George Hine
Our masters students go on to a huge range of exciting roles in industry as well as into postgraduate research. On graduation day, we caught up with George Hine who studied for an MSc Space Engineering at Surrey and is now working for Leonardo as a graduate project assurance engineer.
Course
Space Engineering MScGraduation year
2019Why did you decide to come to Surrey for your masters?
I studied motorsport engineering as my undergraduate degree, and knew that I wanted to go into either a project engineering or an over-arching role. I decided that the best way to prepare myself would be to gain additional experience in electronic engineering to add to my mechanical knowledge. I find space a really interesting sector so went for the MSc Space Engineering course.
What were the best things about studying at Surrey?
I think one of the really interesting things is how involved the University is in actually doing the things it’s teaching, which contrasts with some of the other places I looked around. The fact that Surrey has the Surrey Space Centre (SSC) and its spin-off commercial company Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) makes it quite unique. Students, as well as academic staff and researchers, get the chance to use real technology as part of the course modules and during project work – for example the ground station within SSC to communicate with spacecraft.
A great aspect of the course was that one of the first modules we studied during our first semester, Space System Design, gave us all the fundamental information we needed for the other modules of the course – perfect for someone with a limited background in the subject such as myself. This was delivered by Professor Craig Underwood who has an incredible background and experience in the sector.
What did you get up to at Surrey outside of your course?
I sat on the Student Staff Liaison Committee as a student rep for the course, which gave me an interesting insight into how the University runs from behind the scenes. I enjoyed engaging with the ‘law makers’, and being able to represent my cohort and report back on what was and wasn’t running well.
What are you doing now?
I’m currently working in the aerospace and defence industry, as a graduate project assurance engineer for Leonardo, where I look after a number of projects. My long-term career ambition is to head up a function in Formula One somewhere, or at one of the big names in the space industry.
Discover our courses in electrical and electronic engineering, including our MSc Space Engineering.
