Engineer · Builder · Systems Thinker
Zohaib Awan
I like understanding how complicated systems work — and then trying to make them work better.
I'm studying Engineering at Cambridge, currently moving towards aerospace and aerothermal engineering while keeping a strong interest in computation, autonomy and quantitative methods.
Most of the things I enjoy seem different at first — aircraft, control systems, simulation, software, probability, markets, chess — but I tend to approach them in the same way: understand the system, build a model of it, test it, and work out where it can be improved.
What I like working on
Things that move
Aircraft · UAVs · Aerodynamics · Flight Dynamics · Motorsport
I've always been drawn to things that move and the physics behind why they behave the way they do — particularly aircraft, aerodynamics and control.
Things I can build
Mechanical Systems · Software · Embedded Systems · Simulation · Prototypes
I enjoy projects most when there's something real at the end of them — whether that's an aircraft model, a controller, a piece of software or a physical prototype.
Things I can optimise
Probability · Optimisation · Decision Models · Quantitative Finance · Markets
I'm interested in problems where there isn't one obvious answer: uncertainty, trade-offs, optimisation and deciding what to do with incomplete information. That's also what attracts me to quant.
Things that make me think
Chess · Poker · PUBG Mobile · Fortnite
I enjoy competitive games where decisions have to be made quickly under pressure, from chess and poker to esports formats where positioning, risk and timing matter.
Hobbies
How I work
Build before overthinking
I like getting an initial model or prototype working early, then improving it through testing.
Understand why
A result is much more useful to me if I can explain what caused it rather than only knowing that the number improved.
Test the uncomfortable case
A lot of my projects eventually become robustness questions — what happens when the model is wrong, the sensor is noisy, the flow separates or the original idea simply doesn't work?
Let the result win
Some of the most useful outcomes I've had have been negative ones. If testing shows the simpler design is better, or a more sophisticated controller doesn't beat the baseline, I'd rather keep that result than force the original idea to look successful.
How the interests connect
What I'm interested in next
I'm particularly interested in quantitative work that sits close to real systems — modelling uncertainty, building decision tools, writing technically difficult software, and using optimisation, probability and simulation to make better decisions under pressure.