I am the world's only ...
Thrill Engineer. My job is to understand and research physiological responses to roller coasters and to help design rides.

I've worked with many theme parks ...
Including Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Disneyland Paris.

i'm currently working on ...

A really exciting new ride at one of the UK parks. I've been commissioned to help design a particular drop feature. The longer the drop the more expensive it is to construct, so I'm researching the shortest distance the drop could be to create the ultimate feeling of fear.

It sounds rather dark but ...
To research this I've been studying the psychology of a driver during a car crash. I want to find out exactly how long the initial feeling of fear lasts before action and survival kick in. It might be half a second - that's as long as the drop will need to be.

When i was younger i loved ...
Making fireworks. Looking back, that was probably the start of my interest in thrills.

For me, the most thrilling ride in the world ...
Is the new 'Saw - The Ride' at Thorpe Park. There are rides that are faster and higher, but this one is so intense. The first part is like a ghost train horror ride, playing with riders' imaginations. The second part is about high adrenaline, with the strongest G-force experience in Europe.

The most important thing to remember ...
When creating a roller coaster is the choreography. It's not just about loops and drops, but about theatre, tempo and understanding your audience.

I've been on hundreds of roller coasters but ...
I still get absolutely petrified. I could take an objective view when I go on a ride, but that's so dull. It's far more exciting to let the designer's intention wash over you.

The future of roller coasters ...
Lies in psychological stimulation. The human body is a limiting factor - there are only so many Gs it can take before it blacks out. So, to make rides scarier, we're having to move towards mental stimulation, playing on real human fears.

I'm working with computer scientists ...
To develop a ride that automatically adapts to human emotions. The rider wears monitoring equipment, which the computer decodes to understand the rider's emotions. It then adapts the ride to enhance the ride experience.

If i weren't a thrill engineer ...
I'd like to be a forensic scientist - as long as it was as exciting as it seems on CSI

• Brendan Walker backs the Science: [So What? So Everything] campaign. Visit direct.gov.uk/sciencesowhat