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Tech Talks: Clive Hill

07 May 2026

All of our rapid-fire interviews in 2026 have focused on our early career staff - like graduating apprentice Danny or physics student Sarina.

While their experiences are vital for inspiring future scientists, this time we wanted to switch things up and chat with someone with more on-the-job experience.

So, we spoke with Clive Hill, a Mechanical Project and Design Engineer in our Projects and Mechanical Engineering Group, who is nearing his fourth decade working at Daresbury Laboratory.

A blue and orange graphic with the heading “How long have you been at Daresbury Laboratory and what has kept you here?” followed by a quotation in a rounded text box that reads: "I started working at Daresbury in 1989. Several factors have kept me [here], mainly interesting projects and design work, but also the flexibility of working arrangements. Also, there is a very nice work environment, and I have always enjoyed working on projects as part of a team with people from other groups and laboratories." UKRI and STFC logos are at the bottom with “2 of 8.”

A blue and orange graphic with the heading “What was work like when you first joined STFC, and how has it changed?” followed by a quotation in a rounded text box that reads: "When I started, my role was described as a mechanical draughtsman, and all drawings were manually drawn on a large drawing board using pencils and set squares. I am still involved in design work, but it is done by generating 3D CADs, and the drawings are produced from the models. I also now have more responsibility managing and coordinating projects." UKRI and STFC logos are at the bottom with “3 of 8.”

A blue and orange graphic with the heading “What’s the biggest change you’ve seen on site since you joined?” followed by a quotation in a rounded text box that reads: "The development of the surrounding campus buildings, offices and laboratories for commercial and spin-out companies." UKRI and STFC logos are at the bottom with “4 of 8.”

A blue and orange graphic with the heading “Which project or moment from your career here are you proudest of?” followed by a quotation in a rounded text box that reads: "I have been involved in the design of several new accelerators built at Daresbury, such as ALICE, EMMA, VELA and CLARA, and it is always very satisfying to have designed equipment, seen it constructed and commissioned and hear news of the first electrons being detected. It makes all the hard work over the years worthwhile." UKRI and STFC logos are at the bottom with “5 of 8.”

A blue and orange graphic with the heading “What’s one memorable story from your early days at the lab?” followed by a quotation in a rounded text box that reads: "I recall when we had snow during the Christmas holiday period. The snow froze on the road into the lab. The road is on a hill, and it was not safe to drive down, so the lab was closed until the snow could be cleared. Each day, we had to call the lab telephone line and listen to a recorded message which informed us of the status and whether it was safe to drive down the road. It took a week to clear the ice, and so we had an extended Christmas holiday!" UKRI and STFC logos are at the bottom with “6 of 8.”

A blue and orange graphic with the heading “What advice would you give to someone starting their engineering career today?” followed by a quotation in a rounded text box that reads: "Go for it! Engineering offers lots of opportunities, careers and can be enormously rewarding. Skills and knowledge gained at university and through apprenticeships are the building blocks that can be developed for the next generation of technology." UKRI and STFC logos are at the bottom with “8 of 8.”

This highlight was originally shared on our LinkedIn.