56 | New Scientist | 27 July 2019
The back pages The Q&A
Roma Agrawal designs bridges, sculptures and
skyscrapers, including the spire of London’s
iconic Shard. But her favourite building is the
Pantheon in Rome...As a child, what did you want to do when
you grew up?
I wanted to be an astronaut. At some point that
didn’t feel terribly realistic – roller coasters scare
me – so I thought about becoming an architect.Explain what you do in one easy paragraph.
I’m a structural engineer. It’s my job to
make buildings and bridges stand up. Structures
are pushed and pulled all the time by forces
like gravity and wind. I work with materials and
forces to make sure that the skeleton holding up a
structure is strong enough to resist these forces.What does a typical day involve?
Meeting architects, other engineers and the
people who will build the structure I’m working
on. Earlier in my career, I spent more time doing
calculations, mostly on 3D computer models.Sum up your life in a one-sentence
elevator pitch...
A busy life that combines engineering with
writing, podcasting, presenting and some
cooking and exercise.What do you love most about what you do?
And what’s the worst part?
The best part is seeing something I helped design
become a real thing. I love that I can point at
structures and say, “I helped build that!”. The
worst is when a project you have been working on
stops for some reason out of your control.What’s the most exciting thing you’re
working on right now?
My podcast, Building Stories, which unravels the
secrets behind our structures. I’m also writing a
children’s book. I love using these different
formats to tell more people about what I do.If you could send a message back to
yourself as a kid, what would you say?
I’d say it’s fine to be different, and reassure myself
that I would find my place in the world and thrive.Were you good at science at school?
I was good at maths and physics, and less good at
chemistry and biology. But I always found these
subjects so, so interesting.What’s the best piece of advice anyone ever
gave you?
To try to make things better in your sphere. We
might not all be able to change the world, but we
can make our corner a nicer, more accepting place.Do you have an unexpected hobby, and
if so, please will you tell us about it?
I love dancing. I trained in Bharatanatyam, a
classical dance form from India, for 20 years
and also competed in ballroom and Latin
dancing at university.What’s the best thing you’ve read or seen
in the last 12 months?
Inferior by Angela Saini, where she breaks down
some of the misconceptions and biases about
science and gender. It really opened my eyes
to how important it is to include all types of
people in science.If you could have a long conversation
with any scientist, living or dead, who
would it be?
I would love to speak to engineer Emily
Roebling. She took over running the
construction of Brooklyn Bridge in the
1860s when her engineer father-in-law
and husband met with tragedy. Women
engineers were unheard of at the time.How useful will your skills be after the
apocalypse?
Super useful! I could rebuild people’s homes.OK, one last thing: tell us something
that will blow our minds...
My favourite structure in the world is the
Pantheon in Rome. It is made from a special
Roman concrete and is still the largest
unreinforced concrete dome in the world,
2000 years after it was built. ❚Roma Agrawal is an associate director at AECOM.
Her latest book is Built: The hidden stories behind our
structures. She will be speaking about skyscrapers at
New Scientist Live on 12 October @RomaTheEngineer“ I love that I
can point at
structures and
say, ‘I helped
build that!’ ”
PORTRAIT: MASSIMILIANO DONATI/AWAKENING/GETTY IMAGES, BRIDGE: STARCEVIC/GETTY