From music technology to acoustic consulting: Amy on building a career in environment digital

Amy is an Assistant Acoustic Consultant in the Acoustics, Noise and Vibration team at AtkinsRéalis, based in Birmingham. She joined three years ago and now sits on the Pangea Core team and is a digital contact for her direct team and across other disciplines.

An unexpected route into acoustics

Amy didn’t expect to end up in consultancy. She studied music technology as an undergraduate - a degree where the acoustic calculations she now runs on real world projects were taught in theoretical lectures but never imagined as a daily activity in a future career.

“When I first started that degree I would have never thought that I could be in a corporate role where I complete the calculations that I learnt in my acoustics lectures on a day to day basis.”

What brought her into the environment practice specifically was the prospect of variety. “I wanted to join the environment team as I felt it would push me to explore new areas and be involved on interesting projects.”

For anyone with a non-traditional academic background wondering whether environmental consulting is open to them, Amy’s path is a useful proof point. The technical foundation transfers in ways you don’t always see from the start.

A typical day across acoustics and digital

Amy’s role spans technical and digital. A typical day includes writing EIA reports, completing noise calculations, and carrying out acoustic modelling - alongside her work supporting others with digital tasks. That includes giving guidance on bespoke digital tools and making the case to expand digital capabilities across the environment practice.

A typical day does not just involve communications with direct team members and cross-discipline collaboration shows up most in EIAs. “This is where you see most, if not all, environment disciplines come together to form one deliverable that covers all the potential impacts of a scheme and identifies how we may prevent or mitigate those impacts.”

Career progression and the Pangea Core team

In three years, Amy has moved from being a graduate team member with no specialism to a digital contact across her team and other disciplines. That includes a place on the Pangea Core team - a step that gave her a clear specialism within the acoustics team and the wider environment business.

She’s also active outside her direct project work - through the Big Bang Fair and the Envision programme, she’s been involved in encouraging young people to explore their interests in STEM.

What’s next

Amy is most excited about how AI develops in the digital space. “My hope is that it will become less of a novelty and be used more for complex applications and less for simple day to day tasks that could be automated in other ways.”

That perspective - practical, specific, focused on application rather than hype - reflects the technical mindset that runs through her work.

If Amy’s story has inspired you, explore opportunities in our Environment Practice at AtkinsRéalis or join our talent community to stay connected.