Finalists announced for the Young Structural Engineering Professional Award 2024

Arij Mroue

In 2021, Arij graduated from Cardiff University with a first-class honours degree in Civil Engineering. In parallel with her studies, she undertook eighteen months of site-based placements with Morgan Sindall that served to ground and strengthen the grasp of technical theory she was acquiring at Cardiff. Following her undergraduate studies, Arij went on to pursue a Master’s degree in Structural Engineering at Imperial College London and joined Jensen Hunt Design as a structural engineer post-graduation. 
 
Arij’s tenacity and unwavering dedication to her studies has seen her win multiple awards including the IStructE Cymru Prize 2021, ICE Student Prize 2021 and Cardiff University’s Page Prize for three consecutive years, awarded for the best final grades across her course.
 
Within a year of starting her role as a graduate engineer, Arij became Jensen Hunt’s Sustainability Lead, overseeing the integration of sustainable practices in the company’s day-to-day work and relaying JHD's learning and tools to the wider industry to drive collective action in the fight against climate change. 
 
Refusing to be restrained by any limitations for her career, Arij is on a mission to redefine and broaden the traditional role of a Structural Engineer. Outside of her design role, Arij pursues many industry- and society-facing initiatives, including STEM collaborations with a local school to attract students into engineering roles from a young age and work with a software team to develop ViridiPath, an innovative carbon-tracking tool. Arij is passionate about the unique contribution that structural engineers can make when it comes to tackling societal and environmental issues - a passion that led her to found and drive forward a NGO initiative that aims to build hempcrete refugee shelters in Lebanon.

Claire Young

Claire is a Chartered Associate Engineer and Sustainability Lead for Civic Engineers. She studied Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Southampton and joined Civic Engineers and the IStructE as a Graduate Engineer in 2016. After achieving her MIStructE chartership in 2022 and she now leads on the practice’s efforts to stay at the forefront of non-destructive design principles and helping to drive the industry forward into a sustainable and regenerative future. 
 
During her career to-date, Claire has worked on large scale projects such as educational buildings and the Shepperton Studios expansion as well as smaller listed building refurbishments, structures for public spaces and residential developments.
 
As Sustainability Lead, and Group Lead of Civic Engineers’ internal LCAS group (Low Carbon and Sustainability Group), Claire’s role includes supporting and upskilling her colleagues to deliver on the recently launched ‘Civic Conscience’ (a framework that enables the practice to make balanced decisions on which projects to take forward) as well as embedding embodied carbon into our work on a day-to-day basis and reporting best practice. Claire keenly follows both the latest policy updates and literature guidance to ensure the company remains at the cutting edge of embodied carbon knowledge and consultancy.
 
Passionate about working towards a more sustainable and low carbon world and being able to play her own part as an engineer and a designer, Claire has been appointed to the Institution of Structural Engineers Sustainability Panel for 2023 and 2024. She is also involved with the NLA’s Net Zero Expert panel and has presented at various high-profile industry events including the IStructE Climate Emergency Conference 2023 and delivered an interactive workshop at the Festival of Place on creating more equitable cities for all. 
 
‘Claire joined Civic Engineers as a Graduate and has quickly risen through the ranks to Associate, passing her IStructE chartered exam first time on the way. She is a leader and protagonist when it comes to driving change in the industry to become more sustainable. Claire is already proving to be an ambassador for the IStructE in her role on the Sustainability Panel.’ Gareth Atkinson CEng FIStructE, Director

Akos Medek

Fascinated by streamlining geometries while arriving at practical solutions to real problems – regardless of the size of the project – Akos is keen to help bring visions into reality.

He studied structural engineering at the University of Cambridge, graduating with distinction. Joining Foster + Partners as a fresh graduate provided him with invaluable opportunities to work on globally significant projects with a high standard of architectural quality – bringing corresponding structural challenges and expression. His adjustment proposals to the Lusail Plaza Towers building envelope helped maintain the structural logic and limit slab cantilever lengths, without compromising the visual language – demonstrating his ability to tackle complex challenges on a landmark project.

 At Price & Myers, in addition to his technical responsibilities, he focused more on project management and execution. Leading the Garden Tea Room, a small pavilion with complex cut-outs at the back of a Victorian house, he made considerable efforts helping define the setting-out and form, alongside the architect. He pushed the design of the doubly curved RC shell to minimise its thickness to practical limits. During the execution phase, he concentrated on pragmatic detailing in close collaboration with the contractor. He devised a reinforcement layout that is closely aligned with the principal force flow, yet each and every bar has the same bending radius, by locally following meridian lines of the sphere – greatly easing the assembly of the cage.

Currently, Akos is working in Switzerland, a dynamic market filled with innovative schemes. He worked at Calatrava’s office before joining WaltGalmarini, where he is co-founding the Parametric knowledge-group of the firm. Most recently, he is working on evaluating the remaining fatigue life of a 100+ years old steel bridge, and on a 100m-tall residential tower design with an innovative timber-concrete composite Lateral Force Resisting System.

Eugénie Sentucq

Eugénie began her career at Structure Workshop in London in 2019 before joining Barry Honeysett in 2023. During her time at Structure Workshop, she became a Graduate Member of the IStructE, recognising the importance of continual learning and development in the field.

With a dual degree in Engineering and Architecture from the Ecole Spéciale des Travaux Publics de Paris and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-la-Villette, Eugénie's interdisciplinary background drives her dedication to bridging the gap between these fields to create sustainable, efficient, and well-designed buildings. This passion led her to become an associate lecturer at Oxford Brookes University in 2021, reflecting her commitment to nurturing the next generation of architects.

