Connor
Rumbles

Connor Rumbles, a recent graduate from NTU has embarked on an exciting career as a Design Engineer at Greaves 3D Engineering, following his studies in BEng Sport Engineering.

Connor's journey into university was through the traditional route of A-levels, and it was through the NTU website that he first discovered the course that would shape his future.

Before applying to NTU, Connor visited the university on two open days and it was the feeling of welcomeness and inclusion that shaped his decision to study at NTU :

Connor:  All the open days that I visited across multiple different universities were extremely important in helping me make the decision as to what university to study at. One of the main reasons why I choose NTU was due to the warm welcome and feeling of inclusion I got from the open day, and my initial impressions of all the staff that day were not wrong. Having the opportunity to meet the team of academics behind the course before making the final decision as to where to enrol was crucial in my final decision. Having often felt overshadowed during A-levels, from day one at NTU I felt like I had a voice, and that staff were willing to listen and support at every opportunity.

What initially appealed to Connor about the Sport Engineering course was the strong industry links and the practical experience of the staff:

Connor: What appealed to me was the links and experience that the staff had to industry applications of all areas of the study but specifically in the sporting world.

What Connor values most about studying at NTU is the sense of community and the feeling of being valued as a student:

Connor: The community that NTU builds around all it’s students makes everyone feel valued. I found all the staff were extremely approachable and willing to listen to any concerns you have. The staff within my course are enthusiastic about their subject matter and have experience within industry. I felt as though all the staff dealt extremely well with the challenges presented by covid in the early years of the degree, to ensure the students didn’t lose out on any academic development.

We asked Connor to describe what his course was like:

Connor: One of the strengths of my course was the feeling of inclusion amongst course mates, as a small cohort it was crucial we could all work together as team to get the best out of our studies. The course was engaging and had practical applications to each of the learning outcomes.

His specific projects and topics covered included:

Connor: Helmet Optimisation project, Investigation into the Design and Performance of 3D-Printed Non-Pneumatic Bicycle Tyres, The Design and Optimisation of a Bike Fork, Aerodynamic Cycling Position Optimisation Project, Design for Manufacture - Laser Cut Bridge & 3D Printed Highway Pier Support.

At NTU, Connor had access to the wide range of state-of-the-art equipment:

Connor: I used various equipment on the course, one of the best ones were Environmental Chamber, used for athlete and equipment testing. Shimadzu AG-X Plus, used for compressive and tensile testing of materials. C-Therm, used for testing thermal conductivity of fabric and Wind tunnel, used to test aerodynamic performance of scale models.

Connor's studies have equipped him with a strong foundation in technical abilities, problem-solving, CAD, CFD, coding, and data analytics, skills he believes will be crucial in his future endeavours:

Connor: I'm confident that my technical abilities, problem-solving skills, and practical knowledge from my studies will provide me a strong platform for success in the industry as I prepare to start this fresh chapter in my life. Understanding engineering fundamentals and developing my skills in CAD, CFD, coding, and data analytics, I feel ready to take on the challenge and complications of engineering projects in the real-world environment.

Working on research projects, job placements, and industry events has not only allowed me to apply academic understanding in practical settings but has also improved my versatility, communication, and teamwork skills. Furthermore, my placement year experience has given me invaluable insights into the complexities of the professional environment and the requirements to work efficiently to succeed within industry.

I am like using my interpersonal skills often — which I've developed through conducting meetings, demonstrating project results, and taking leadership roles to work successfully with colleagues and industry partners. I am confident that my ability to actively listen, consider other viewpoints, and establish a healthy work atmosphere will be crucial in producing positive results and reaching company goals.

His industrial placement year with Vires Velo, a high-performance bike manufacturer, was a highlight of his academic journey. There, he gained invaluable experience in business management and engineering, shadowing the company's founder, John Bailey, and developing his interpersonal and teamwork skills:

Connor: During my third year of study I was privileged to undertake an industrial placement year with Vires Velo. The experience proved to be the most valuable and rewarding parts of my degree and has given me the experience and key skills to be able to seamlessly transfer into industry post degree.

Vires Velo are the exclusive UK partners of Factor Bikes, one of the world’s most sought after ultra-performance road bike manufacturers. Their team is headed by the original founder of Factor Bikes, Mr John Bailey, who brings a wealth of experience from his time as CEO of engineering firms at the pinnacle of F1. I was privileged to shadow Mr Bailey throughout my time at Vires Velo which has given me the foundations in a number of key areas in order to succeed with engineering.

Throughout my time at Vires Velo, I was able to obtain an extensive amount of knowledge and experience through a vast range of different tasks and situations. Although my placement was heavily focused on the research and development of high performance bikes, I personally feel that my most significant learnings were around the business management of a successful company and specifically within engineering.

Having shadowed John Bailey for the year, I gained invaluable experience in business management and this has inspired me to follow in his footsteps of one day being a director in my own company. I finished my placement with an in-depth knowledge of the additive manufacturing and filament winding, which I used in my final year project.

I developed my interpersonal and team working skills within the tight knit team, this is an aspect that I regard as being the most important part of a successful business and essential for all engineers.

Connor's greatest achievement as an NTU student was securing a dream role in the motorsport industry, he says:

Connor: For me University was always about giving me the foundation and opportunity to progress into the engineering industry in a role that excited me, therefore I believe my greatest achievement is securing a dream role within the motorsport industry post university.

We asked Connor about his career plans:

Connor: I would love to work in my new graduate role in motorsport to gain experience in industry with the dream of one day owning my own engineering company within the sporting world.

I never thought I would want to be a business owner but after my placement year, this has changed. I was also very set on working in the bike industry, however, now I am open to work in a much wider range of areas.

He advises prospective students considering the Sport Engineering course at NTU to follow their interests, as the course provides a solid foundation in engineering principles while offering the opportunity to specialise in the sporting industry:

Connor: I was torn between enrolling in the Sport Engineering course and the Mechanical Engineering course. However, I ultimately decided to follow my heart and choose Sport Engineering due to my greater interest in the modules. I was also reassured that the course covers all the key engineering principles found in the mechanical course while supplementing them with sport-specific modules. I believe this has provided me with a greater ability to apply engineering principles to a wider range of applications. Before enrolling, I was worried that the degree might be overlooked within the engineering industry. However, having secured a largely mechanical engineering-based role within motorsport, I can confirm that this is not the case.

You can follow Connor's journey beyond his studies on LinkedIn:

LinkedIn: Connor Rumbles