Chris White PhD Environmental Engineering
Hi, I'm Chris White and I studied PhD Environmental Engineering within Engineering and the Environment at the University of Southampton.
In addition to research, I also teach GPS surveying and carry out surveys for other postgraduate students. Indeed, I went to Kazakhstan last summer to conduct a survey for my supervisor! There are plenty of ways to get involved with the department; it’s nice to give something back, it looks good on your CV and can even involve some travelling!
I started my Environmental Engineering undergraduate degree here at Southampton University when I was 23. I had worked for a few years since leaving school, so it was a huge decision to leave it all behind and go back to studying! But I haven’t regretted it for a moment. Southampton is a great place to study and live; I thoroughly enjoyed my degree here and obtained first class honours (not bad for an old-timer like me!). So when I decided to undertake further postgraduate studies, staying here at Southampton was a natural choice. The department has a real open door policy – everyone is approachable – which promotes an ideal working environment for postgraduates and staff. I was interested in working to alleviate the problems of climate change and flooding from an engineering prospective, so I chose a PhD topic that would enable me to specialise in this area. I am currently researching into flood probabilities for a case study area in Sussex, which suffers from tidal and riverine flooding.
As well as utilising my engineering degree, my PhD has given me the opportunity to learn new skills including GPS surveying, computer generated flood modelling, statistics and hydrology. My PhD has allowed me to spend the time researching something in I am interested in, and my supervisor has given me the chance to take the research in the direction I want; I have quite a degree of control over what I am doing. I also involve myself in many aspects of the organization of the undergraduate course, including helping to teach the 1st years surveying and conducting the UCAS days for the new undergraduate intake. I also teach GPS surveying and carry out surveys for other postgraduate students. Indeed, I went to Kazakhstan last summer to conduct a survey for my supervisor! There are plenty of ways to get involved with the department; it’s nice to give something back, it looks good on your CV and can even involve some travelling!