Three-time UTT graduate Nystrom Edwards is a Principal Software Engineer at world-renowned investment bank and financial services company, Morgan Stanley. After completing different progammes at the University, his stint running his own software company, and working in the oil and gas industry, Nystrom has settled in the field of ICT, racking up quite a number of achievements. Keen on the idea of promoting the benefits of studying at UTT, he shares his story:

After completing secondary school, instead of pursuing A' Levels, I opted to pursue pre-engineering Mechanical Engineering at UTT, graduating in 2007, before moving on to the National Engineering Technician Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, and graduating two years later. Having an aptitude for computing and writing software programmes from age fifteen, I then enrolled in UTT's Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.Sc.) in Computer Engineering in 2009, graduating in 2012. This programme was accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology based in the UK, which simplified the process for furthering my studies there. I eventually enrolled in the University of Glasgow's Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Software Engineering and graduated in 2018 with distinction. My thesis which covered Software Tooling and the Software Development Lifecycle was published in two academic journals, with my Source Control Integrated Issue Tracker (SCIIT) winning the Distinguished Tools Track Paper Award at the International Conference on Software Maintenance and Evolution (ICSME) 2019 conference.

Based on my academic performance, I was offered a position within the Morgan Stanley graduate Technology Analyst Programme (TAP) in 2019, and gained the Principal Software Engineer designation in 2025. I have been named in the Black Tech Achievement (BTA) Awards Top 50 List 2026, nominated for the BTA Software Developer of the Year 2024, and presented the Sir Goeff Palmer Award for Student of the Year at The Black Scottish Awards in 2024.

UTT has contributed to my overall professional development through the quality of its lecturers, the quality of its facilities, and its focus on entrepreneurship which keeps the mind active on finding innovative solutions for problems, a skill which I utilise to this day.

For students wishing to pursue ICT at UTT, I would urge them to be very curious about technology; not just how it works, but how it works in detail. During my studies and my career, I have always looked behind the "why" technology works. Starting on the surface should lead to learning the layer of abstraction below the current technology, encouraging you to keep going until you understand the concept in full detail, which is powerful to compounding your understanding.

As a passionate advocate for best practices, I encourage all ICT enthusiasts to focus on making small effort changes with large impact, with a view of driving innovation, empowering others, and advancing diversity in the field.

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