Conor Horgan BEn (R&D) (Hon) '15

From Bermuda to Australia to the UK, CECS Bachelor of Engineering (R&D) alumnus Conor Horgan has travelled far globally and professionally. 

When Conor was 11, he moved from Bermuda to Melbourne. He came to Canberra after high-school to pursue his dream of becoming an aeronautical engineer.

"Initially I had dreams of becoming an aerospace engineer, but after undertaking research in biomedical engineering, I never looked back!"

"When I heard about the Engineering R&D degree I was excited to partake in some of the cutting-edge research happening at ANU. It was a great way to apply what I had been learning in lectures into solving real-world engineering problems."

During his time at ANU, Conor experienced a rich college life and developed a love of Canberra. "I loved living in Canberra for university. It's a real student city with a lot of cool cafes and events to go to. The small size of the city helps to make ANU a more tight-knit community and means you're always bound to run into someone you know when you head into town!"

"I would say the most interesting thing I learnt at ANU was how to listen to and support people. I got extensive training and experience at doing just that through my role as a senior resident at Bruce Hall. I feel that this education was just as important, and rewarding, as my academic lectures. There's so much more to university than what you learn in class."

As a recipient of the IARU Scholarship (2013) and the New Colombo Plan Scholarship (2015), Conor was able to travel and study, having a chance to explore different cultures and different disciplines.

"The support of these scholarships enabled me to learn so many interesting things, on topics not covered at ANU, about countries and cultures, and about other people. The travel I did through these scholarships provided me with a holistic education that really enriched my time at university."

Conor's international adventures continued after he graduated from ANU as he now lives in London and travels regularly to Europe for conferences, meetings and research.

"I am currently doing a PhD in biomedical engineering at Imperial College London. The research experience I gained through the ANU Engineering R&D program allowed me to secure my dream PhD."

 "The world-class training and education I got at ANU has given me a very solid platform from which I can continue to learn and develop as a biomedical engineering researcher."

Having toyed with the idea of doing medicine for a long time prior to coming to ANU, Conor is now in a position to "apply myself to larger-scale problems with the potential of helping people on a bigger scale." 

"In the future I would love to work on translating some of the technologies I am currently developing into use within the clinic, either as a researcher or within industry."

 

First published on College of Engineering and Computer Science Website