Dr Judit Guimerà Busquets receives the Excellence in STEM Achievement Alumni Award 2025

On Tuesday 4 November, 2025, the School of Science & Technology at City St George's, University of London will honour three of its most outstanding alumni at its fourth, annual STEM Alumni Awards ceremony.

This year Dr Judit Guimerà Busquets (BEng Hons Air Transport Engineering 2013, PhD Air Transport Management and Safety 2023) will receive the Excellence in STEM Achievement Alumni Award.

In a wide-ranging interview with City St George's News, Dr Guimerà Busquets shares her insights into how the fields of air transport engineering, management and safety have changed over the years and the importance of quality STEM teaching.

Alongside technical delivery, Judit champions best practice and ways of working, promoting agile delivery methodologies and data science lifecycle. She has represented Datasparq at the World Aviation Forum, presented at the Royal Aeronautical Society’s AI Summit and the Operational Research Conference.

Judit built her career across three organisations, progressing rapidly to her current role as Head of Data Science at Datasparq, an AI and data specialist company.

Before Datasparq, Judit worked at Royal Mail as a Data Scientist and Virgin Atlantic as an analyst.

Initially, I had a few friends already studying at City St George’s, and they all spoke very highly of the programme. After doing my own research, I found that City St George’s was the ideal place for me thanks to its rigorous curriculum, highly esteemed faculty, cutting-edge facilities, and strong industry connections. Having already completed a degree in Spain and gained some work experience, I was looking for a university that would help me re-enter the aviation industry in the UK—and City St George’s ticked all the boxes. All of this, right in the heart of London.

I was slightly older than most students when I started and having been out of education for a few years, the beginning of my Engineering studies was a bit of a challenge. However, the support I received from the faculty was outstanding and helped me quickly get back into the rhythm of academic life.

Receiving several awards throughout my degree—such as the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) Scholarship, the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT) Foundation Scholarship, and the Caterpillar Scholarship—was definitely a highlight. I really appreciated the blended approach of the programme, which combined theoretical lectures with hands-on experiments, giving us practical experience with industry-standard tools. One of the most memorable moments was the field trip to fly in a glider—it was an absolute blast!

During my doctoral studies, highlights included attending and presenting at several international conferences and reaching the final of the Airbus Fly Your Ideas competition. My team and I received tremendous support from our supervisors and the wider City St George’s team throughout.

City St George’s laid the foundation for my professional success. My time there was truly transformative: I was given countless opportunities, from scholarships to representing the university at international conferences and global competitions like the Airbus Fly Your Ideas challenge. These experiences boosted my confidence, sharpened my skills, and helped me realise my potential. They also shaped the values I carry with me today: a strong work ethic, resilience, a commitment to inclusion, and a sense of responsibility to give back.

Working alongside brilliant professionals who’ve taught me a lot and become mentors has been the biggest highlight of my career. These are people who’ve guided me through every step and continue to do so. Another highlight has been the chance to work on projects that make a real-world impact and have become business-as-usual solutions within the organisations I’ve worked with. On a more personal note, giving back to the community, such as becoming a mentor at City St George’s, has been incredibly rewarding, and it’s something I’m keen to continue.

Much like my own reasons for choosing City St George’s, the Engineering programmes benefit from strong industry connections and a practical, industry-focused approach to learning. This gives students a real edge when starting their careers. Add to that the state-of-the-art facilities and distinguished academic staff with deep industry experience, and it’s clear why City St George’s is an excellent choice for studying STEM subjects. The recent merger with St George’s has also opened up even more opportunities, especially within STEM.

Diversity in STEM remains a challenge. While things have improved since I was younger, underrepresentation of certain groups, such as women and ethnic minority groups, is still an issue. This lack of representation also means fewer role models and mentors, who are key to driving diversity and inclusion forward. Another challenge is the rapid evolution of emerging technologies like AI, which makes the skills gap in these areas even harder to bridge.