Luke Dutton

Luke Dutton

What have you been doing since finishing your studies?

Since finishing my degree, I moved to the Midlands in 2012 to start my first year of the Jaguar Land Rover Graduate Scheme. I finished the graduate scheme in September 2014 and I am now working full time for them.

What company are you working for, what is your role and what does it involve?

I work for Jaguar Land Rover in the powertrain engineering department. As a project engineer I do a variety of different things, from calculating the fuel economy and emissions output of future vehicles using Matlab and Simulink based software, to managing process optimisation and desktop toolset development.

What experiences at Leeds do you think have particularly helped with your career/will help with your future career?

I believe that my involvement with the Formula Student was by far one of the best things that I did whilst at Leeds and hepled me to develop alot of the skills that I needed to work on the graduate scheme.

Looking back, why did you choose to study your particular course and why did you choose the University of Leeds?

I always enjoyed Mathematics and Physics when at school and college with a keen interest in cars and how they work, so for me Automotive Engineering was an obvious choice. Leeds University are relatively high in the UK rankings tables and are one of the original Red Brick Universities which helped with my initial interest. The student union has always been ranked very high (and still is) in the SU UK rankings, the nightlife in Leeds is some of the best I have ever experienced and the first year accommodation was great for studying and recreational activity.

What was the best aspect of the course and the University and why?

Using the fantastic Engineering facilities were probably my favourite aspect of the course, in particular the Tribology Lab, the Combustion Lab and the Vehicle Build Workshop.

I really like the student union at Leeds too, it has great a night life and there are a wide range of shops you can take advantage of.

What other activities outside of your studies were you involved in?

Although formula student is linked to the university and part of my degree, I spent a lot of my spare time in 3rd and 4th year working on and developing the race car - mainly to increase my knowledge practically as it was a unique chance to work on a bespoke race vehicle first hand. I would also use the gym’s fitness suite every week and I played squash at the Gryphon Sports Centre and 5-a-side football up at Weetwood occasionally.

What would you say to students thinking about studying the same course at Leeds and thinking about the same career?

Do as much extracurricular activity that you can and do a year in industry as soon as you can. This gives you an early understanding of what it’s actually like when you finish university and helps you focus your studies into areas which you know will help. Companies know this so look for experience when reading applications. If you are interested in cars and motorsport, definitely get involved with Formula Student. This year’s car is looking better than ever and should be a real competitor against its UK rivals.