Avinaash Veeramah – Personal Statement – University of Birmingham

With this statement, I am hereby supporting my post graduate application to the University of
Birmingham. Being from a scientific and engineering background, I am targeting the MSc in
Geotechnical Engineering with Management. The rationale behind my choice is based on the needs of
Mauritius for efficient Professionals within this area of interest as well as to bridge the gap of expertise
and knowledge by having a go at a proper technology transfer between developed countries and ours.
Mauritius has recently embarked on a long journey towards smart and sustainable infrastructure, with a
bid to improve the local living conditions, whether it is via the proper channelling of stormwater runoff,
the construction of smart cities or the modernisation of the transport sector. The common link between all
of the latter, key to upfront industrialisation, is the soil and its interaction with the superstructure
(buildings, roads, drains etc…), which is the core attribute of Geotechnical Engineering.
The local infrastructure history will always bear witness to well-publicised geotechnical problems which
arose on major construction projects such as the Terre-Rouge-Verdun Link Road, the Ring-Road at
Pailles or even the Bagatelle Dam. With few local professionals in this sector, the appointed foreign
consultants, unfamiliar with the local geological conditions, were clearly disappointing when it mattered
the most to our country, leaving successive Governments with an ever-increasing cost of repair which
has, undoubtedly, contributed to a significant rise in living costs and the national debt. Being a proud
citizen of Mauritius and as an Engineer, it is my duty not to let such things happen again. By using the
advanced knowledge gained from an internationally reputed institution, I wish to contribute to our society
in a more efficient and sustainable manner than what has been done till now.
In addition to the great demand of Geotechnical Engineers in Mauritius, as proven by the List of Priority
Study Fields released by the Mauritian Ministry of Education, such Professionals are being widely sought
after globally, especially with the craze to build taller and taller. Dubai is a very good example of same. It
is without doubt that such desires by Clients depend on geological and geotechnical characteristics of the
bearing soil strata and the type of foundations adopted and this MSc Geotechnical Engineering with
Management shall enhance my knowledge and skills to deal with such complexities.
Furthermore, one of the key interesting aspects of this chosen Masters is that it is multi-disciplinary. I
shall be expected to deal with other professionals from various engineering fields – ocean engineering,
structural engineering and even material science. With good technical skills, I shall be able to also
develop my team-building and leadership abilities in a professional environment which are extremely
vital to the good functioning of the engineering duties.
These factors have definitely aided in choosing this specialism.
I have graduated with a First Class (with Honours) degree in Civil Engineering with a final GPA of
3.91/4.00 and a closer look at my official degree transcript shows that I have always had a keen interest in
Geotechnical Engineering modules (Year 2 and 3) with an A+ in each module. As described earlier, my
Avinaash Veeramah – Personal Statement – University of Birmingham

keen interest in the subject has mainly risen from numerous industrial events taken place around
Mauritius and I aimed to address these issues back from my undergraduate days.
Upon graduation, I have completed at least 2.5 years of Engineering Training at reputed local civil /
structural engineering consultancy firms and have since been regularly been dealing with geological and
geotechnical engineering matters, ranging from simple laboratory tests to in-situ tests and writing
geotechnical reports and recommendations for the foundations of building and road structures. Under the
guidance of my supervisors, I have found myself constantly progressing in such matters and I have since
been undertaking similar projects with little to no supervision.
I believe that the standards set by my academic knowledge of the subject matter and my relevant
professional experience in industry shall definitely help and encourage me to meet the high demands of
the MSc Geotechnical Engineering with Management course.
I have been looking for a reputed university for a post graduate course in Geotechnical Engineering for
the best part of last year and from its website and research carried out, I have noticed that the University
of Birmingham has a long-standing history of academic excellence, with a popular alumni profile, and has
consistently ranked among the very best universities in the world as demonstrated by QS World
University Rankings. Along with boasting excellent collaborative relationships with stakeholders of the
UK construction industry, the institution seems to also boast highly-rated lecturers who have had
significant achievements in industry. All these factors have hugely influenced my choice for the
University of Birmingham. Furthermore, I have observed from various websites that the University’s
student population has a great diversity in terms of cultural background and ethnicity, which has
comforted me in my quest for a welcoming and friendly campus atmosphere. Also, the high rate of
employability of the University of Birmingham’s graduates has assured me of the quality of skills and
knowledge imparted to its students and how same meets the demands of a highly-competitive and
stringent industrial environments
Lastly, being at the centre of a vibrant city such as London inevitably gave me goosebumps and
persuaded me to consider the University of Birmingham as the perfect choice for my postgraduate
studies.
I believe that the great liability of a Civil Engineer compared to other professionals is that our works are
out in the open where everybody can see them. Our acts are in hard substance. We cannot bury our
mistakes like doctors do. We cannot argue our mistakes into thin air like the lawyers. We cannot cover
our failures with trees and vines. We cannot screen our shortcomings by blaming other people like
politicians and hoping that the people will forget. And I have witnessed all kinds of damning geotechnical
flaws locally and I have the vision to pioneer a radical change within the local industry. With this MSc in
Avinaash Veeramah – Personal Statement – University of Birmingham

Geotechnical Engineering with Management, I aim to deepen my technical knowledge and sharpen my
skills in the subject matter and become a leader in the field locally.