CUEA is an organisation for all Cambridge University members, past and present, who are affiliated with Engineering.

The object of the Association, as set out in 1928, shall be the advancement of the welfare and interests of the University of Cambridge. Under these overall objects the Association seeks to bring the experience and capabilities of Alumni to contribute to the education and development of today’s students and researchers; and to encourage Alumni to continue their development and maintain their professional effectiveness through contact with other Alumni and the ongoing work of the University Engineering Department. We are also a recognised alumni group of the University of Cambridge.

Develop

This pillar aims to provide support to CUEA members in their professional development. The provision of resources and personal development activities will form part of this pillar.

Innovate

CUEA intends to support the initiatives, commercial or otherwise, of its members. Activities will enable collaboration between, and opportunities for, CUEA members to realise their ideas.

Network

Through connecting our members, CUEA facilitates a strong and valuable network that members can both contribute to and benefit from.

Governance and Constitution

The Association's Trustee is the University of Cambridge. The Trustee delegates running of the association to the Management Board, which is comprised of a President elect, the Head of the Engineering Department, the Finance Manager of the Department, four elected Member Representatives and four University Representatives. The current members of the Management Board are listed below.

The Management Board manages day to day operations of the association with the support of the Executive Sub-Committee. Any member of CUEA can apply to be part of the Executive Sub-Committee and support the initiatives of the association.

CUEA Committee

Leadership

Chris O’Connor CEng FIMechE (President)

Chris is the group CEO and Non-Exec with experience in the scientific instrument design and manufacturing industry. Earlier Director experience with Dyson in operational and commercial roles and as CEO for motor yacht manufacturer Sealine International.

Active within the IMechE and a visiting lecturer and industrial strategy board member at the CUED Institute for Manufacturing.

Chris joined CUEA to help encourage our next generation of Cambridge Engineers to take up rewarding careers in engineering and manufacturing.

Professor Colm Durkan

(Vice President)

Professor Durkan is the founder and head of the Nanoengineering Science group at the Nanoscience centre of the University of Cambridge.

His research is focused on understanding the fundamentals of the link between form (size & shape) and function in Nanomaterials, with an emphasis on advanced modes of lithography, microscopy and surface analysis, as applied to both highly applied everyday problems as well as working on the underpinning science. He also has a keen interest in the fabrication of novel devices and device architectures.

Anne Waldock

(Treasurer)

Committee Members

Rachel Attwood CEng MICE
(Marketing and Communications)

When Rachel graduated in 2019, she became a full time Site Engineer at Graham Construction. Whilst she enjoyed seeing projects come to life; working with a diverse group of people from site operatives to project managers and clients; and managing quality, environmental and commercial aspects of site work, she knew that long-term she wanted to move into a role more closely related to design.

After two years of full-time site experience, she moved department to take up a Design Coordinator role, working on Highways Upgrades in the South-East. She recently became a Chartered Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Rachel joined the CUEA committee in 2022 because she wanted to get more involved in developing the links between the alumni network and student body, as well as expanding her own network with Cambridge Engineering alumni in London and the South East. She is also a dedicated volunteer with Girlguiding UK.

Francisco Gomez

(Extra Curricular Awards)

Francisco is a final year Engineering PhD student at the University of Cambridge, under the supervision of Dr Veronica Martinez, and sponsored by Rolls-Royce Aerospace. His research focuses on understanding the organisational value of technology, and he has presented his research at multiple international conferences and to more than 100 managers and executives. He is also an academic supervisor in Industrial Engineering for third and fourth year undergraduate students, and the current president of the Cambridge University Automobile Club.

Prior to his PhD, he received a 1st class degree in Mechanical Engineering, was Director of Engineering at a technology startup, worked as an Ultrasonic Non-Destructive Testing Engineer at TWI, and worked for two Summers at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory.

He is now Research Application Manager at The Alan Turing Institute in London, the UK National Centre for Data Science, Machine Learning, and AI. As a RAM, he has an overview of the research output by the Institute and ensures that it is being adopted by Government, Academia, and Industry.

Henry Reynolds

(CV and Interview Days)

Ashley Butcher

(Career Panels)

Paridhi Sharma

(Mentoring)

Karthik Suresh

(Career Panels)

Franck Courbon

(LinkedIn and Social Media)

Tom Ridgman

Tom graduated from Southampton University in 1973 and started his career as a diesel engine development engineer. This led to a range of management posts in the automotive industry. In 1995 he made a career switch and joined CUED Manufacturing and Management Division to run a post-graduate course to make new

graduates more effective in their initial careers. He has developed the course to the MPhil in Industrial Systems, Manufacture and Management and contributed to the founding and growth of the Institute for Manufacturing and IfM Engage. He formally retired in 2018 but has remained engaged with the IfM on a range of activities.

Dr Alice Cicerello