Where are they now? Holly

This week we’ll be catching up with Holly, a PhD Student at Imperial specialising in Experimental Solid State Physics. Holly competed in SR2015 and SR2016 as a part of team CLY from Collyer’s Sixth Form. She is now a volunteer for Student Robotics and a member of the fundraising team.

How did you first get involved in Student Robotics?

There was a Robotics and Raspberry Pi club at my sixth form, run by my computing teacher, Diane, who is now one of the SR Trustees. She supervised us on several different computing projects, and we entered teams into the SR competition. I also had several amazing maths and electronics teachers who were interested in helping to mentor us for the competition.

What are you doing now?

After sixth form I studied an undergraduate and integrated masters degree in Physics, and then went on to Imperial College, where I am now, studying for a PhD in Physics. My work focuses on nanomagnetism, and the interaction between magnets and light.

How did Student Robotics help you get to where you are today?

Student Robotics helped a lot in getting me where I am today. The competition is a great thing to put on your CV and to talk about in university/job interviews, but the experience itself was also hugely beneficial for me. The SR process is a great combination of Electronics, Computer Science, Maths, Physics, and Engineering, all skills which I improved in as a result of competing; you can also dabble in Marketing when trying to secure sponsors for your teams.

What was your favourite part about competing in Student Robotics?

I really enjoyed the entire competition cycle, from start to finish, but my favourite part had to be the competition itself. The event was very exciting, and our team had a lot of fun over the weekend! I also met a great group of friends, many of who now also volunteer for SR.

What advice would you give to yourself aged 16-18 knowing what you know now?

Do Student Robotics again!


Student Robotics is 100% free to enter and provides exciting real world engineering challenges for students aged 16-19. If you’re interested in taking part you can find out more on our Compete page. If your organisation is interested in sponsoring Student Robotics you can find all the information on our Sponsor page or reach out direct to fundraising@studentrobotics.org