Coorous Mohtadi

New College 1980, BSc in Engineering Science and DPhil in Control Engineering

I am currently Senior Academic Technical Marketing Specialist at MathWorks Ltd, UK.

I chose my degree course because I was looking for a technical degree which would give me a broad education. I chose engineering as it gave me the opportunity to apply my knowledge and skills in developing technical products and solving complex problems. Oxford is one of the few universities which still offers a general engineering course.

Engineering at Oxford gives students a very clear overview and outlook. It prepares them for finding creative solutions across different types of engineering. Most engineering issues are multi-disciplinary and in any team of engineers you need people who are experts in their specific area as well as people who can see the overall picture and solution. Engineering at Oxford is structured in such a way that you can adopt either of these two approaches.

As a student one has the privilege of meeting and living with students of different backgrounds, disciplines and interests. College life provides an environment where like-minded youngsters can have fun alongside their studies through the clubs, societies as well as informal get-togethers. There is also easy access to libraries and other facilities which enable students to plan their studies easily.
 
My course and college life encouraged me to develop further in areas such as team working, making decisions in a systematic and methodical manner, and being able to see the bigger picture. I entered New College as a shy 18 year old and left it 10 years later at the end of my research fellowship as a confident engineer who had made his mark in the research field, ready to apply some of that knowledge to the industrial world.
 
The Oxford education does not focus on the necessary skills for a particular job or a career but encourages and enables the individual to look at the underlying principles. This empowering approach releases the creative energies in the right individuals. Close proximity of a broad range of individuals from different backgrounds, disciplines and outlooks also gives students valuable life lessons hard to find in other circumstances. 

My Oxford education has enabled me to welcome new challenges and also to approach each task with an open mind. At MathWorks I have worked with clients engaged in university science and technology research, industrial research in aerospace, pharmaceutical and automotive industries, industrial automation, machinery and process industies.

I develop applications ranging from data analysis and visualization to detailed modelling, automatic code generation, real-time control, verification and validation.  It would have been impossible for me to address the needs of these industries if it wasn’t for the firm foundations provided by my undergraduate degree. 

Through my work with many academic institutions I now have the opportunity to support the development of a new generation of engineers.  I have been lucky to have had five employers (two universities and three industrial) in my 23 years of employment – all of whom appreciated the skills and knowledge I gained from my undergraduate and postgraduate years. As one of my old colleagues used to say at Oxford: they don’t just teach you how to do, they teach you how to think!