Welcome to my portfolio!

Contact Information
Student Email - thomassurridge2028@u.northwestern.edu
Personal - thomas10surridge9@gmail.com

View my resume: Thomas Surridge's Resume 

⚙️ Fabrication & Mechanical Validation Research Assistant, Northwestern University Prosthetic-Orthotics Center - Summer 2025

Spent the summer developing and refining tunable strut designs for an ankle-foot exoskeleton, originally explored in a previous Master’s thesis. I’m building on that work by adapting the designs for composite 3D printing, fabricating and testing them using a cantilever setup, and analyzing performance through test data and finite element simulations to support patent efforts.

I also took 2 classes and contributed remotely to early-stage design for Northwestern's 2025–26 Formula SAE Electric and Lunabotics teams!

🎓 BS Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University - 2024-Present

Studying internationally in the United States as a first-generation, low-income student on a full-ride scholarship. Concentrating in Design.

Since starting, I’ve been immersing myself in hands-on learning and student-led engineering projects with Formula SAE Electric, a student start-up, and even founding an engineering team to compete in NASA's 'Lunabotics' competition! .

UK ➡️ US, Fall 2024: Northwestern University! 

🌎 Sutton Trust US Programme, Cohort 12 - 2022-2024

Awarded a place as 1 of 150 on the Fulbright-backed program for first-generation, low-income students to receive tailored mentorship with applications to US universities. Attended their summer program at Yale in 2023.

Selected as a Team Leader for Cohort 13, taking responsibility of my own team of ~10 students at a Princeton summer program in Summer 2024. Provided support and mentorship with college selection and application approach from my own experience. 

📚 Secondary School and Sixth Form - 2017-2024

Maths always came naturally to me, and when I discovered Physics, I was set on the combination of the two in Mechanical Engineering and took on A-level (advanced) studies in Maths, Further Maths, and Physics.

Took an unconventional move to a new Sixth Form that wasn't my local school where I really found my footing, leading me to found our school's first engineering club and travel to South Korea as 1 of 16 students on a government-funded STEM trip.

🌱 Early Days

Grew up in a small village called Beck Row in Suffolk, UK where I spent my time playing football (soccer), exploring outdoors, and working as a lifeguard. Logging over 1,000 hours on the job helped me fund my own adventures and taught me early on the value of independence, responsibility, and saying yes to new challenges.