'Studying in the UK gave me the skills and confidence to build a career solving global engineering challenges.'

Varun grew up in India in a family of engineers. After receiving a GREAT Scholarship to study an MSc in Robotics at the University of Bath, he secured a graduate role with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), where he now works as a Senior Robotics Engineer and Team Leader.

Today, Varun leads multidisciplinary engineering teams developing robots that can work in hazardous environments, helping advance fusion energy and improve safety in the nuclear industry.

He shares how studying in the UK gave him practical skills, opened doors to career opportunities and helped shape the engineer he is today.

‘I wanted to solve real-world problems, not just study them’

Engineering has always been part of my life.

I grew up in Chennai in the south of India, and engineering runs through my family. My father is a civil engineer, my grandfather was an engineer and my brother is an engineer too. As a child, I was always taking things apart. More often than not, I couldn’t put them back together again, but I was fascinated by understanding how things worked.

I studied Instrumentation and Control Engineering in India, but I knew I wanted to specialise in robotics. I was looking for somewhere that would give me practical experience rather than only theoretical knowledge. That’s what attracted me to the UK.

When I received a GREAT Scholarship to study at the University of Bath, it felt like a huge opportunity.

I still remember sitting with my dad when I got the news. He was even more excited than I was because he had always wanted to study abroad himself but never had the chance. For both of us, it felt like a door had opened.

‘Studying in the UK prepared me for the workplace’

One of the biggest differences about studying in the UK was how practical the course was.

We spent a lot of time in laboratories working on real engineering challenges rather than just learning from textbooks.

I think that’s one of the reasons the move from university into industry felt so natural. It wasn’t a huge leap because I’d already been learning in a very hands-on environment.

Another thing that made a big difference was the career support.

While I was studying, I went to a university careers fair and discovered the graduate scheme at the UK Atomic Energy Authority. Before that, I didn’t even know opportunities like that existed.

I applied, got a place on the graduate programme and joined in 2020. That careers fair completely changed the direction of my career.

‘The scholarship gave me the time to focus on building my career’

My master’s coincided with the start of the COVID pandemic, which created a lot of uncertainty for students looking for work.

But the scholarship made an enormous difference because it removed much of the financial pressure that many international students face.

Instead of worrying constantly about money or needing to work long hours alongside my studies, I could concentrate on my coursework, prepare for interviews and spend time applying for graduate jobs.

That mental space was really valuable.

I applied for hundreds of roles because I wanted to give myself every opportunity, especially at a time when nobody knew how recruitment would be affected.

I think having the scholarship allowed me to focus on developing the skills and confidence that employers were looking for.

‘Today I’m helping develop technology that could change the future of energy’

Today, I work as a Senior Robotics Engineer and Team Leader at the UK Atomic Energy Authority.

The simplest way I explain my job is that we’re trying to create the sun on Earth.

We’re developing robotics that can operate in environments that are too dangerous for people, helping make fusion energy possible in the future while also improving safety today at nuclear sites such as Sellafield and Fukushima.

I now lead multidisciplinary teams of engineers, mentor graduates and work with organisations across government, industry and academia.

One of the things I enjoy most is helping younger engineers develop their own careers, because I remember how much support I received when I first started.

‘Studying in the UK gave me opportunities I never expected’

Studying in the UK gave me much more than a qualification.

It taught me how to work with people from different backgrounds, solve problems collaboratively and think much more confidently about the future. Living independently also helped me become more disciplined and resilient, both professionally and personally.

Most importantly, it opened doors that I never even knew existed.

The graduate role that led to my career was something I discovered while I was studying in the UK, and everything that has happened since has grown from that opportunity.

Whenever I speak to students who are thinking about studying abroad, I always encourage them to apply for scholarships and to make the most of every opportunity they find.

For me, studying in the UK wasn’t just about getting a master’s degree. It gave me the practical skills, confidence and opportunities to build a career working on technologies that could make a difference around the world.