AECOM has many exciting science-related career pathways

AECOM's global team of scientists are working on projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, in order to help deliver a better world.

AECOM has a host of specialist teams working in all areas of the science and technology realm, from schools and universities to laboratories and research centers, ensuring the industry is innovative and continues to push the limits of what is possible.

To mark International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we learn more about some of the great science-related career pathways with AECOM.

Importance of innovation and STEM subjects

Science and technology are among the key engines of the economy. However, in many western countries there are two significant challenges facing these sectors: ageing populations and falling numbers of students taking STEM subjects.

AECOM is committed to highlighting the wide variety of career opportunities it has on offer to work within the industry, and creating a work environment that is attractive to younger people, especially graduates.

"The way that STEM subjects are taught has remained largely unchanged for years, and the education system needs to attract the next generation of scientists and engineers to feed the pipeline of work that is predicted in these sectors and to keep innovation at the heart of our economy," explains AECOM EMEA Workplace Sector Lead, Nicola Gillen.

Solving complex environmental challenges

AECOM's environmental services help industrial and public sector clients around the world balance growth with resiliency, achieving compliance and reducing, or eliminating, risks while protecting the natural environment.

AECOM has many career opportunities within the environmental services industry, seeing the company work closely with clients and communities to solve the most complex environmental challenges throughout the business life cycle, including asset development, operations optimization, integrated products, and restoration and reuse.

Working in the life sciences industry

Research and development buildings facilitate the world’s greatest transformative scientific breakthroughs, making them among the most critical assets in modern medicine. AECOM is regarded as a leader in creating medical, chemical, nanotech and biological research facilities worldwide, and as such offers career pathways in life sciences.

AECOM works with academic institutions and hospitals alike, creating environments that foster collaboration and communication. AECOM’s award-winning project portfolio has earned special recognition within the life science industry, because it offers solutions that support the flexibility and adaptability of these highly specialized facilities in an ever-changing scientific environment.

Delivering research and development projects

In a world hungry for cutting-edge scientific research and development, life science laboratories are in high demand. Identifying the right spaces to nurture innovation, and fitting them out flexibly and sustainably, offers opportunities for the construction industry to deliver exciting new projects.

The United Kingdom is regarded as a life sciences powerhouse. Medicinal and pharmaceutical products are among the country’s top five exported goods, and the nation comes second only to the US in terms of inward investment.

"The U.K. government values the domestic life science sector at £94 billion, and estimates it provides over 250,000 high-skill jobs in fields such as drug discovery, diagnostics, MedTech devices and vaccine creation. It is an expanding science, encompassing fields such as AI, genomics, biomanufacturing, tech-enabled healthcare devices and personalised immunotherapies," says AECOM Director, Alison Wring.

Strategic approach for risk assessment

A crucial step in restoring contaminated land and water happens before clean-up begins. AECOM believes a strategic approach to risk assessment is necessary in reducing the impact and duration of a remediation project.

An AECOM career in risk assessment involves a risk-based approach to remediation that evaluates the health and ecological risks of specific contaminants at each particular site, and then implements solutions to mitigate these risks.

AECOM’s team use mathematical models that incorporate ‘real-world’ data wherever possible. If data is limited at the start of the project, models evolve as more information comes to light.