Passionate about renewable energy, Ellie has long been determined to represent engineering in this expanding and innovative sector.
Fixing her bike independently by the age of 11 and able to junk-model the only recognisable car in her class at school, Ellie van der Heijden was determined from a young age to become an engineer. Now a 29-year-old Chartered Engineer working for renewable energy firm Ecotricity in Gloucestershire, she feels honoured to be nominated for the prestigious Karen Burt Memorial Award.
“Winning this award would give me the opportunity to show other women pursuing professional status that engineering provides an excellent toolkit of skills for a diverse and interesting career working on the big challenges in society,” she states.
“I am keen to show people who are considering a career in engineering that it is varied and adaptable. I’ve worked as a design engineer in medical engineering, and now I’m project-managing for an environmental company. The common theme is that my skills as an engineer have been invaluable in each position along the way. I hope that I’m showing other women that engineering is not simply one career path, but that the principles are wonderfully transferable.”
After her early introduction to practical problem-solving, she progressed towards a degree in Sports Engineering, at Bath University. Ellie explains why she carefully selected that particular course.
“I was excited by the idea of learning about engineering through the interesting application of sport. Sports applications require very high-tech materials and a good knowledge of mechanics , and while my degree covered all the general engineering topics, I also learned about biomedical materials and anatomy, which was incredibly interesting.”
Ellie was keen to work in a technical role (she had considered applying for an apprenticeship before deciding on university) and gained her first job at Renishaw in the company’s medical engineering department. She specialised in precision neurological devices used to treat brain conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease, including catheters to go into the brain to deliver drugs, for both chronic and acute cases.
She explains the impact of her design engineer role: “I started at one end of a learning curve – and I had to get to the other end pretty quickly!
“At Renishaw, two of the designs I produced were filed for international patents and I was listed on both as the inventor. I gave several presentations to brain surgeons early in my career, and even to representatives from the Michael J Fox Foundation. They gave me wonderful feedback about the depth to which I knew my subject: it was extremely rewarding and affirming to hear that my enthusiasm had found the right outlet."
Ellie explains that she very much enjoyed the challenges she encountered at Renishaw: “I am so glad I worked there. I started at the deep end and learned so much. It was a difficult decision to leave the company and it took me a long time to make it, as I really liked the technical work I was doing and didn’t think that I would do anything as specialised again if I changed career – you can’t get much more technical than brain surgery!”
In her final year at university Ellie studied environmental management systems and became increasingly aware of environmental issues. “I thought deeply about where I wanted to be working in the future. I wanted to follow my passion, which is pursuing positive environmental solutions to energy and climate-change issues.”
Five years ago Ellie joined Ecotricity as Technical Analyst in the Development Team. She was quickly promoted.
“Having worked in many roles in my department, I am now Emerging Technologies and Projects Manager. I feel very lucky to have experienced every part of a renewable energy project over the last few years. I was particularly proud to project-manage the completion of the pioneering Fen Farm Solar Park, which was the company’s first non-wind renewable energy project and won Ecotricity the 2011 Renewable Energy Association Award for Best Developer.”
Ellie’s current projects include anaerobic digestion (the production of bio-gas which is converted into a bio-methane, which can be injected into the grid), solar and wave energy projects and energy storage in its many forms which, she affirms, will really change the grid over the next few decades.
In a pure engineering environment at Renishaw, she reflects that she never worked as a woman in isolation: she had a good structure of female colleagues illustrating, for her, that progressing in this industry is wholly achievable. At Ecotricity, Ellie is the only professional engineer in a muliti-disciplinary company. She reflects that the challenging and rigorous style that often features in engineering environments isn’t necessarily as evident in a more general organisation.
She explains, “As an engineer engaging in discussion in a meeting, the questions that I might pose, and the options that I want to explore and analyse can present quite a different approach for many of my colleagues and clients, so diplomacy is a valuable skill!
“A good training in engineering gives you all the tools you need to have a remarkable working life. Being able to break down problems into manageable chunks; communicating technical information clearly; using critical thinking; being process-driven; looking at optimum solutions; selecting the best of those – these analytical considerations are particular to engineers, but perhaps other businesses could benefit from some of these approaches."
Ellie finds that mentoring and monitoring fellow team members brings exceptional rewards, and she is as driven in supporting others to achieve their goals as she is in her personal ambitions.
“Recently, I worked with a knowledge-transfer partnership student. I found it extremely rewarding to help him identify his career goals and find his way along that path. I have gained great value from working alongside engineers who naturally mentor others; they have helped me focus on what I wanted to achieve. For example, my former boss at Renishaw, Hugo Derrick, was an inspiration. For me, he is probably one of the best engineers in the country, a real role-model.”
Ellie understands and supports the important work of the engineering community: to share their enthusiasm and practical knowledge to encourage children to enter the profession. She continues, “During my student days I was a STEM ambassador and regularly attended primary and secondary schools to promote science and engineering, often using Lego and Lego robotics. I’m currently supporting a fellow engineer who is running workshops for home-schooled children, which is a really fun way of engaging kids with engineering. At Ecotricity, we invite the public to exhibitions, and I enjoy explaining our ideas of renewable energy and the technical developments we are making to harness and store energy.” She adds, “I have also had the opportunity to assist my local community in developing renewable energy projects and it’s one of the best things I’ve done in my spare time.”
Recently Ellie was elected a Chartered Engineer. This had been her aim for many years, she remembers, and it remains one of the most significant steps in her life:
“It was one of my goals when I was only seventeen: I had written at that time that I wanted to become a Chartered Engineer in the future! I feel that it’s a professional seal of approval in line with my professional development; a quality check by one’s peers. I am very proud that I have achieved it and encourage fellow engineers to strive for that distinction. Many of my colleagues from other professions value their chartered status just as highly. I think it’s incredibly valuable to distinguish oneself as a professional engineer and belong to and engage with an organisation such as the Institution of Mechanical Engineers."
Ellie continually embraces personal challenges. In 2010 she spent nine months addressing (what she perceived to be) gaps in her renewable energy knowledge through an Open University distance-learning course. She explains:
“The course – entitled ‘Energy for a Sustainable Future’ – was hard work but it was also fascinating and wide-ranging, exploring conventional energy technologies, financial modelling and different aspects of developing renewable energy projects. I find it very fulfilling to strive for improvement through learning.
“My ambition is to become an expert in my field. I want to look back and say that I’ve been instrumental in building a number of renewable energy projects and that I’ve made a difference. I’d like to work towards a leadership position in a company dedicated to creating a sustainable future for society.”
Now that she is a Chartered Engineer, Ellie aims to become a Chartered Environmentalist. This entails a reporting and interview process and, if successful, she will join a growing and diverse community of professionals focused on working towards a better environmental future.
Ellie is clear about the responsibility she feels she holds: “Engineers are well placed to tackle the complex challenges of sustainability, energy security and climate change. However, it will take inspiration and dedication to encourage society to step away from ‘business as usual’ approaches and towards a bolder and brighter future. I think engineers should lead the way.”
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The Women’s Engineering Society (WES) launched the annual Karen Burt Memorial Award, for newly elected female Chartered Engineers, in 1998. The award “recognises the candidate’s excellence and potential in the practice of engineering and highlights the importance of Chartered status, as well as offering recognition to contributions made by the candidate to the promotion of the engineering profession.”
This year’s award will be presented at the WES conference, ‘Harnessing the Energy’ on 4th October 2013 in London.
