UK and Ireland Young Professionals Affinity Group Webinar | Career Pathways Series 2
Navigating the early stages of a career can be both exciting and challenging, especially in a world where industries, and the education and research sectors are rapidly evolving.
To support Young Professionals make informed decisions and confidently move forward in their careers, the IEEE UK and Ireland Young Professionals (YP) Affinity Group is hosting a series of virtual events, initially focused on career development in both industry, and education and research.
Contributors in this series will share their personal experiences and perspectives on opportunities and challenges within their respective sectors and share insight to help inform approaches to career development.
This series of Career Pathways Events aims to provide a platform showcasing local talent who will provide Young Professionals with insight and better understanding of different career paths options they can explore. By hearing directly from professionals at different career stages who have successfully navigated their fields, attendees will learn valuable lessons on overcoming obstacles, identifying opportunities, finding the right career fit, adapting to changing job markets, and developing the necessary skills to succeed and making informed career decisions.
There will also be opportunities for you to ask questions and engage with the speakers, making this event series both informative and interactive.
Join us to explore diverse career pathways and gain the knowledge to confidently pursue your goals.
This session will focus on perspectives from experienced professionals working in a deep tech innovation organisation that is part of the Innovate UK Catapult Network, as well as representatives from a university in Scotland.
Guest Speaker Overview
Dr Ramona Marfievici, Principal IoT Engineer, Digital Catapult – Engineering Growth: Embracing Change, Opportunity, and Resilience in a Dynamic Career
Abstract
Drawing from her 20-year engineering career spanning research institutes and industrial environments across four countries, she will share insights into navigating the evolving landscape of engineering careers and professional development. Her experiences have repeatedly proven that being at the forefront of technological developments isn’t just an advantage – it is fundamental for sustained career growth. She’ll take you through her personal career path, sharing pivotal moments and critical decisions that shaped her trajectory – from challenging career transitions to unexpected opportunities. With candid honesty, she’ll discuss what kept her motivated during tough times, and how building meaningful professional relationships and networks opens doors to opportunities and provides support during critical career decisions.
About the Speaker
Ramona is the IoT Principal Engineer at Digital Catapult, working to design, deploy, and implement IoT “stuff that works” and which makes a big difference to UK businesses and organisations.
Her role involves a range of activities from applying IoT technologies to real- world problems, translating research into prototypes, building demonstrators and pilots, finding early technology adopters, co-creating new testbeds and accelerator programmes to help innovators leverage IoT technology. Ramona holds a PhD from the University of Trento, Italy and a MSc degree from the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca. Before Digital Catapult, she was a lecturer at the Computer Science Department at Technical University of Cluj-Napoca and a senior researcher at Nimbus Research Centre in Cork, Ireland.
Dr Massood Rehman, Senior Lecturer in Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering, James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow – Transition Through Early Career in Research: Challenges and Opportunities
Abstract
Navigating the transition through an early research career is a pivotal journey marked by a multitude of challenges and opportunities. In this talk, I will explore the various hurdles researchers encounter as they set forth on their career paths, from issues of motivation and confidence-building to the prevalent imposter syndrome and the pressures of securing funding and publishing.
Drawing upon personal experiences and insights, this discussion provides a comprehensive examination of the complexities inherent in the early stages of a research career. By delving into strategies to overcome obstacles and thrive in this competitive landscape, this talk aims to equip emerging researchers with the tools and perspectives necessary to succeed in their academic pursuits.
About the Speaker
Masood Ur Rehman received a BSc in electronics and telecommunication engineering from UET, Lahore, Pakistan in 2004 and an MSc and PhD in electronic engineering from Queen Mary University London, in 2006 and 2010, respectively. He worked at QMUL as a postdoctoral research assistant till 2012 before joining the Centre for Wireless Research at the University of Bedfordshire as a lecturer. He served briefly at the University of Essex and then moved to the James Watt School of Engineering at the University of Glasgow as an Assistant Professor in 2019.
He currently works as an Associate Professor at the University of Glasgow. His research interests include compact antenna design for 6G, Industry 5.0 & Global Navigation Satellite Systems; flexible, wearable & implantable sensors & systems; bio-electromagnetics & exposure of biological tissues to RF; mmWave & nano-communications for body-centric networks and wireless sensor networks in industrial automation, healthcare & environmental monitoring, and Device-to-Device and Human-to-Human communications. He has worked on several projects supported by industrial partners and research councils.
He has contributed to a patent and authored/co-authored 7 books, 13 book chapters, and over 200 technical articles in leading journals and peer-reviewed conferences. Dr Ur-Rehman is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK), a senior member of the IEEE, a member of the IET and BioEM and part of the technical program committees and organizing committees of several international conferences, workshops, and special sessions. He is a committee member of IEEE APS/SC WG P145, IEEE APS Best Paper Award committee and Pearson’s focus group on formative assessment. He is acting as an editor of PeerJ Computer Science, associate editor of IEEE Sensors Journal, IEEE Journal of Electromagnetics, RF and Microwaves in Medicine & Biology, IEEE Access, IET Electronics Letters and Microwave & Optical Technology Letters, topic editor for MDPI Sensors, editorial advisor to CambridgeScholars Publishing, and lead guest editor of numerous special issues of renowned journals.
He is chair of the IEEE UK and Ireland Section Young Professionals Affinity Group, vice-chair of the IEEE UK and Ireland Section APS/MTTS Joint Chapter and acting/acted as the Communications Chair for EuCAP2024, Workshop Chair for Workshop on Sustainable and Intelligent Green Internet of Things for 6G and Beyond in IEEE ICC 2024, IEEE GLOBECOM 2024, IEEE VTC-S 2023, IEEE GLOBECOM 2023, TPC chair for UCET 2020 and BodyNets 2021 conferences.