I joined Jaguar Land Rover as a Postgraduate Engineer, in order to write my Masters Thesis and validate my Engineer Diploma from ISAT University (France).
My placement was within the Powertrain Research CAE team in charge of the simulation for new powertrain concepts and evolution of modelling techniques. My Manager and supervisor gave me the opportunity to lead my own work package as part of a bigger project. Thanks to that, I dedicated my time to engine modelling and control of hybrid vehicles with a strong focus on understanding the physical phenomenons but also managing the project scope.
It was the first time that I had to deal with internal and external partners who were both advising on and constraining the scope of my work. Nevertheless, the support given by my team and regular review at managerial level helped me make the right choices, both for the project and my thesis. Moreover, the complexity of the projects offered in my department gives us strong links to numerous teams across the business. This opportunity to meet people from different functions has helped me to understand how the company is organised and also where my future career may take me.
I really enjoyed my placement and was happy to move to a permanent position as CAE Engineer in the same team once I finished. This has been very beneficial as it means I have been able to continue developing the project I started during my placement; as well as take on a number of new activities including electric vehicle simulations, new modelling methods and new concepts evaluation.
My placement at JLR was not the first one I had completed during my studies; but it was certainly the one I enjoyed the most – I can definitely see myself as part of the company for many years to come.
