skills are especially sought after by hiring companies nowadays. 

What advice would you give to current/prospective students? 
UCL is undoubtedly London’s global university, with a warm and fun environment for the community. There are a lot of interesting events and activities happening all year round, and it will never be a dull moment of merely books and pens. Explore as much as you can, meet new friends and enjoy your time at UCL. In terms of starting a career, feel empowered to try new things, join societies and create a strong professional network. There is no experience that are worthless. In fact, each, and everything that we have learnt and experienced thus far will prepare us for what is to come!

How did being at UCL change you and the way you think about yourself?
Being a part of UCL is absolutely one of the best things to ever happen in my life. Witnessing myself gaining higher self-confidence over time is satisfying, considering the amount of self-doubts I had on myself in the early days. Having supportive friends and lecturers as well as appreciative course mates empowered me to change the way I think, which in return changes for the better. I ultimately feel welcomed. UCL was indeed my home, and the community my family and will always be.