Aerodynamics & Mechanical Design — Sheffield EcoMotorsport
Two roles across a solar race team: carbon fibre bodywork and SEM04 design work, following six iterations of battery casing design validated by FEA under a 20 g load case.
I have held two roles on Sheffield EcoMotorsport as the team builds toward the iLumen European Solar Challenge.
Since July 2026 I have been an Aerodynamics & Mechanical Design Engineer, manufacturing carbon fibre bodywork for SEM03 and contributing to early design work on SEM04 for the iLumen 2028 competition.
Before that, as Powertrain Engineer, I iterated the battery casing design across six versions in Fusion 360 — moving through L-bracket and fibreglass construction approaches — to carry a 7.5 kg pack. Each version went through Fusion static FEA against a 20 g load requirement, which is what validated the final 300 × 280 × 3 mm mild steel plate supported on six 12 mm-diameter rods.
Six iterations sounds like indecision until you have watched a design fail the load case for a different reason each time. Each version fixed a real problem the previous one exposed.
I positioned and integrated the HV and VESC busbars within a seven-person powertrain sub-team, 3D printed the busbar casings, and contributed to the battery ventilation system design. I machined the VESC heat sink using CNC milling and a pillar drill.
I also coordinated sub-system fit-up between the auxiliary battery, main battery and VESC units, and managed procurement of the mount plates — the unglamorous integration work that decides whether parts designed separately actually assemble.