Jersey’s STEM Racing teams are gearing up for the Regional Finals on 10 December 2025, and the excitement is building. On the day, our judges will look closely at how each team brings engineering, creativity, and teamwork to life.
We’re proud to have C5 supporting this year’s event. Their focus on innovation and technology helps us give students meaningful, hands-on experience in design, aerodynamics, and marketing.
Teams have been working with real dedication to improve their CO₂-powered F1 cars, test ideas, and strengthen their race strategies. Now they’re ready to show what they can achieve.
A big thank you to our judges for giving their time and expertise to support the students and help shape this year’s event.
Meet the judges who will choose the team heading to the UK Finals, bringing them one step closer to the World Finals later this year.
Pascal Dumont
Professional journey
I was born in Guernsey (sorry!) and went to Elizabeth College before leaving the island to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Birmingham. I completed an integrated master’s degree, which included a year working in industry.
Passion for F1
I started my career in Formula One at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains as a placement student, working in product design and product confirmation. After returning as a graduate, I worked in the design and performance teams before joining the top end team, where I looked after internal engine gears and the MGUK driveline. I later moved into the chassis integration team as McLaren’s power unit representative, helping to integrate the power unit into the car and supporting test events at the track.
I then spent two years living and working in Croatia as a Mechanical Integration Engineer for Rimac Energy, designing battery and inverter systems.
I have now jumped back into F1, working for McLaren as a Reliability Engineer, helping to make sure parts perform as expected from design through to the car running on track. My role involves working closely with design, car build, sub-assembly and vehicle testing to improve reliability and fix problems when things do not go to plan.
Chloe Marriott
Professional journey
I completed my Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2024. During university I completed an industrial placement year with Cadent Gas Ltd. Over the past 4.5 years, I’ve worked as a Design Analyst for Cadent, where I’m responsible for developing designs, plans and quotations for a range of projects, including mains replacement and diversion works.
Passion for F1
Formula 1 represents the pinnacle of automotive engineering and innovation, and I’m passionate about the speed and precision of the sport. I had the privilege of judging at the 2025 STEM Racing World Finals in Singapore, assessing the enterprise portfolios and pit displays from talented teams worldwide. I’m excited to see how the teams in Jersey have collaborated to design and build their cars, showcasing creativity and technical excellence.
Conal Huges
Professional journey
After starting my mechanical engineering degree in 2018, my passion for motorsport took off when I joined my university’s formula student team. From there, I did my year in industry placement at Mercedes-AMG HPP, working as an integration engineer on the F1 Power Units, and after graduating went to Mercedes Grand Prix as an Electro-Mechanical Design Graduate, where I worked on both the F1 car, and the Louis Vuitton Cup winning America’s Cup yacht.
In 2024 I joined McMurtry Automotive as a Mechanical Engineer – Electrical Systems, where I am responsible for the mechanical design of all low voltage components, as well as some high voltage assemblies.
Passion for F1
Having worked in F1, one of the best things was the engineering approach to challenges, and seeing how the whole business bands together and supports each other through one of the toughest sports on earth.
Having spent much of my life visiting family in Jersey, I’m excited to spend some time on the island, and see how the students have been creative in responding to the challenge that STEM Racing has given them.
Nikki Anderson
Professional journey
I’m a consultant specialising in user research and digital transformation, helping businesses bridge the gap between customer needs and strategic decision-making. With a background in customer experience, I work with organisations to refine their digital products, optimise service delivery, and enhance user engagement. My expertise spans industries, from financial services to government, where I focus on improving processes, reducing friction, and driving measurable impact through research-driven insights. I also support businesses in leveraging customer feedback to inform innovation and long-term growth. Currently, I’m serving as a judge for the CXTech programme for Impact Jersey, assessing technology-driven solutions that enhance customer experience and operational efficiency.
Passion for F1
I absolutely love the iteration and innovation that goes into F1, and to constantly watch the teams and drivers course correct and demonstrate that even the smallest changes can hugely impact results. I’m so excited to learn about the Regional teams’ stories this year, and all of the small and big changes they went through to get to their final racing car.
