Career Profiles: John Tubman

John Tubman graduated from Glasgow University in 1981 with a BSc (Hons) degree in civil engineering. His four-year undergraduate degree included three summers in vacation employment - two in a design office and one on site. "These three periods proved very valuable if not highly remunerated: they served to put the later years of study into context" he explains.

As an undergraduate he was particularly interested in structures and decided to stay on at university to carry out research in structural steelwork. The research involved both experimental work (beam testing in the laboratory) and complex computer-based analysis. This work has enabled John to contribute to design code drafting work for the British Standards Institution over a number of years.

On leaving university in December 1984, John took up a post as a Graduate Engineer in Scott Wilson's Glasgow office. His first project involved the design of a 46m span steel highway truss bridge (later used as the basis for John's corporate membership submission to the Institution of Civil Engineers). Other projects at that time involved steel, concrete and timber bridges, dock walls in a naval dockyard and a bridge design competition. He was also actively involved in the affairs of the Institution of Civil Engineers in the West of Scotland.

His earlier research work earned him a Ph.D. in 1986, although the writing of his thesis in evenings and weekends in 1985 and 1986 "proved extremely difficult while trying to work full-time as well" he explains.

Between 1986 and 1988 John spent two periods on site: the first as an Assistant Resident Engineer supervising construction of road and bridgeworks on a very exposed site on the west coast of Scotland, the second as Resident Engineer supervising construction of a prestressed concrete bridge. "The first spell gave me some very valuable experience of a large civil engineering site with a great variety of work," he recalls. "I was the only supervising engineer on the second site. This in itself was character building!"

Lured back to university life in 1988, John took up an academic post in Sheffield University where he lectured mainly on structural analysis and design. "Although I decided to stay for only a couple of years, the experience was one I'm glad to have had. My spell in academic life has brought certain opportunities which otherwise would not have arisen" he notes.

In 1990 he rejoined Scott Wilson, this time in Chesterfield, and was involved in a number of bridge and bridge-related projects. "We carried out refurbishments of two nineteenth century bridges - one cast iron, one steel - and won an IStructE Award for sympathetic strengthening of the steel bridge. That was a great thrill," he says. "The good thing about structural engineering as a career is that as you travel around you see structures you designed or in some way contributed to." He also wrote a book, carried out research work for the Highways Agency, published a number of papers, had a month-long study tour in North America and passed the Institution of Structural Engineers' Chartered Membership Examination. "I still enjoy technical writing and lecturing" he adds, "but time is the real problem."

Convinced that there was a market for more specialised technical services, John moved south to Scott Wilson's head office in Basingstoke in June 1996 to allow him to set up what is now "Scott Wilson Advanced Technology". "Advanced Technology gives me a real kick", he explains. "No two days are the same. One day it's a large steel box girder bridge, another it's a structure with significant dynamic problems - ("it's a myth that structures remain stationary" he remarks) - and by the end of the same week we'll be looking at new bits of structural steelwork for the North Sea or having a meeting with solicitors on an expert witness project. Life is certainly very varied, interesting and hectic."

John is also active within the Institution of Structural Engineers at local Branch level and nationally. "As a member of Council of the Institution, I can keep up to date with current professional issues and can hopefully play some (albeit small) part in the decision-making process."

John Tubman
BSc(Eng) PhD CEng MIStructE MICE
Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick