Please introduce yourself and tell us about your career to date.
My name is Dr Adeyanju Oluwa, I am a Senior Fire Engineer at Design Fire Consultants Ltd (DFC) in Manchester, UK. I joined DFC in 2019 as a Graduate Engineer after completing a Doctorate degree in Blast and Structural Fire Engineering at Imperial College London. I have since progressed to my current role as a Senior Fire Engineer. Prior to this, I worked in Nigeria as a Structural Engineer and did a Masters in General Structural Engineering at Imperial College London.
At DFC, I have worked on the fire safety design of a variety of projects including offices, arenas, hotels, residential and mixed-use developments from RIBA Stage 2 to RIBA Stages 5&6. I have also worked on several external wall remediation projects in high rise residential buildings including PAS 9980 assessments and used my knowledge of structural fire engineering and computational fluid dynamics to solve fire engineering problems to achieve compliance with Part B of the Building Regulations. I am also a key member of the recruitment team at DFC.
Describe your role or position within your current workplace and describe what a typical working day looks like.
My role as a Senior Fire Engineer involves managing the successful delivery of projects from concept to construction and handover, working with Graduate Engineers and Engineers to achieve this. My typical working day will involve responding to project queries, reviewing fire strategy reports, and mentoring Graduate Engineers and Engineers. It can also include going to construction sites for inspection or witness testing, attending design meetings and discussing the progress of the project or any project queries with the technical reviewer or project director.
Are there any particular challenges or unusual aspects to your role?
Sometimes I work on multiple projects at the same time which may have clashing deadlines. However, being able to delegate some parts of the work to other members of the project team comes in handy in these situations. Also, sometimes providing alternative design solutions which deviate from guidance can be particularly challenging when you have to justify it to the regulator!
What do you find most enjoyable about your job?
I like that I can work on a range of interesting projects from low rise office buildings to arenas and mixed-use developments over 200m tall, and I enjoy playing a major role in contributing to the fire safety design of these projects. I also enjoy being able to use my structural fire engineering skills to provide advanced technical expertise and value engineering to construction projects.
Is there a great professional achievement or high-profile accomplishment that you would like to tell us about in a previous role or your current one?
One of the greatest professional achievements of my career is developing the fire safety strategy of the Viadux Phase 1 building in Manchester which is a 130m tall residential building built above an existing masonry arch viaduct structure with a connection to the Manchester Central Convention Centre Service Yard. I also got nominated as a finalist for the Excellence Award (Engineer) category in the Women in Fire Safety Awards 2025.
What inspired you to become an engineer or pointed you towards an engineering career?
My dad, a retired Civil Engineer, often spoke with so much passion when talking about the projects he was working on, and I have always been inspired by his work. I also enjoyed maths and the sciences in school which contributed to my decision to choose this particular career path. Engineering was the only option I felt was right for me and I have not looked back since!
What contributed to your decision to gain IFE membership / become professionally registered?
I am working towards becoming a professionally qualified fire engineer, and membership of an institution such as the IFE is the first step to achieving this. Being a member of the IFE helps demonstrate my competence in the field of fire engineering.
How have you benefitted from being a member/registrant with the IFE (career, personally)?
Being a member of the IFE has shown prospective clients and design teams that I possess the necessary qualifications and competence to carry out efficient fire safety designs and provide advice to fire engineering problems.
Would you recommend joining the IFE to others? If so, why?
I definitely would recommend joining the IFE to others as it is the best route to achieving professional recognition of competence in fire engineering.
Is there any advice you would pass on to someone considering professional registration / IFE membership?
IFE membership is worth it and having professional registration will accelerate your career faster than you think.