EW BrightSparks 2023: Ifaz Uddin, Imperial College London

Now in its sixth year of awards, EW BrightSparks sees Electronics Weekly highlight and celebrate some of the brightest and most talented young engineers in the UK today.

Here, in our series on the latest EW BrightSparks of 2023, we highlight Ifaz Uddin, a student at Imperial College London (ICL), studying Joint Maths and Computer Science.

Achievements

Since coming to the UK over seven years ago, Ifaz has faced several difficulties, which – with determination and spirit – he has worked to overcome and strive for excellence.

His first hurdle was the English language itself, which he overcame, steadily climbing from the bottom sets at school. For example, we leaned that Ifaz had to teach himself a lot of school course content through revision guides, online videos, and resources. His hard work lead him to achieve 11 grade 9s in GCSE.

This allowed him to go to Brampton Manor sixth form, in Newham, East London. This is famous for having one of the best state school sixth forms, getting more of its students into Oxbridge than Eton. Working hard, he achieved all A*s in Maths, Further Maths and Physics while also scoring 95% on the Further Maths A-level. This saw him achieve the only gold award for the UKMT Senior Maths challenge and getting accepted into Imperials most competitive degree, Joint Maths and Computer Science.

He had taken part in a Nuffield research placement and researched into drone technology – training ML models for object recognition and how they can be combined for producing delivery drones for the future. He also wrote two other dissertations on Gödel’s incompleteness theorem, its implication on AI and how companies use data to identify and understand our personalities.

Note that growing up in a low-income household with extreme cost of living concerns, Ifaz highlighted that he made not a single purchase from university throughout his time at Imperial so far. At this point he had worked six jobs in the past 12 months alone. He told us:

“Juggling three jobs along with my degree was the norm. Despite all of the financial hardship and working tirelessly throughout the whole week; I was still able to go through Imperials most competitive and one of its hardest degrees, managed to work as a cybersecurity intern in the summer, created two coding courses for a startup company in Dubai and created an online maths platform for a tuition company which allowed for online lessons, recorded video access, resources, exam practise and feedback mechanism. I always strive for excellence despite the odds.”

Electronics Industry Viewpoint
Stewart Edmondson, CEO of the UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF), also shared his viewpoint on what he described as Ifaz’s really strong entry.

“Ifaz has shown tenacity and determination to overcome several challenges to achieve outstanding academic grades and study at Imperial,” Stewart told us. “An impressive array of extra-curricular involvement in STEM activities”

Community

In terms of STEM and community work, in his role as a senior prefect at school Ifaz lead its Google Classroom Project, a platform designed to assist students academically.

“Recognising the need for concise and accessible revision materials, our team, consisting of top students from various subjects, collaborated to produce high-quality study guides. These materials, carefully created with key information, were particularly beneficial for students who found traditional textbooks and resources overly complex. In our dedicated classroom, we organised and managed this initiative, providing essential academic support to over 60 students. The positive feedback we received reinforced the value of our project, demonstrating its effectiveness in aiding our peers’ studies.”

He said that this experience not only sharpened his organisational and communication skills but also instilled in him a strong sense of community responsibility.

As a senior prefect, his responsibilities extended beyond this project, he said. He also served as a vital liaison between students and the school administration, ensuring effective communication and understanding between both parties.

Additionally, he collaborated with other student leaders to enhance his school’s culture and foster a stronger sense of community. Regular participation in meetings with staff and teachers allowed him to contribute to identifying and resolving challenges within the school environment, we learned.

Furthermore, he actively assisted at various school events, including Parents’ Evening and Open Day, where he engaged with parents. For example, he acted as a translator for parents with limited English proficiency, to facilitate communication between parents and teachers. Having gone through the language barrier before, himself, he felt great when helping parents engage with and understand other teachers, he told us.

He added:

“Recently, I joined STEM Muslims as the Secretary of Communication. My role revolves around sending bi-weekly newsletters, catering to the needs of our Muslim and underprivileged student community. These newsletters serve as a hub of information, highlighting upcoming STEM events and opportunities.

“I curate valuable resources, scholarships, and mentorship programs, ensuring equal access for all. By showcasing achievements and providing tailored information, I aim to inspire, inform, and empower our members, fostering a vibrant and supportive STEM community. I also work directly with the committee to discuss potential ideas, events and free services we can provide.”

“These experiences have “profoundly shaped my understanding of community engagement,” he said, “emphasising the importance of collaboration, empathy, and effective communication in creating a supportive and inclusive educational environment”.