PhD Graduate 2012 - Finian McCann

I first arrived at Imperial in 2007 to study for the MSc in Structural Steel Design. Very soon after my arrival I became enamoured with both London and the College, and by the end of the year, inspired by the lectures I had undertaken in steel design and stability, I chose to undertake a PhD under the joint supervision of (now) Professor Leroy Gardner and Professor Ahmer Wadee. After completing my summer dissertation concerning the stability of steel beams and thus finishing my MSc programme, in October 2008 I embarked upon my PhD, again focussing on the stability of steel beams. Over the following three and a half years, I underwent an amazing personal journey of research and discovery, guided by two of world leaders in their field. Their friendly manner and patient approach allowed me to explore my topic and make my findings in my own time while always being able to rely on their knowledge, experience and expertise. In February 2012 I passed my viva and gained my PhD, and decided to finally head into the professional world, initially performing computational analysis for a subsea engineering firm. However, the joy I obtained from performing research and making new discoveries lured me back to Imperial College when in November 2013, I returned as a Postdoctoral Research  Associate, working again with Professor Gardner for another two years. To say that my time at Imperial has shaped my life for the better would be a massive understatement, and indeed I still return every now and then to continue collaborating with my old supervisors.