Throughout her career, Eugénie has refined her technical abilities through diverse projects spanning sectors including Arts & Culture, Education, and Residential. She has benefited from mentorship from recognised professionals, including Barry Honeysett, a national expert in conservation and earth construction techniques.
Eugénie’s dedication to sustainability is evident in her significant contributions, such as the development of Structure Workshop’s pioneering open-source Carbon Calculator, facilitating informed decision-making in assessing and comparing embodied carbon in structural solutions. This tool has had a substantial impact, preceding the IStructE’s own version.

As part of her master’s thesis, Eugénie explored low-carbon concretes using alternatives to heating in Portland cement manufacture. Her subsequent research and co-authored article for the IStructE in 2021 about low carbon cement technology demonstrate her commitment to reducing the carbon footprint of construction and reshaping perceptions towards sustainable materials. One notable achievement in Eugénie's career is her involvement in sourcing and specifying an LC3-based concrete mix for the UK’s first commercial project using this technology, drawing significant industry attention towards low-carbon construction materials.
Eugénie’s ability to merge architectural concepts with structural engineering solutions enables effective collaboration with design teams, guiding projects towards efficient structural solutions while utilising her sketching skills to communicate complex structural principles clearly.

“Eugénie is a wonderful engineer to work with thanks to her excellent technical and communication skills and creative problem solving. She led us to use an LC3-based concrete technology which has highly contributed to lowering the carbon footprint of the project we were collaborating on in Hackney. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first building project to use LC3 in the UK and if it helps to pave the way to larger scale use, it could prove to be hugely significant in decarbonising construction. We need more engineers like Eugénie.”
Kieran Hawkins BSc (Hons) Dip Arch ARB RIBA, Founding Director at Cairn Architects and Teaching Fellow at University of Edinburgh

Lingyu Miao

Lingyu graduated with First Class Honours from Nanyang Technological University Singapore with a Bachelor of Engineering, majoring in Civil Engineering, in 2017. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, Lingyu was a recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the IStructE Gold Medal and Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal, named after the first Prime Minister of Singapore. Upon graduation, Lingyu joined Arup, where she is currently a Senior Civil & Structural Engineer.

As a passionate engineer, Lingyu possesses a solid foundation of structural knowledge and a wide range of interests from underground structures to bridges. She has been a key contributor to a diverse array of projects including national rapid transit rail projects such as Thomson-East Coast Line and Cross Island Line, in Singapore.   Beyond Singapore, Lingyu is also involved in various infrastructure projects, namely, the Sydney Metro.

Lingyu believes that materials used in the built environment should not be limited to traditional reinforced concrete. She actively expands her knowledge in the application of emerging technologies and sustainable materials, such as precast concrete and Mass Engineering Timber (MET), and implements these in her projects.    For a confidential tram station project, she proposed and designed MET roofs, displaying her innovative approach and commitment to sustainability.

Keen on fostering the continuity of the engineering profession, Lingyu generously mentors and guides her juniors to excellence.  Outside of Arup, Lingyu is active in promoting the profession, especially to students, by participating in various events, including those organised by IStructE, Building and Construction Authority (BCA), and Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). A testament to her leadership skills, in 2021 Lingyu was selected by both BCA and Arup to be part of the BCA Built Environment Young Leaders’ Programme (YLP), to prepare her to be the next generation of leaders in the industry. 

As an avid learner, Lingyu pursued and graduated with a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the National University of Singapore in 2021, furthering her knowledge and expertise in structural engineering. During her graduate studies, Lingyu was awarded the Professional Engineers Board (PEB) Gold Medal.  Currently, Lingyu is working towards attaining the Professional Engineer (PE) chartership. She has passed all written exams and is presently awaiting the final interview. Being a graduate member of IStructE since 2017, Lingyu aims to become a chartered member of IStructE by 2026.
  
"Passionate about pursuing excellence and growth, Lingyu has consistently delivered high-quality work and projects. She is a humble and well-rounded individual who not only possesses strong technical skills, but also leadership and stakeholder management skills." - Sebastian Lee, PEng, CEng, MIStructE, Principal & Infrastructure Group Leader at Arup

Niamh McCloskey

Niamh’s career began at Curtins in 2014 as a Student Engineer, after studying at Liverpool John Moores University for an MEng in Civil Engineering. In the years that followed, Niamh developed extensive engineering experience delivering diverse projects including new build schools, hospitals and research facilities.

In somewhat of a contrast to her professional work at the time, where the construction industry contributes around 40% of the UK's carbon emissions, in her personal life, Niamh became increasingly aligned to sustainable practices - a passionate vegetarian for many years and a climate activist. 

With a drive to create change and a personal passion for climate action, Niamh volunteered significant portions of her time to highlighting the impact of construction on the planet. This led her to take an exciting step into a fulltime role in sustainability at Curtins.

As Sustainability Manager at Curtins, Niamh leads, creates, and delivers on all things sustainability, from engineering, to how the business operates. In the past two years Niamh has led the delivery of Curtins' embodied carbon reduction commitment has developed Curtins' embodied carbon database, which attests to almost 350 data points of projects. 

Alongside this work, since 2021 Niamh has been Chair of the IStructE Young Members Panel and has acted as Chair for several Young Engineer's Conferences. She is a member of the Association for Consultancy and Engineering’s (ACE) Net Zero Task Group and an industry thought leader. 

An advocate for STEM careers, in 2023 Niamh also delivered a photography exhibition of 22 portraits, objects and music, which explored how engineers, their creativity and their lives influence the cities they shape and placed them within creative cultural events.

In 2024 Niamh secured the globally recognised Society for the Environment (SocEnv)’s prestigious Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) registration with the IStructE.