This is Engineering: catastrophe consultant

This resource is an interview with Josh - a catastrophe consultant.

"Josh, from Romford in Essex, didn’t know much about engineering when he chose to study it at university. This started him on a journey that would take him to earthquake and tsunami zones around the world, to use his skills as a structural engineer to help people affected by natural disasters. It was a series of small but significant steps that Josh took to become a structural vulnerability specialist and volunteer search and rescue engineer. He got a Masters degree in engineering science, then volunteered for a year in rural South Africa in a government engineering department. That year was an eye-opener for Josh, and he saw how crucial engineering was to provide the roads and buildings that make living, working and travelling possible.

Taking part in an engineering investigation after the Japan tsunami inspired him to research how to help buildings survive tsunamis, and he now models the impact on buildings and infrastructure of natural disasters and other catastrophes such as hurricanes, earthquakes and floods.

His driving passion is to use his engineering skills to help make a difference. He spends his free time training as a volunteer search and rescue engineer and has been deployed by urban search and rescue charity SARAID to provide support in the aftermath of disasters like the earthquake in Nepal, and Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean."

This resource forms part of the This is Engineering campaign.