Nicola Miller, Design Engineer
Meet Nicola Miller, a Design Engineer at Star Refrigeration and graduate in Mechanical Engineering from Heriot-Watt University. Nicola was drawn to the refrigeration industry by its diversity and opportunity for innovation, particularly in the design and manufacture of industrial heat pumps. Nicola enjoys the dynamic nature of her role, seeing projects evolve from concept to reality and learning from each stage. Initially unfamiliar with the complexity of refrigeration systems, she now thrives due to the supportive environment at Star. Encouraging other women to join the industry, Nicola highlights its welcoming nature and growing female presence. She looks forward to presenting at the Gustav Lorentzen Refrigeration Conference in Maryland, USA—an opportunity she anticipates will be a career highlight.
What is your role within Star? How long have you been with the company?
I am a design engineer and I have been with Star Refrigeration for about 7 months.
Where did you study and what qualifications did you gain?
I studied at Heriot Watt University and graduated with a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering .
What attracted you to the industry?
I love how varied refrigeration is, you can be doing flow calculations one day and checking wiring diagrams the next. It means no two days are the same and there is always new things to learn.
I also liked that Star design and manufacture industrial heat pumps which means there’s a lot of innovation in the design team which is really interesting to be around.
What do you specialise in now? What type of projects do you work on?
Currently I am working on a pumped ammonia refrigeration system which will be used to cool a massive cold store down in England.
What do you enjoy most about your job, and what are the biggest challenges you face?
I like that we are involved in projects from the early design phase, through to the commissioning phase. It is really nice to see the stuff you’ve been working on take form and to learn from any issues that arise throughout the process.
When I first started it felt like there was so much to learn as I didn’t know much about refrigeration systems at all, but everyone is really helpful and whenever I’ve been unsure on things there are always people to go to.
What would you say to other women who are considering coming into the refrigeration industry?
Definitely come! The amount of woman in refrigeration seems to be growing and it is a very welcoming industry for new people.
Where do you see your career developing?
I hope to work on more refrigeration contracts at Star and hopefully gain my professional qualifications in the next few years.
What are the challenges of this industry?
I think similar to other industries, our main challenge is to reduce our impact on the environment. We have already made the switch to much greener refrigerants. Now I think the main challenge is getting the plants as efficient as possible and continuing to develop heat pumps to be more and more cost efficient.
Any general career highlights?
In August I am traveling to Maryland, USA to attend the Gustav Lorentzen Refrigeration Conference and present to the students at Maryland University. I am really excited and think it will definitely be a career highlight!