Jamie Maxted (MEng Renewable Energy Engineering, 2016)
Lead R&D Engineer at Morek Engineering
I decided to go to university a few years after college, which meant I’d already started to build a life in Cornwall. So, discovering that the University of Exeter was one of the only places offering Renewable Energy Engineering, and that it was on their Cornwall campus, was particularly lucky.
I completed a foundation degree at Cornwall College, which acted as a bridge into the MEng degree at Exeter. It eased me back into study after several years out of education and prepared me well for the more technology-specific modules later on. I then went straight into second year at Exeter rather than starting in year one.
The course itself was brilliant – the lecturers, facilities, and cohort all made it an environment where it was easy to settle in and get stuck into the work. It gave me a solid technical foundation and the confidence and toolkit to solve engineering problems. A lot of what I studied at university has been directly useful in my career, and the fact it’s an MEng helped me achieve Chartered Engineer status within a few years of starting work, which is an internationally recognised accreditation that helps you progress in your career.
When I started the degree, I assumed I’d eventually have to move away to find a job in engineering. But Cornwall has a strong offshore engineering and renewables sector and that hasn’t been the case. While studying, I interned at Mojo Maritime, which introduced me directly to the industry and then after graduating I worked for Pure Energy Professionals, James Fisher Marine Services, Fugro and then joined Morek.
Today I’m a Lead R&D Engineer at Morek Engineering, working in offshore renewables and the blue economy. We support organisations working in floating and fixed offshore wind, tidal energy, wave energy, and marine sustainability and transport.
My job spans design engineering, analysis engineering, project engineering, and offshore supervision. Practically, that means I’ve worked on designing structures for marine energy projects, mooring systems, planning marine operations and heavy lifts, supporting wave and tidal energy developers, and helping to deliver projects in places like Scotland, France, Korea, and Nova Scotia. I’ve also worked offshore on tidal stream and offshore wind projects.
One of the most exciting projects I’m working on now is a concept vessel design for installing floating offshore wind moorings. We’re part of a consortium, funded by Innovate UK, developing a low-carbon installation vessel capable of handling large volumes of synthetic fibre mooring lines – something that doesn’t really exist on the market yet.
The offshore renewables sector is expanding quickly, especially with the potential of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea. If that progresses as planned, the region could become an important hub for offshore operations and maintenance. Tidal and wave energy are also developing steadily, still early-stage, but full of potential.
Most of my cohort walked straight into jobs after graduating, and engineering in general gives you a very useful set of transferable skills. Even if you don’t end up in the exact niche you thought you would, you’ll still be in demand.
As far as renewables goes, there’s no shortage of rewarding work, and it feels good to be contributing to something that matters.
