Eirini SpentzaEirini started her journey at Imperial in 2002 by enrolling on an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering. During the undergraduate course she discovered the wave mechanics and ocean engineering discipline. This sparked her keen interest as it touched upon her love for the sea, sailing and the sea environment. Between the third and fourth year of the undergraduate degree she undertook a research placement in the hydrodynamics laboratory researching laboratory measurement techniques for breaking waves. This work then continued to become her final year project thesis.

After completion of the undergraduate degree in 2006 Eirini stayed on as a PhD student in the hydrodynamics laboratory, focusing on extreme wave modelling and the interaction with fixed and floating structures, on an EPSRC scholarship.

In 2010, whilst completing her PhD thesis, Eirini started working in industry as a Metocean engineer with Noble Denton Consultants (now DNV GL) in London, where she stayed for 6 years, having a mixed role between Metocean studies and floating structures design. In Noble Denton she got the opportunity to work on various very interesting real-life projects mostly relating to the offshore oil and gas industry. The experience of working in industry was invaluable and the environment in the company was stimulating and enriching.

Various changes to personal and professional life led Eirini to decide to leave London and the UK. In 2016 she moved to Genoa, Italy undertaking postdoctoral research in the University of Genoa on weather routing techniques for shipping, whilst also doing some freelance consulting in Metocean studies.

In 2018, after many years of consideration, Eirini chose to leave the engineering field to pursue a lifelong interest in personal growth, mental health and wellbeing, and is currently undertaking an undergraduate degree in psychology at the university of Genoa.