Tell us about yourself, your background and what made you choose the University of Leeds?
At school, I was good at maths and geography, and at A Level, I loved economics. I studied a BSc in Economics and during the summer break after second year, I did a week’s unpaid work experience at my local County Council's Economy & Skills department.
I got a brief glimpse into the work that the Transport Planning team did and learned about a transport business case that they were preparing for a proposed railway station in the town where I’m from, and I was immediately drawn to that sort of work.
I returned to the Council for another week’s work experience a year later in the Transport Planning department and got stuck into a collision prevention scheme. This cemented my interest in Transport Planning, but I wanted to apply my degree at the same time. Leeds was the most prestigious university to offer the Transport Economics MSc taught by the Institute for Transport Studies.
What aspects of the course did you enjoy the most?
I enjoyed the Transport Appraisal module the most. It had clear and obvious real-world applications, and was full of really useful information that a transport planner considers in a typical project.
The qualifications required to enrol on the Transport Economics course also meant very small classes, and it sometimes felt like one-to-one support, which was a refreshing change to the 150-student classes that I’d experienced throughout my undergraduate degree.
What do you think the city offers students?
As someone who dislikes London for its sheer size but is sick of small market towns, Leeds was such an exciting and comfortable place to be. With lots of universities, there’s a massive population of students, which brings an incredible range of pubs, restaurants, shops, and sports or activities.
What would you say about the learning and the career support facilities at the University?
Because the Institute for Transport Studies (ITS) at Leeds is such a renowned centre for Transport Planning, employers big and small from across the UK want their graduates!
ITS have contacts with so many of these employers at their fingertips, and the ITS Employers Day is a great opportunity for students to get a feel for what sort of employer and work they want to look for.
How did the University’s industry links help you after finishing your studies?
Jacobs attended the 2021 ITS Employers Day. I asked a good question during their presentation and applied for their Graduate Transport Planner position.
Weeks later, I was interviewed, and they remembered me for my question. I told them that I was drawn to Jacobs because of its global presence, and that I one day wanted to live and work in Canada, so the prospect of potentially being able to do this with Jacobs was very appealing.
I completed Jacobs’ two-year Graduate Development Programme in 2023 and began exploring opportunities to move to Canada for a year. My managers and directors were incredibly supportive and were instrumental in helping me secure a year-long transfer and negotiate fair terms. I spent the best year of my life living and working in Vancouver, Canada, and in July 2025, I returned to Leeds, returning to my former Jacobs team as a Senior Transport Planner.
What is your current role and what does it involve?
Jacobs is a global multi-disciplinary consultancy with sectors spanning from aerospace and chemical engineering to transport planning and airport management.
I began at Jacobs as a Graduate Transport Planner on the two-year Graduate Development Programme and have since been promoted twice to Transport Planner and most recently Senior Transport Planner.
In less than four years of my early career, I have achieved so much:
I’ve been part of a National Highways consultancy framework within the Spatial Planning team and delivered a Strategic Outline Business Case for a bus priority scheme in Bradford. Additionally, I carried out and reported an Outline Business Case’s economic modelling for an active travel scheme in Huddersfield.
Above all, I have developed myself into a transport modeller on the West Yorkshire Mass Transit Programme, responsible for coding up bus and rail networks and proposing mass transit networks across the region to predict demand for mass transit in West Yorkshire.
My role, even prior to my transport modelling specialism, has always involved a lot of spreadsheet modelling in Excel, GIS, report writing, and familiarising myself with ever-evolving national, regional and local transport policies.
How did the skills and knowledge you developed during your Masters help your career?
A lot of the content from my Masters has been useful and directly applicable to my project work. Sometimes when I start a new project, I look back at my Masters notes to re-familiarise myself with concepts that I'll need to consider, such as the difference between static and dynamic agglomeration, which I remember learning about.
Writing my dissertation taught me how to manage my time effectively and to write concisely, which are crucial skills in the workplace when balancing several projects at a time and writing technical memoranda and business cases. I also made great friendships within the Institute for Transport Studies; a close colleague today is a friend from my Masters, and I’ve bumped into several old friends in client meetings and industry events.
What would you say to students thinking about studying your course? Was your investment in the course worthwhile for your career?
I strongly recommend studying in Leeds. I love the city, the people, the opportunities, and sometimes the weather.
My Masters from ITS has helped me stand out as I progress my career, from securing the opportunities and promotions I want to being trusted by my team and superiors to do excellent work on the most exciting projects.