New additions to our HTS+ team

Recently at HTS we have had two new additions to our in-house Research and Development team, HTS+.

We sat down with Adam Derham and Francisca Briota to discuss their career paths and their roles as our two new Research and Innovation Engineers.

Adam has been with HTS since 2019, first as a placement student, to graduate Structural Engineer and now works between the Structural Engineering teams and HTS+’s Research and Innovation team.

What led you to joining the team at HTS+?

Adam: "I wanted to be able to expand on my understanding of how to make impactful changes on live projects, whilst staying in touch with how the industry is evolving and adapting. Our work, both internally and externally allows me to be exposed to new ways of thinking and apply them in practice – I really think that working in HTS+ offers a great opportunity to broaden my learning experiences even more as an engineer."

Francisca joined HTS+ in the winter of 2022 as a Research and Innovation Engineer.

Francisca: "I’d heard about HTS+ about a year before I joined the team, and I thought it sounded amazing and a dream job for me.  HTS+ gives me the chance to do something completely different to detailed design and progress in a role that will make a real difference to the industry. The work HTS+ do; improving existing methods and driving innovation is fascinating to me and I look forward to seeing how I can work with new and existing technologies and materials and contribute to industry change somehow."

Tell us about your backgrounds, what made you get into Engineering?

Adam: "I wanted to study engineering and I chose to study Civil Engineering at university as I liked interacting with buildings and wanted to learn more. The university I was at had an integrated year out placement within the degree and HTS offered me an opportunity to come and work with them. In that year, I was able to develop my understanding of engineering and life at HTS opened my eyes to the wider knowledge base that you can get as an engineer, in terms of sustainability, specific material niches and technologies. The year out enabled me to implement engineering knowledge more specifically when I returned to university to complete my degree.

When the pandemic hit, opportunities to get back into the industry were more challenging, so I decided to stay on at university and complete a masters in Sustainable Design and Construction. Throughout my masters, my interest in the evolution of the industry and its demands grew and gave me motivation to pursue the research and innovation opportunities available once returning to HTS."

Francisca: "Prior to studying engineering at university, I studied engineering drafting at school, which I really enjoyed. Engineering was a natural route for me.

In Romania, I studied Structural Engineering, which had a focus on residential, commercial, and industrial buildings.  Having moved to London, I started as a Graduate Engineer, then advanced to working as a Senior Engineer, which gave me a lot more responsibility and enabled me to get more involved in projects. This led to a frustration that things aren’t moving as fast in the industry and evolving – I felt like they weren’t really orientated towards sustainability. Through my career, I want to make a change, no matter how large or little it is – it is important to me that I contribute in some way to sustainable design, carbon emissions reduction, and circular economy."

Welcome Adam and Francisca!