ROD-IS Research Engineer, Ilaria Bernardini.
My name is Ilaria Bernardini. I’m a research engineer at Roughan & O’Donovan (ROD).
I studied structural civil engineering at Università degli Studi di Padova in Italy. As an undergraduate, I applied for the Erasmus+ Traineeship programme and was offered a six-month traineeship at Trinity College Dublin (TCD).
I was excited by the opportunity to live abroad, improve my English skills and gain some international industry experience. After growing up in a small town in Italy, I found Dublin busy and chaotic, however. Money was tight, and making friends proved difficult because my peers on the programme were mainly PhD students, with different interests and lifestyles.
I had no choice but to throw myself into my work and, over the next six months, I got involved in several projects, one of which focused on the dynamic behaviour of the Ha’Penny Bridge, one of Dublin’s oldest and most famous pedestrian bridges. I also got to know the city and its people a little better and, before I knew it, I was in love with my new home.
During my traineeship at TCD, Professor Alan O’Connor in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering introduced me to ROD, and when an opportunity arose within the company’s research team, RODIS, I applied for the position. I was delighted when I was offered the role - before I had even graduated - but first I had to return to Italy to complete my degree.
Five months later, I returned to Dublin to start my new job. The experience was completely different this time. I was warmly welcomed into ROD, where I was made to feel part of the family. With lots of young, professional colleagues, I made friends quickly, helped in no small part by all the activities organised by the company’s social committee.
During my first two years on ROD’s graduate programme, I gained experience across several different teams – research, bridges, water, transportation – which broadened my knowledge, gave me a deeper appreciation of the interconnectedness of the different engineering disciplines and a better understanding ROD’s main interests.
The programme helped to confirm that research is my preferred specialism, and I am now a permanent member of the RODIS team. I’m currently working on Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s Risk Based Geometric Design project, which aims to develop a methodology for the analysis of geometry-related collision risk on Ireland's national route road network – I find it fascinating!
Even though my English is good, I find communicating and working in a foreign language challenging. My colleagues are helpful and supportive - they are always happy to teach me an old Irish saying in exchange for some useful Italian phrases!
To any Italian considering a move to Dublin and to ROD, I say, “Do it! If challenging projects, talented colleagues and a great social life are what you are looking for, you’ll find them all here.”
