Tom Overton
Student spotlight details
As a Principal Engineer in a global consultancy firm, Tom embarked on the MSc in Sustainable Urban Development to delve deeper into critical issues of sustainability in urban environments, driven by a fascination with water's role in shaping cities and a desire to challenge prevailing industry norms.
'Prior to enrolling on the MSc in Sustainable Urban Development (MSUD), I was working as a Principal Engineer at a global engineering consultancy firm. I had been at the firm for approximately 7 years and had been in the engineering industry for about 15 years since finishing my undergraduate degree in 2006. I started my academic career as a geographer but gradually morphed into a professionally qualified engineer, and I’ve spent most of my career tackling problems related to urban flooding having always had a fascination with the role of water in the built environment.
'I’d actually been promising myself that I’d pursue an MSc for over a decade before I settled on the MSUD. My career was in a place where I felt I didn’t need to develop my technical engineering skills further; rather, I wanted to enrol on a programme that would challenge me to reflect critically on issues of sustainability in the built environment, and which would help me to take a strategic view on complex urban challenges in both the Global North and South.
'As my career has progressed, I suppose you could say that I’ve been increasingly frustrated by many common approaches to urban water management, across the world, which treat water as a waste product rather than as a resource. Added to this, there’s an awful lot of nonsense spouted about ‘sustainability’ across all industries – engineering is no different – so I wanted to dive into a programme that would equip me with the tools to critically challenge this narrative, whilst at the same time hopefully helping me to effect some positive change in my industry. I certainly was not disappointed!
'The programme is accommodating of the fact that all students have busy professional careers, but also (rightly) demands a huge commitment of your personal time – even now I’ve finished the programme I still feel guilty for not reading journal articles on a weekend! In the latter stages of the course, when you have your dissertation to write and still have to prepare for the teaching weeks, the time pressure does bite and I certainly struggled to achieve anything resembling harmony in my work-MSUD-life balance. You certainly shouldn’t consider undertaking part-time study at Oxford unless you think you can fit it in – my wife had the patience of a saint for the duration of my course. That said, I’d have been disappointed had it been easy – you go to Oxford to be challenged!
'The programme brings together such a diverse group of really great people in a very collegiate fashion, and this makes it very easy to share individual experiences and perspectives. From the first teaching week you’re plugged into a global network of people with similar interests, so there’s always a great discussion to be had, either in the classroom or in the bar. My cohort was a very social one, so teaching weeks were something to look forward to as it gave everyone a chance to catch up socially as well as study together.
'Of course, it goes without saying that Oxford itself is a fantastic place to study. Being part of the university, and part of a college, gives you access to the city in a way that’s very special. I don’t believe there’s anywhere else where you’d have access to as much knowledge and as many resources as studying at Oxford can give you – so make the most of it while you can.
'I’m now an Associate Director at the same firm I was at before starting the MSUD. I would certainly say that the experience has been transformative for me professionally: I’ve been able to carve a role that relates directly to my research dissertation and I'm now leading the development of programmes to implement green-blue infrastructure across major cities in the UK, including working on strategies for transforming the way London boroughs approach urban water management. It’s very close to my ideal job (I’m still waiting for the call to roll out green-blue infrastructure in the Bahamas), and the greater part of having arrived at this point is due to the support and guidance I had whilst undertaking my independent research, as well as the superb teaching throughout the course.
'To anyone considering undertaking the MSUD, be prepared to challenge your own perceptions of what ‘sustainable development’ means. Better yet, accept that no one really knows what it means – or even if it can possibly have a single definition! However, if you’re considering undertaking the MSc, it means that you are probably willing to engage with current academic thinking with some world-leading people and contribute in some way to furthering the discussion on what is undoubtedly the world’s most pressing issue. If that’s the case – then do it!
'Oh, and start your dissertation prep early…'
