Ilona Hurrell
- Ilona is a civil engineer at Mott MacDonald where she works as a Bridge Engineer.
- When she was younger, Ilona was curious about how things work, particularly how structures hold themselves up. Bridges - how do we know it can span that far?
- She went to the University of Surrey and studied a BEng in Civil Engineering before completing a Masters in Bridge Engineering whilst working. Now she's involved in the design, construction and maintenance of bridges!
“Environmental impact is at the core of design decisions - thinking about how we can design things like roads and bridges more sustainably makes a big difference”.
- Ilona knows what it is like not fit in. She's on the autistic spectrum and experiences the world differently to others.
"I know I have always been different from my friends - sometimes picked on for these differences - but it took until I was 33 to be diagnosed with Asperger's. Focusing on the things I can do, rather than the things I can’t do, I have channelled my ‘super powers’ and built a career around this.”
She also enjoys dancing and astronomy!