Nick Perchard-Rees
Professional journey
Transport has always been an integral part of my career, weaving through various aspects of business strategy, fleet leasing, management, electrification, and the adoption of emerging technologies. My focus has always been on driving meaningful change—improving the way we move, how we power our transport, and ultimately, how we reduce waste. Whether through electrifying fleets or embracing smarter, more sustainable solutions, I’ve always been passionate about transformation. In many ways, I see my role as “Transforming Transport”—bringing innovation and sustainability together to shape the future of mobility.
Passion for F1
F1 has been a life passion for me. Growing up, F1 Sundays were almost a religion in our home, one of the few times my father, an incredibly busy man, would pause everything, and we’d spend the afternoon together. Our ritual started long before the race, discussing qualifying, drivers, and strategies, especially in the era when refuelling played a pivotal role in tactical decision-making. Watching legends like Senna, Prost, Mansell, Hill, and the all-dominating Schumacher battle it out made for an unforgettable era of the sport.
Beyond the racing itself, what has always fascinated me is the relentless pursuit of innovation, the way teams push aerodynamics, strategy, and regulations to the absolute limit. That same spirit of ingenuity and problem-solving is what makes F1 in Schools such an exciting initiative. It’s exciting to see how these young minds apply engineering, design, and teamwork to create something remarkable, and I’m thrilled to play a role in supporting that innovation. Huge credit to Seb, the Digital Jersey team, and all collaborators for making this happen, it’s a privilege to be involved.
Rachel Piper
Professional journey
Rachel Piper (née Hayden) MEng CEng MICE, graduate of the University of Bath, is a Senior Chartered Civil Engineer currently working for the global consultancy firm, WSP. She is the Project Manager for two major projects, delivering the checking works for 90 major assets across HS2. Prior to moving into consultancy, Rachel was involved in the construction of Hinkley Point C, the Grange University Hospital, CityFibre, Devonport Royal Dockyards and HPC Bridgwater Accommodation Campus. This year, Rachel was named as one of the WES Top 50 Women in Engineering and a Finalist for the IET Young Women Engineer of the Year. She has also won numerous other national engineering awards including the Ford Women in STEM, UK Construction & Engineering Undergraduate of the Year, ICE Southwest STEM Ambassador of the Year and was one of the ICE’s President’s Future Leaders 2022/23.
Passion for F1
Rachel has always had a passion for encouraging young people into STEM, as if it wasn’t for engineers coming into JCG and running a pasta bridge competition when she was at school, she might still not know what engineering is, let alone be the civil engineer she is today! Since 2017, as an ICE STEM Ambassador, she has introduced over 39,000 young people across the UK to civil engineering and is really looking forward to being a judge for the Regional heat in Jersey to see all the amazing engineers of the future working together to deliver successful projects.
Tom Garfield Bennet
Your professional journey
I am currently the Engineering Coordination Team Leader at Oracle Red Bull Racing, specifically for the brand new Red Bull Ford Powertrains project. My team is responsible for a wide variety, but focuses on linking our Engineering teams to the Supply Chain, Operations, and the Race Team at the circuits, meaning we are always right in the middle of everything! I previously worked at Mercedes-AMG for their Powertrains division and currently have 3 World Championships and 20 Race Wins to my name whilst working in F1. I grew up in Jersey and studied at Victoria College, before moving on the Oxford Brookes university to study Motorsport Engineering.
Your passion for F1
Formula 1 and Motorsport is an incredible industry to work in, and being able to experience, learn and prepare for a career at the STEM Racing events is a great opportunity and one that I wish I had had when I was younger.
Alex Honey
Your professional journey
Alex is a Senior Consultant with 17 years of experience, specialising in business analysis, project and change management and strategy development. Alex is recognised for delivering complex projects in across IT, retail operations, FMCG supply chain, utilities, primary healthcare, and customer services. She also has experience in setting up a new Programme Management Office (PMO), managing the strategic planning cycle and facilitating the development of strategy, and in implementing ISO 27001. She thrives in challenging environments, combining attention to detail with a focus on the big picture, and consistently ensuring strong stakeholder engagement and clear communication.
Your passion for F1
I’ve always been fascinated by how STEM turns ideas into reality. Regionals aren’t just about competition-they’re about learning, growing, and seeing how curiosity and collaboration can spark real innovation.
