“Always say yes, always take on opportunities, and do some good in the world”

Graduating this week with a Bachelor’s in Integrated Engineering, Hajira Irfan is passionate about getting more young women into STEM: a legacy of opportunity shared with her late father.

As far back as she can remember, Hajira has always had a passion for Maths and Physics. It’s a trait she inherited from her dad, and when she was a child, they bonded through solving puzzles and their shared love of technology and gadgets.

“Growing up in my house, I naturally gravitated towards Maths. I loved solving problems and the satisfaction of methodically working towards a logical answer. I know this sounds like such a classic engineering cliché, but I also loved tinkering with things and figuring out how they worked,” Hajira said.

22-year-old Hajira was born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and moved with her parents and sisters to the UK when she was four. After spending a few years moving around the country, the family eventually settled in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

“I'm a first-generation immigrant. My parents moved here from Pakistan, leaving behind everything and everyone they knew and loved to provide their children with a better life. They’ve always valued education, but Pakistan was limited in opportunities, and they were conscious of that,” Hajira said.

Hajira’s parents’ passion for education propelled their daughters to aim high, each excelling academically and gaining acceptance to Russell Group universities. Their parents’ dedication shaped each of them, and when Hajira’s father tragically passed away in the first year of her degree, she was determined to continue his legacy.

Hajira’s motto is “always say yes and always take on opportunities”. This drive, and her passion for climate action, led her to join ‘The Algae Photobioreactor’ project, an innovative design which utilises the power of cyanobacteria, a type of microalgae, to remove CO2 from the air.

Collaborating with academics from across the Engineering and Microbiology departments, Hajira and her co-lead, Physics student Harry Parkinson, won multiple awards for their work, including The Engineer in Business Fellowship Big Ideas prize, and The Inspired Engineers Award at the Cardiff University Student Startup and Freelance awards.

These wins gave the team the financial backing to develop the project further, evolving it into an innovative climate action project called Spiruflow. Spiruflow combines the technology developed in the Algae Photobioreactor project with a hydroxide-solution-based direct air carbon-capture fan system, making it as efficient as 100 trees, all in a compact system.

In April this year, the team added to their winning streak by being crowned the Enactus UK and Ireland National Champions, the first team from Wales to ever do so, earning them the honour of representing the UK at the Enactus World Cup in Bangkok this September. Enactus unites students, business leaders, and social entrepreneurs to celebrate social enterprise, showcasing innovative university-led projects making real impact in communities nationwide.

“Enactus is about doing good for your community and doing good for the environment. Outreach is a key element of Enactus, so we do a lot of work with local schools, educating them about the environment and effects of climate change – and showcasing the ways engineering can help tackle global issues.”

Hajira is passionate about getting more women into STEM, especially those who come from ethnic households. She tutors Maths and English in her spare time, and is inspiring the next generation to be enthusiastic about the subjects:

“I've always loved learning, and now I have the expertise to educate the next generation and show children, especially girls, that maths can be fun – despite its reputation. I see girls get pushed away from STEM at a young age and it breaks my heart. My hope is that girls are empowered to pursue STEM just as much as any other subject, and that their natural curiosity is encouraged, not dismissed.”

Hajira has already secured herself a position as a graduate electrical engineer at Renishaw, and hopes to move into environmental engineering in the future. She credits studying at Cardiff for fuelling her passion for engineering and offering her a wealth of opportunities to explore it further.