Ibi Khan joined us earlier this year. We caught up with him and asked him a few questions about what attracted him to Marine Power Systems, what he is working on now and how that supports the development of our technology.
What attracted you to MPS?
When I first came across MPS I was really inspired by their vision and how passionate and purposeful the company was. It is a particularly exciting time for ocean energy, especially offshore wind, which is rapidly becoming a fully industrialised product. Marine Power Systems are well positioned to make the most of that, whilst at the same time making a significant contribution to our progress towards net zero. I have always believed in ocean energy and find it really inspiring to have that belief reaffirmed.
Tank testing involves a variety of tasks, with both practical and theoretical elements. I have always enjoyed this combination of hands-on engineering and design work, and the tank testing engineer role was interesting because it brings that balance through such a wide scope of responsibilities.
What are you working on and what is it like working at MPS?
I work in the development team on our simulation and tank testing programme.
There is an amazing sense of collaboration, which is particularly useful as a new joiner. I learnt a lot of things quickly, but I always felt comfortable asking about anything that I wasn’t familiar with. The team is very close. I feel I have been given the perfect space to fit into my role which has helped me work out where my strengths are best applied. I have already been a part of so much; from design work to the assembly of scale models, tank testing and the processing and analysis of the test data. I really enjoy the variety the role brings.
The development of our technology is already at a very advanced stage, and we are now working at full scale. In parallel, we continue to develop that proven and core technology concept to ensure that we keep ahead of the competition and provide our farm developer customers with the best and most cost-effective technology solutions.
MPS is a very forward-thinking business, and we are continually innovating and trying to push the technology further. These technology improvements are planned into the testing schedule and, through our computational simulation and scaled tank testing process, we can make ongoing and incremental design improvements.
What do you do in your spare time?
I grew up on the Kenyan coast – so I love being at the beach. I lived and worked on a boat for a couple of years and used to sail dinghies, so I’m excited to pick up on that again, although that was in warmer waters, so I’m sure it’s a different game here! I enjoy exploring and coming across new places, so it’s perfect to have moved to a new city with all the special little spots and interesting nature around to discover.
Find out more about working at MPS and see current vacancies.