Alexis Solomou
graduate engineer, Arcadis
Expertise
Project Management, Structural, DigitalLocation
United KingdomMy highlights
ICE President’s Future Leader 2023/24
MEng civil engineering graduate from University of Surrey
Scholar of University of Surrey/ICE scholarship scheme
A day in my life
My day-to-day tasks vary and depend on the role I’m doing at the time and what projects I’m involved in.
Every day is different, and it includes different challenges – from carrying out technical engineering calculations to figuring out how to plan and communicate the objectives and success criteria to the delivery team.
My current projects are HS2 design delivery and managing the delivery of digital initiatives of the bridges business unit.
My day might involve carrying out design calculations, identifying hazards of my design and collaborating with people to produce construction drawings.
My day may also involve setting up dashboards to track progress and budget spend.
I could also be figuring out the scope of digital initiatives that may include rapid engineering modelling or carbon calculation tools and automations.
Engineers find solutions to real problems that improve the quality of societies and the people that live in them.
I would recommend a career in civil engineering because …
In civil engineering, you have the opportunity to shape the world by designing resilient infrastructure that solves real-world challenges. All while promoting sustainability and staying at the forefront of technological advancements.
We asked Alexis…
What about being a civil engineer gets you out of bed each morning?
The fact that I’m contributing to improving people’s quality of life in one way or another, no matter how small or big the contribution is.
Engineers find solutions to real problems that improve the quality of societies and the people that live in them.
What’s one great thing that you love about civil engineering that you didn’t know until you started working in the industry?
The number of different opportunities and career routes you can have in civil engineering.
You can be part of a design team that’s heavily focused on technical design, or you can be part of a site team, carrying project management tasks and being responsible for the construction of assets.
You can also get involved in the consultation of sustainability or the commercial part of projects.
All parts of civil engineering require problem solving skills and you can direct your career in any direction you want.
Which individual project or person inspired you to become a civil engineer?
My dad and mum who are engineers.
Which civil engineering project (past or present) do you wish you’d worked on?
The Burj Khalifa.
Name one civil engineering myth you’d like to bust.
Civil engineering isn’t just maths.
It includes a lot of multi-disciplinary teams which require very good communicational skills and interpersonal skills.
Also, knowing how to code or understand digital solutions is now becoming very important for engineers of the future.
What’s the biggest/most complex thing you’ve made out of Lego? How long did it take you?
When I was around five years old, I used to love to assemble toy cranes and pretend that I was on a construction site by transferring Lego pieces from one place to the other.
Complete this phrase: I’m a civil engineer, but I’m also …
An entrepreneur that would love to be a founder of an innovative business in the future.
Anything else? i.e. personal causes, hobbies
Basketball (won the under 18s Basketball National Championship and Cup with Olympos Aglantzias in 2015-16) and running (have ran a couple of races).
Alexis' career path
- University of Surrey MEng, Guildford, UK
- ICE/University of Surrey scholarship scheme (placement year and summer internships with Arcadis)
- Graduate engineer at Arcadis, London, UK
Major projects
- Fjord crossings Bjørnafjorden – conceptual pontoon 3D modelling
- RIBA Footbridge Competition Project
- Guildford Business Park Footbridge
- Swan Lane Campshed and Choats Road Culvert - feasibility study
- City of London and Transport for London asset management structures inspections frameworks
- HS2 – ancillaries (UTX) design team
- Internal Digital initiatives project manager
