EDF Energy Group Head: Bruce Davies

Bruce Davies

MPhys Physics, 2007

First job:

Research Technologist, UK National Nuclear Laboratory

Strangest interview question:

What do bubbles look like!

What I wish I knew when applying:

It's probably more stressful to be an interviewer than an interviewee!If the employee doesn't like the job, they can solve that fairly easily, but if the employer doesn't like the candidate, it's hard work. Think about how you can relate to the interviewer and give them the confidence that you are the right fit and you can help them.

Design Authority Sizewell B Safety Case Group Head, EDF Energy

Describe your current role and what attracted you to it.

I line manager a team of around 15 engineers who are responsible for justifying the nuclear safety of a plant at Sizewell B nuclear power station in Suffolk. My team are based at EDF’s central headquarters in Gloucester where specialist support is located for the EDF nuclear fleet. I am a techy at heart, but I also like helping other people be their best self and this is what being a group head is all about.

What’s your favourite part of the role?

We have a huge granite block outside our office saying "Nuclear Safety is our Overriding Priority" which everyone sees every day. We are a commercial organisation but exist in a highly regulated environment, providing business support with a culture that we should do things safely and properly, including engineering and scientific roles. I like having the opportunity to specialise and the time to do a job carefully and properly.

What are the key skills you learnt at Warwick that have helped you with your career to date?

Occasionally I have used some of the maths and physics I learnt but I think the main thing I took was the ability to problem solve, feeling comfortable when I come across any difficulty, and working with others on technical problems.

Did you have a specific career path in mind when you chose to study at Warwick?

I was probably influenced by my dad, I was always quite keen to enter nuclear power as a field that bridged science and engineering and makes a positive contribution to the environment and society.

What top tips do you have for Warwick graduates who would like to work in your sector?

Be interested. Look for opportunities to get involved, whether it's open days, public tours around our power stations, work experience, industrial placements. Read up about it. There are loads of good books on nuclear (and nuclear accidents!) and good stuff on Wikipedia and elsewhere on the web. When I'm interviewing, I want to be assured that the candidate has a genuine interest, and they have some understanding of where their skills can fit in.

What has been your greatest career challenge to date and how did your experience and skills help overcome it?

Not necessarily the biggest challenge, but the project I have found most rewarding (a role prior to my current one) was working on our materials test reactor project which we used to extend the lifetime of the Advanced Gas Reactors (AGRs). We cut small (~10mm) samples of moderator graphite from the cores of the AGRs, machined, and characterised them, then inserted into a specially designed capsule in a high flux reactor in the Netherlands that could simulate ageing at ten times the rate of an AGR. Through this we were able to forecast the moderator material behaviour and make a case to extend the fleet of reactors, giving value to the business and carbon free generation. It was a really interesting project - science, engineering, and problem solving in action!