Ross Bickerstaff, who graduates with a first class honours degree in clean technology, beat stiff global competition with his advanced design of a cordless hedge trimmer. The Siemens competition is designed to celebrate the CAD skills of university students and enhance their understanding of the product development process.
He said: "Winning this international award is a huge achievement and has really topped off my university experience. I have always been intrigued about how and why things work they way they do, so a career in engineering was the obvious choice.
"While studying at Ulster University, I undertook a year-long placement at Caterpillar NI as an electrical engineer. This was a great opportunity to use the knowledge from my course and apply it in a commercial environment. Everyday throughout my placement, I developed 3D models using CAD and this really helped to fine-tune my skills.
"I have just secured a job with one of the UK's top energy suppliers, E.ON, and will be part of the design and construction team responsible for a new offshore wind turbine site. I will be putting my CAD skills to good use throughout the site planning stage and I am really looking forward to this new chapter in my life."