One Degree, Many Directions

Neerja Sonowal of IChemE’s National Early Careers Group speaks to engineers forging careers across sectors from a shared technical foundation

MANOEUVRING a career path can feel like walking through a new city without a map. For chemical engineers, the challenge is not a lack of options but an abundance of them. A single degree can lead in many directions, often far beyond traditional roles. To explore where those paths can lead, I spoke to two professionals who started at the same crossroads and carved out very different careers.

Shi Yunn Chua: Director, customer success at Wellhub and advisor at Marlim. Former strategic partnership development manager at Google. Chemical Engineering (MEng) from Imperial College London

How has your engineering background shaped your approach to your current role, compared with a more traditional business route?

Shi Yunn Chua (SYC): For me, my engineering background was the cornerstone of my professional development in three main ways. First, it cultivated a high level of cognitive agility; the intensity of the degree taught me how to synthesise complex new concepts and “connect the dots” with remarkable speed. Second, it instilled a rigorous analytical framework. In business, whether handling revenue or high-stakes presentations, the ability to approach problem-solving with engineering logic and structure is an invaluable asset. Finally, it taught me the power of cross-functional synergy. My final-year design project at university was my first real lesson in leveraging diverse team strengths. Today, that experience allows me to collaborate effectively with experts across entirely different fields, translating technical language into business success.

Whether handling revenue or high-stakes presentations, the ability to approach problem-solving with engineering logic and structure is an invaluable asset

What is your strategy for scaling multiple businesses simultaneously?

SYC: Managing a portfolio of 15 companies really takes me back to the core of my Chemical Engineering degree: the Carbon Capture Pilot Plant project at Imperial College London. This project urged us to ask: “This process works at a small scale but what would it require to work at a massive one?”

When I was at Google, the challenge was multiplying our impact by ten or 100 with a finite pool of resources. I approached it exactly like an experiment, defining a hypothesis, setting clear objectives and running a “proof of concept” through webinars or pilot programmes. Once we measured the impact and proved the business outcome to leadership, we didn’t just stay there; we scaled the operation across different business units and markets.

Now at Wellhub, that same efficiency mindset is vital in my revenue role. When managing top-tier clients, it’s easy to get drowned in the day-to-day business without actually driving impact. One of my first projects was automating the Quarterly Business Review (QBR) process. Previously, it was a manual grind, pulling dashboard numbers and building slides by hand. Having a good understanding of the data layers and architecture, I was able to advise the team to develop QBRs that auto generate insights. This helped save many hours for the revenue team.

What motivated you to pursue your Executive Diploma in AI and how has it shaped your leadership?

SYC: After a decade of professional experience, I felt it was the right time to intentionally elevate my skillset and prepare for senior leadership roles. For me, going back to school was about sharpening my core with high-level technical depth.

Balancing a Level 7 master’s at Oxford with my professional responsibilities has been a natural progression of the “learning how to learn” philosophy I embraced during my engineering degree. It’s about more than just a new qualification; it’s about the confidence that a chemical engineering background provides. It taught me that I could deconstruct and master any topic, from big data to AI strategy, by leveraging my own curiosity and structured research.

My perspective is that organisations are shifting away from hiring for general skills. Today, the real value lies in being a “T-shaped” professional, someone who possesses deep domain expertise and specific industry experience but can also operate across a broad, strategic scope. It’s about having a very specific edge rather than just a generalist background.

 

Will Schofield: Senior process engineer at the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) Chemical Engineering (MEng) from Newcastle University

You achieved Chartership early in your career. What advice would you give to young professionals starting out?

William Schofield (WS): I always knew I wanted to be in energy but like many graduates, I struggled to land that “dream job” right out of university.

I actually started with a summer placement at a wood recycling facility. It was far from my first choice but those three months at Timberpak were crucial as they gave me the practical exposure I needed to eventually land a graduate role at Cobalt Energy.

It was in this role that being the only chemical engineer at a smaller firm ended up being a massive catalyst for my career. That multidisciplinary environment, working across mechanical and project management functions, is what allowed me to fast-track my Chartership. It gave me the versatility to eventually transition to UKAEA, where I’ve finally fulfilled my ambition of working on the forefront of fusion research.

My biggest piece of advice is: don’t obsess over your starting point – just get your foot in the door. Cast your net wide and focus on developing skills outside of your core degree. If you find a role where you can get a “taste of everything” you’ll naturally pick up the language of other departments, which is what actually makes you a leader.

Ultimately, you have to take hold of your own destiny: if your current role isn’t getting you where you want to be, either push for that change or find a company that will let you make it happen.

What helped you navigate the transition between two distinct sectors?

WS: The transition from waste-to-energy to nuclear fusion at UKAEA taught me that while fluids and regulations change, core engineering principles, like hazard analysis and equipment specification, are universal. Excelling means contributing across a project’s entire life cycle, balancing technical work with the roles of a lawyer, accountant and project manager.

The biggest challenge was imposter syndrome. Surrounding yourself with world-class talent can shake your confidence but I overcame this by leaning on my Chartership and embracing my knowledge gaps. Rather than pretending to be an expert on day one, I found that asking questions allowed me to bridge the industry divide. Your colleagues are almost always willing to help you.

How has your technical background shaped your approach to the business and regulatory side of nuclear?

WS: My time at Cobalt Energy was a crash course in the commercial realities of engineering, from writing proposals to managing budgets. Success in entrepreneurship relies on delivering quality while maintaining the profit necessary to grow. I’ve found that the most valuable skill is understanding the “limits of competence” and how contracts – such as EPCM or Lump Sum agreements – distribute risk. Whether in the private sector or now at UKAEA, my background helps me navigate the gap between public value and private risk.

We aren’t just solving technical puzzles, we’re ensuring the long-term viability of the UK’s fusion supply chain

We aren’t just solving technical puzzles, we’re ensuring the long-term viability of the UK’s fusion supply chain. Technical expertise is the foundation but commercial literacy is what actually delivers the project.

Finally, what does a typical day as a senior engineer at Culham involve?

WS: As a senior process engineer at UKAEA, I’ve served as lead engineer for THEIA, a fusion energy demonstrator project, and process lead for HyDUS, a hydrogen production and deuterium separation system. While the roles overlap, being a lead engineer widens the scope beyond the process side. I am responsible for the safe design and implementation of the project, ensuring all system requirements and regulatory standards are met. This involves significant technical work and constant communication with stakeholders, experts and governance teams.

Beyond the desk, I manage a multidisciplinary team, guiding their technical approach and reviewing final submissions. I also collaborate closely with project managers on budgeting, resourcing and risk mitigation. One of the most rewarding aspects is working “on the ground” with my team to build prototype rigs. By designing bespoke parts and conducting experiments to derisk larger projects, we’re constantly finding novel ways to solve problems, which eventually leads to research papers and patents!

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Neerja Sonowal is a second-year Chemical Engineering undergraduate at Imperial College London and articles lead for the IChemE National Early Careers Group