Her path began in the world of theatrical design where ideas were expressive, and imaginative and she now channels that same creative energy into engineering solutions that not only make sense on paper but work seamlessly in real life.
In this feature, she shares what a typical day looks like in the Functional Safety team and offers thoughtful advice for future applicants ready to take on their next challenge. Laya's main responsibility is to design and deliver bespoke interlock systems protecting against hazards like ionising radiation, high voltage, lasers etc. She also applies her experience in helping the team adopt industry best practices.
What does a typical day in your role look like?
When I am in the office most of my day is spend in face-to-face collaborative meetings which could range from mentoring graduates to trying to troubleshoot a system error with engineers from other teams. I work from home a couple of days a week and that is when I do most of the design work like developing PLC code, creating electrical drawings etc that needs more focused attention.
What's been the most rewarding part so far?
I love it when I can create something from a theoretical design, and it works in real life. I love being an engineer. The knowledge that I am making positive change to the world around me is what gives me purpose. I am also passionate about mentoring young engineers and guiding them using the experience I have gained.
What's one thing you wish you had known before starting your role?
I came to ISIS from an oil & gas work environment and had a lot of preconceived notions of how a design should be. Part of it was from following very rigid design practices in a highly regulated industry. I was fresh out of university when I joined oil & gas so that was what shaped me as an engineer. It took some time to retrain my brain to embrace the ISIS way of working and be creative in my design process without compromising on quality.
What advice would you give to new applicants applying for a role like this?
Try not to limit yourself to just one application domain. Just because you are a functional safety engineer doesn't mean all you do is functional safety design. Be open to exploring how things work together in the real world to form a complete system. Keep yourself updated on what is new in engineering, what new technologies are out there to help make your work easier and quicker. Be open to change and be ready to be challenged. Growth always happens outside your comfort zone.
What do you like doing outside of work?
I have a very energetic cocker spaniel – Tsuki - and a toddler. Both keep me on my toes most of the day and makes me spend a lot of my time outdoors come rain or shine. Life is quite chaotic at the moment but in the best of ways. Whenever we have the opportunity my husband and I like to play boardgames or video games together. I am also an artist. I like to work with acrylic or oil medium. As you can imagine, this has recently been put on the back burner due to lack of much spare time.
