Hello! I am Paula Castillero Garcia, a Spanish 21 year-old fourth year Design Engineering student at Imperial.
Throughout my life I've been lucky to live in different places. I grew up in Madrid until I was 10 years old. Then I moved to Dubai, where I lived until I graduated from high school in 2019. Now I am enjoying London during my higher education journey!
During my time in Dubai and London, I've been exposed to an international and innovative environment. I have developed an interest in confronting and resolving new challenges, dealing with ambiguity and applying problem solving approaches. Moreover, I have grown up sorrounded by diverse cultures, acknowledging the importance of nurturing knowledge and constant learning. I look forward to integrating myself in multicultural teams to solve interdisplinary challenges.
Oct 2021 - Apr 2022
A hologram, future tech workspace with workstations designed to support the lonely, hybrid world of 2040.
Jan 2021 - June 2021
Nintendo inspired physical and virtual game to motivate children to do exercise at home.
Jan 2021 - Apr 2021
A cardboard robot that translates morse code and types into a computer keyboard.
Mar 2021 - Apr 2021
CAD model on Solidworks of a tandem bike frame analysed using Finite Element Analysis.
Oct 2020 - Dec 2020
System of delivering home cleaning products to the home in 2050, focusing on sustainability.
Jul 2020 - Aug 2020
A functional programming approach to tetris, to be used as an exemplary project for university module.
Jan 2020 - June 2020
A human-centered electronic design built into the steering wheel to prevent drowsiness while driving.
May 2020 - Jun 2020
Web app to gamify remote classes, teachers can create and share quizzes to be completed life as a race.
Oct 2017
Proposal for a mobile application to order and deliver groceries from your favorite supermarkets.
2019-2023
Undergrad
MEng
Design Engineering MEng
Engineering Maths | Production & Materials | Computing 1 | Computing 2 | Human Centered Design Engineering | Solid Mechanics 1 | Electronics 1
Data Science | Solid Mechanics 2 | Thermofluids | Sustainable Design Engineering | Industrial Design Engineering | Electronics 2 | Gizmo | Finite Element Analysis | Working in Organization
Optimization | Robotics 1 | Robotics 2 | Design Engineering Futures | Innovation & Entrepeneurship | Machine Learning | iExplore (The Science of Learning) | Industrial Placement
Sharing Economy | Responsible Engineering, Design, and Innovation 1 | Business Strategy | Enterprise Roll Out | Design Psychology | Masters Project
2014-2019
Secondary
IB
Mathematics HL | Physics HL | French HL | Computer Science SL | English LangLit SL | Economics SL
Mathematics | Physics | Chemistry | Digital Design | English | Economics | French
2012-2014
Primary
British
2005-2012
Primary
Spanish
6 mos
Apr 2022 - Sep 2022 • 6 mos
I worked for SS&I (Strategy, Sustainability, and Innovation), as part of the Innovation Team, focusing on seeking new business opportunities through innovative approaches and the integration of emerging technologies and trends. I worked with McKinsey, IBM, and various internal NatWest teams on the evaluation, design, and implementation of user-centric and digital experiences for five propositions.
1 yr 9 mos
May 2021 - Present • 2 mos
I collaborated with the teaching staff of the 'Computing 2' module, becoming an undergraduate teaching assistant. I tutored ten freshers supporting them in both weekly tutorial activities and their end of module project.
Oct 2019 - Jul 2021 • 22 mos
I volunteered and was elected Academic Representative during first and second year. I acted as the bridge between my cohort (85+ students) and department staff to raise issues, conflicts, or concerns. Alongside the 'wellbeing representative', I ensured the best academic and university experience for our classmates by raising urgent issues directly to module leaders and addressing systematic issues in departamental meetings.
Oct 2020 - Apr 2020 • 6 mos
I collaborated with the teaching staff of the 'Mathematics for Engineers' module, becoming an undergraduate teaching assistant. I tutored ten freshers supporting them in both weekly tutorial activities and understanding of the mathematical concepts.
Jul 2020 - Aug 2020 • 1 mos
I worked alongise other students and module leaders to reshape two modules (Maths and Computing 1) in a five-week period. We used our experience as students to redesign activities, projects and create sample projects.
3 yrs 7 mos
Sep 2021 - Sep 2022 • 1 yr
I engaged on jobs designing and developing websites for third parties. I have mainly focused my work on improving the UX of the existing websites. I am still taking these assignments on best effort basis.
Dec 2017 - Jun 2022 • 4 yrs 6 mos
I worked as a private tutor, teaching three high-school students Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, and French. I prepared interactive and engaging lessons based on the syllabus as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each student. On average, I helped students increase their score by two points (out of seven) on each subject.
2 weeks
Jul 2020 • 1 week
I participated in an intensive 'internship experience' aiming to teach technology skills and how to apply them. I participated in the design and implementation of facial recognition algorithms applied in the banking industry, and identified relevant features required to achieved successful user experience ratios.
Jul 2020 • 1 week
I participated in an intensive 'internship experience' aiming to teach consulting skills and how to apply them. I attended a series of seminars and panel discussions about key consulting tools. I completed and presented a proposal on adding a customer loyalty scheme targeted to increase customer retention into a chocolate brand of choice, achieving a grade of 90% from peer review.
2 weeks
Jul 2018 • 2 weeks
I was intern for EATON, a power management company in Spain. I job shadowed selected members of the organization along the value chain, learning about the company operations from CAD Design up to Sales Management. I gained significant industry knowledge by translating client presentations from Spanish to English.
Apr 2018 • 1 week
I was intern for Nokia, a telecommunications company in Dubai. I job shadowed some project managers working on client implementation projects, getting exposed to different stages of Nokia projects. I acquired relevant knowledge around the telecommunications industry, specifically network operations, as well as how to lead technology projects, particularly with a change management perspective.
Jun 2017 • 1 week
I was intern for IBM Design Studio in Dubai. I job shadowed with the UX and UI team on their projects. Key outputs: (1) I examined 10+ user journeys of high school students seeking a career path, finding pain-points to tackle. (2) I created and presented a website design (implementing findings) to the Design and Development Team. (3) I was exposed to Design Thinking process and learnt UX and UI features and their applications
Arduino/C++
MS Excel
Java
Javascript
MatLab
Python
Tableau
Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop
Blender
Figma
Keyshot
Sketch
MS Word, Powerpoint (Office Suite)
Solidworks
Fusion 360
Medium/rapid prototyping
Functional Modelling
Blender
Keyshot
Premiere Pro
After Effects