Ian Rhodes
Your professional journey
During a thirty-year career in technology commercialisation, Ian has held a number of leadership positions in blue chip organisations, most recently as CEO of McLaren Applied Technologies. Prior to this he was a Senior Partner at PA Consulting Group, where he led the company’s healthcare and life sciences business and was instrumental in the highly successful PA Venture portfolio. In those roles, Ian delivered significant growth in both revenue and profitability, while achieving widespread respect for his forward-thinking approach to healthcare delivery. Ian now has a portfolio of investments and chair roles in the life sciences and healthcare sector.
During my time as the CEO of McLaren Applied Technologies, our motorsports division was a key provider of products and services to all the F1 teams, including the FIA and for the Indycar, NASCAR and WEC race series. We played a fundamental role in founding and launching FormulaE. We had over 600 scientists and engineers, included a team of 20 track support engineers who travelled the world supporting every race event. We were at the forefront of capturing vast quantities of data and helping teams make real-time decisions and predictions from the data. We built capability in modelling, simulation, and decision support algorithms in Formula1 and then pivoted this capability into other industries such as healthcare.
I began my career as an engineer with a sponsored graduate training program at Roll-Royce aero engines and built on this with an MBA from London Business School whilst at PA Consulting.
Your passion for F1
My interest in Formula1 is rooted in having seen what goes on behind the scenes, the intensity of the rivalry and competition combined with the leaps in science and engineering required to be competitive. All of which can be prototyped and advanced and then put to good use ‘in the real world’. Sharing this fusion of sport and engineering with young people so we can get the best brains from the next generation passionate about advancing society.
Réka Wilson
Your professional journey
I am a passionate advocate for Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and user-centred design. Day to day I am leading a product management team at Jersey Electricity, driving product development and strategy for their Electric Vehicle (EV) charging products and the myJE platform. Working on technologies that support our move to a more sustainable future is extremely important for me and I embrace the opportunity to have a positive impact on people’s lives through the work the team and I do.
Outside of my core role I am an advocate for professional growth and the advancing of Human-Computer Interaction across the industry. I serve as Chair for BCS Jersey and the Human-Computer Interaction specialist group at BCS, while also contributing to the IOD Jersey Digital Subcommittee, with a focus on integrating AI in schools. I am committed to fostering collaboration across different technical specialisms and ensuring the next generation is prepared for a technically empowered future.
Your passion for F1
STEM has always been part an integral part my career, I love building and creating things and exploring how they can evolve and innovate. I believe that the power of STEM lies in its accessibility and ability to inspire the next generation and push the boundaries. It is extremely versatile and it has the unique ability to offer a platform for people on the widest range of skills and capabilities.
Nathaniel Hey
Your professional journey
I’m a machine learning engineer and data scientist specialising in robotics and mobile mapping. I’ve worked with organisations including the Greater London Authority, the NHS, and the UK Space Agency, and in 2024, a robotics platform I helped develop was featured in New Scientist magazine.
Your passion for F1
I’ve always been drawn to science and mathematics, particularly physics. During my master’s degree, collaborating with CERN on my thesis, developing neural networks to identify particle decays, and presenting the research to several working groups, felt like the culmination of years of STEM passion. My own path, which has taken me across physics, data science, and philosophy, has taught me that bringing different disciplines together often leads to better solutions than staying within a single field.
What I’m most looking forward to at the regionals is seeing the creativity that emerges when students from different backgrounds tackle the same challenge. STEM Racing is designed to reward more than just technical ability. Teams need strong communication, design thinking, project management, and collaboration. It’s this combination that produces creative solutions, and watching how different teams approach the same problem with their own perspectives is fascinating.
Seb Lawson
Your professional journey
Seb has spent his career working in technology startups across the world, gaining experience in software planning, hardware design, and operations. Before joining Digital Jersey, he was the General Manager at TrustFlight, a global aviation software company focused on improving safety and efficiency in a paper-heavy industry.
He also worked at Zipline, the world’s largest drone delivery company, supporting projects across Africa and Asia. His work there included operations, business development, and engineering, giving him a strong understanding of how unmanned systems can solve real problems at scale.
Today, Seb is Digital Jersey’s Unmanned Technology Specialist. He works with organisations across the island to support the use of unmanned technology and help more people understand how it can be applied in everyday business.
Your passion for F1
Seb brings a strong engineering mindset and hands-on experience from the aviation and drone sectors. He’s looking forward to seeing how students think through their designs, approach technical challenges, and work together to create a car that can perform under pressure.
