I come from a wonderful region in the central Italy called Abruzzo. I first came to Finland in 2011 for my exchange studies during my master’s degree and I immediately fell in love with the nature, the environment, and the Finnish culture. After ten years, I am still enjoying my life in Finland, even though many things have changed since that snowy morning in January 2011 when I first set foot in Tampere University of Technology’s campus.
I obtained my master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the Università Politecnica delle Marche in Italy in 2011. After that, I applied for a PhD position in Geotechnical Engineering at Tampere University of Technology, where I started in 2012. After defending my PhD thesis in 2016, I moved to Norway to work in consulting and R&D for one of the most renowned geotechnical firms in the world, the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute. After spending three years in Norway, I felt the need to move back to Tampere, the place where I had the best time of my life and that I consider my second home. I currently work as a geotechnical specialist at Ramboll and part-time as a PostDoc Research Fellow at Tampere University, where I am studying complex geomaterials.
I have always been fascinated by how infrastructures shape and re-shape the environment around us. They change the perception of the surroundings and make our life easier. At the same time, I was intrigued by soil, which is probably the most enigmatic among the construction materials. I wondered “how do massive bridge pillars stand on the ground?” or “what is the magic behind road cuts and tunnels?”. So, I needed an answer to these kinds of questions. That’s how I ended up choosing the infrastructure sector!
Tampere University is a truly inspiring place to carry out your studies. The campus facilities are among the best in Finland and, possibly, Northern Europe. I was amazed by how alive and dynamic the campus is: student groups and recreational activities, sport activities, workshops, seminars, laboratories, cafes, and restaurants where to relax. At the same time, the department facilities are unique, and you get all the support and tools that you need to achieve your goals. So, overall a wonderful experience.
The reason why I got my first consulting job from Norway was the knowledge acquired during my doctoral studies. That gave me the opportunity to not only strengthen but also broaden my knowledge by working on different projects and complex engineering cases. My knowledge and experience have later been the key to move back to Finland. At Ramboll, I apply every day the tools and concepts acquired during my doctoral studies and past work experience. The reality is that both companies and customers get benefits from the high-quality education provided by Tampere University.
I should write a book to describe all the memorable moments at Tampere. The beauty of doctoral studies is that you attend conferences where you present your research work in front of the most qualified people in your field. There, you not only share and learn, but also get to know several people and make new friends. In addition, I could say that my exchange period spent at the National University of Singapore (NUS) was one of the highlights of my doctoral studies. International cooperation is the key to success in research, and the exchange period opened the doors to establish a fruitful collaboration between Tampere University and NUS and made me live an unforgettable life experience.
Facing challenges is, in my opinion, the best way to meet expectations. The expectation is, for an engineer, to have challenges all the time. So far, I have not been disappointed, at all. An engineering career within the infrastructure sector demands a great effort to tackle the complexities and the obstacles that arise all the time.
Post-graduate education in the infrastructure sector is finally proving its value. Specialists are of immense value for companies, as they bring new knowledge into the everyday practice. The latter needs to be refreshed all the time to deal with the challenges of our evolving society. Focusing and becoming an expert within a specific field or in a relevant topic is surely a successful long-term investment.