Member of the Month - John Hughes

1)  How did you come to study at Wolfson College?

At the time I knew no one else at Cambridge, so the University recommended Wolfson. It was excellent because it was a small college and if you were as involved as I was in sports you met a lot of people very intimately.
 

2) What did you do after your studies at Wolfson?

I did a PhD in Engineering and continued to be funded by the Building Research Group for a further two years on the same subject. I then moved to New Zealand, Auckland where I became a lecturer in Engineering. After, I came back to Canada where I worked for myself as an individual consultant.
 

3) What did you enjoy the most about working as an Engineer?

The Engineering that I did was to do with the ground. It has allowed me to travel to 23 different countries to work with rocks and the soil, which has kept me interested in what I do in all these years.

4) Have your studies at Wolfson helped you as an Engineer?

Definitely. All the development work I did was manufactured by a Cambridge company, which I got introduced to during my studies. I still work with them and they have been going for 50 years which is unique for an industrial type company. 

5) What is your fondest memory of your time at Wolfson?

At the time I was here there was a small room next to the Karen Spark Jones room and every time you had lunch you sat where there was a spare space - no one ever sat alone. I met very interesting people during these brief interactions which sometimes flourished into long lasting friendships.

6) Which book has had the greatest impact on you?

My interest now has become to read more History books and try to understand why things happened. A friend I met at Cambridge who I visited in his hometown in India every year since graduating got me inspired to expand my history knowledge.

 

 

Note: For the eagle-eyed among you, visit the Club Room and you'll notice John Hughes' name on the oar above the bar!