Claudia García Mendoza

Profile

Robotics student, Claudia García Mendoza, is graduating this week at our Edinburgh campus with first-class honours.

Throughout her time at our University, Claudia has received many commendations, including the Watt Club Medal, the Tan Sri Dato' Dr Yeoh Tiong Lay Prize and the AWE prize.

Find out more about Claudia’s journey below, as she gets ready to start her career as a silicon design engineer in Edinburgh.

What programme did you study and why did you choose it?

I chose to study MEng Robotics, Autonomous and Interactive Systems as it involved a wide mix of computer sciences and electrical engineering.

What were the key differences you found between studying in your home country of Spain and Scotland?

Studying in Scotland has offered me a more hands-on approach to learning, especially with the projects I have worked on throughout my degree. This has allowed me to take in the knowledge more easily.

Can you tell us more about the prizes you have won during your studies and how it felt to receive this recognition?

I have been presented with the Watt Club Medal for exceptional merit and distinction. I have received the Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Yeoh Tiong Lay Prize, which is awarded to a student with outstanding academic achievement across the duration of study in the Schools of Engineering and Physical Sciences and Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society.

I have also been awarded the AWE Prize for outstanding performance in my MEng course. I really was not expecting to receive this kind of recognition during my last year of study, so I am immensely proud of myself and thankful to all my colleagues for helping me reach these milestones.

What extra-curricular activities have you gotten involved with?

Over the years, I have taken part in several committees, including Robotics and Signing societies. Each of them has been essential in teaching me new and diverse skills.

I was also a member of the CanSat Society. CanSat is an annual student design-build-launch competition organized by the American Astronautical Society. Participating teams must be able to design and build a space-type system, following the approved competition guide. In 2022, we successfully achieved fourth place in this global competition.

What’s your favourite / most memorable moment from your time as a Heriot-Watt student?

After five years, there have been many memorable moments, such as all the hours spent in the GRID labs with my friends and classmates, trying to finish all the upcoming deadlines, or graduation day, where we celebrated everyone’s success and had our last reunion as a cohort.

What are you planning to do after you graduate?

My current plan is to stay in Edinburgh to start my professional career with AMD as a Silicon Design Engineer.