Nikolaos Sotiriou

Nikolaos graduated with a masters degree in Engineering, Technology and Business Management from the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering in 2016. He is currently working as a Data Scientist at Lloyds Banking Group in London.

Postgraduate life at Leeds

Nikolaos had alwys wanted to study in one of the best universities in the UK, and on a masters programme that would be able to provide him with the best tools for his future career. After conducting online research, he finally decided on coming to Leeds as he felt both the university and the programme satisfied his requirements.

He said “I specifically chose this masters programme because of the 50/50 ratio between Engineering and Business modules. I felt that it was most suitable for me and the course was a unique blend not offered by any other universities. Furthermore, because my undergraduate background was in Physics, this course offered me the best transition from science, to engineering and finally, to business. I felt that it covered topics that I have always been interested in and hopefully, it will inherently improve my knowledge and skills, as well as boost my self confidence.”

I specifically chose this masters programme because of the 50/50 ratio between Engineering and Business modules. I felt that it was most suitable for me and the course was a unique blend not offered by any other universities.

“During my course, I was able to gain exposure to quality content and innovative ideas. I was given the opportunity to gain insights and discuss complex topics, engage with my peers and academics, to learn more about their thoughts and experiences. This enabled me to unlock new ways of thinking, which fundamentally brought me closer to understand how businesses manage innovation.

The opportunity to study industry leading technologies and have the right blend of business management was one of the biggest highlights for me from this course. On top of that, Leeds is a fantastic city with a lot of local attractions which makes for a good balance in terms of study and having fun.” 

In every part of my professional journey, I always felt equipped with the right tools to progress forward in my role and I will always be thankful to the university for equipping me with the knowledge and skills.

Masters project

“My project was on Graphene Nano-electronics and 2D materials in the Semiconductor Industry. I believe that Graphene can be the cradle of modern electronics, especially after the slowing of Moore's Law and silicon's deficiencies to drive more performance. It is a "young" material with a promising roadmap that could unlock new potential to both consumer and business electronics. Managing the innovation challenge that Graphene poses in the industry for companies like Intel was one of the key aspects of my project, alongside with the new refinement methods developed in the field of 2D materials.”

Buidling a professional career

“After graduating with a Distinction, I secured a full-time position with Sportable, a startup company based in London where I joined as a Product Design Engineer. The company was developing revolutionary hardware that tracks accurately in real time rugby players and the ball. I was one of the first members to join the team and played a pivotal role in analytics, software development and data science projects. As the company was initially forming its structure, I was exposed to all levels of decision making within the business. Having so many varied responsibilities led me to understand which part of my role I wanted to grow more in my future career.

After spending two years at Sportable, I was offered to join the Innovation team as a Data Scientist at Lloyds Banking Group. Given my ultimate goal since graduating from university was to move into the finance sector, this felt like a natural career progression for me.

My current role involves assisting the bank in closely following the technological evolution within the space of data science and advanced analytics.

I am currently working as a Data Scientist in Lloyds Banking Group in the Risk Innovation team. In this role, it is my job to identify potential areas where Data Science can add value and assist the business in implementing more Machine Learning projects. We also try to identify potential threats and opportunities from new emerging technologies in the sector. My current role involves assisting the bank in closely following the technological evolution within the space of data science and advanced analytics.

In every part of my professional journey, I always felt equipped with the right tools to progress forward in my role and I will always be thankful to the university for equipping me with the knowledge and skills.”

Find out more 

Discover more about our Masters degree courses in the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering.