Mechanical Engineer · Design & Project Engineering
Final-year UTS Mechanical Engineering (Honours) student passionate about solving complex problems and collaborating to drive engineering impact — through FEA, CAD, and design work on live projects, while inspiring the next generation of engineers.
01 — About
I'm Darcy Hodge, a final-year Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Honours) student at the University of Technology Sydney, on track to graduate in November 2026. I'm also completing a concurrent Diploma in Professional Engineering Practice.
My professional experience has been in the maritime and defence sectors, exposing me to high-quality, high-accountability engineering — spanning detailed design, FEA structural analysis, and engineering drawings across vessels from 24m to 80m, as well as project engineering aboard the RAN's second largest warship, HMAS Choules (176m). These industries have shaped a strong engineering foundation that I'm eager to apply across a broad range of future challenges.
Beyond technical work, I'm passionate about bringing the next generation into engineering — I've mentored hundreds of future engineering students through Engineers Australia and led STEM outreach events across Sydney each year.
02 — Experience
Design Engineer (Intern) — Naval Architects
Delivered detailed design drawings across commercial vessel programmes — including machinery arrangements, general arrangement, deck layouts, outfitting, and fire & safety plans — on ferries, workboats, and police vessels from 24m to 80m.
Produced FEA calculations and structural modelling in Strand7 for high-stress areas, enabling class society certification across multiple projects.
Interpreted and applied class society rulesets to ensure 100% compliant vessel designs.
Contributed across 20+ active vessel projects, with full design and calculations responsibility held on two — IC23025 and IC19192 (detailed below).
Developed proficiency in AutoCAD, ShipConstructor, Rhino 7, and Strand7 for design, structural drawings, and systems integration.
Student Mentor & Member Engagement Assistant
Mentored hundreds of future engineering students at Engineers Australia's Summer and Autumn Engineering Schools and outreach events each year.
Spearheaded STEM outreach and member engagement activities, promoting engineering careers through 20+ events and presentations across Sydney annually.
Project Engineer (Intern) — Defence Maritime
Operated as Project Engineer during the Annual Maintenance Period 2023 (AMP23) for HMAS Choules — an LSD (Landing Ship Dock) operated by the Royal Australian Navy.
Managed subcontractor work packages and sign-offs, coordinating trades and specialist firms across time-critical maintenance windows.
Led defect reporting and technical documentation, maintaining rigorous engineering records across multi-million-dollar planned maintenance activities.
Coordinated planned maintenance system (PMS) updates and liaised directly with the Navy's technical authority and CASG (end-customer) stakeholders.
Managed work orders across the maintenance period, achieving zero deferrals.
Participated in post-AMP sea trials aboard HMAS Choules for three days, conducting technical checks from Garden Island (HMAS Kuttabul) to Brisbane.
Engineering Support
Designed to-specification CAD models for manufacture and repair of mining and plant equipment.
Produced compliance reports for safety management systems in mine site environments.
Developed a heritage replacement assembly for a Huey helicopter gun mount for the Maitland Museum — including design, modelling, and documentation for manufacture.
Maintenance Technician
Conducted planned and corrective maintenance on plant equipment including high-pressure pumps and filtration systems.
03 — Projects
Naval Architecture · Detailed Design
IC23025 — 80m Korean Ro-Pax Ferry
Contributed across the detailed design phase of an 80m roll-on/roll-off passenger ferry for a Korean client. Produced engineering drawings including general arrangements, machinery space layouts, deck outfitting, and fire & safety plans. Applied class society rulesets throughout to ensure fully compliant design deliverables, working as part of Incat Crowther's multidisciplinary design team under tight client deadlines.
FEA Structural Design · Class Society
IC19192 — 57m Malaysian Police Vessel Ramp
Designed the main deck vehicle ramp for a 57m Malaysian police vessel to class society requirements. The ramp was engineered to carry a 7-tonne forklift with a 5-tonne maximum load — the critical design case. Conducted in-depth FEA modelling in Strand7, accounting for sea state loads, structural stress distributions, and deflection limits per class society rules. Significantly upskilled in FEA methodology through this project.
Project Engineering · Defence
HMAS Choules — Annual Maintenance Period 2023
Served as Project Engineer during AMP23 for HMAS Choules, an RAN Landing Ship Dock. Managed subcontractor work packages, technical documentation, PMS updates, and CASG liaison — achieving zero deferrals across the maintenance period. Participated in three days of post-maintenance sea trials sailing from Garden Island (HMAS Kuttabul, Sydney) to Brisbane with the ship's company conducting technical system checks.
Heritage Engineering · CAD Design
Huey Helicopter Gun Mount — Maitland Museum
Developed a full replacement assembly for a heritage Huey helicopter gun mount for display at the Maitland Museum. Designed to original specifications using CAD, producing all models and documentation required for manufacture. A unique challenge combining reverse engineering, heritage preservation constraints, and structural design.
University · Mechanical Systems Design Studio 2
Solar-Powered Barbecue — MSDS2
As part of Mechanical Systems Design Studio 2 (MSDS2), designed and built a fully solar-powered barbecue system. The project involved concentrating sunlight onto a central heating plate using a reflective parabolic dish — requiring optical geometry design, thermal analysis, and structural prototyping to achieve sufficient cooking temperatures from direct solar radiation alone.
University · Mechanical Systems Design Studio 1
Satellite Thermal Regulation Louvre — MSDS1
Designed a passive mechanical louvre system for satellite thermal regulation — with no active electrical components permitted. The system used bimetallic strips and spring-loaded mechanisms to autonomously open and close thermal vanes in response to temperature changes, maintaining operating temperature ranges across simulated orbital heating/cooling cycles.
University · Introduction to Mechatronics Engineering
Warman Challenge Robot — Project Refuel 2023
Designed and built an autonomous robot for the 36th Warman Design & Build Competition. The challenge (Project Refuel) required the robot to autonomously collect and deliver three tennis balls (fuel vessels) and three squash balls (oxidiser vessels) to separate silos within 120 seconds, starting from a 400mm cube constraint. Used mecanum wheels for omnidirectional movement, stepper motors, and Arduino-based control.
University · Introduction to Mechatronics Engineering
Shoebox Vending Machine — Mechatronics
Built a functional vending machine from a shoebox using Arduino microcontroller, servo motors, a button input panel, and an LCD display. The system managed item selection, dispensing via servo-actuated gates, and user interaction logic — integrating hardware and embedded software design in a constrained, creative build.
04 — Skills
Design Software
Analysis & Engineering
Programming
Engineering Domains
Project & Professional
Soft Skills
05 — Education
Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Honours)
University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
Current GPA: 5.35
Diploma in Professional Engineering Practice
University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
Higher School Certificate
Oxford Falls Grammar, Sydney
Highest D&T HSC mark in school history · Prefect
High Distinctions
Distinctions
06 — Contact
I'm actively seeking graduate mechanical engineering roles. If you're hiring or would like to discuss opportunities, please reach out — I'd love to talk.