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As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

A coal miner, a Red Devil with the British Army . In a way, they鈥檙e all about exploring the unknown.

Explain your work in one easy paragraph.

I use strategies from the arts, design, engineering and psychology to create emotional experiences, for example for clients such as Nissan and Disneyland. To do that, I sometimes think like a scientist, as if I were conducting a controlled psychology experiment, and other times laterally as an artist.

How did you end up working in this field?

As a kid, I spent a lot of time trying to make people laugh and feel happy. It thrilled me when I succeeded, and it still does. I originally trained as an aeronautical engineer, decided to leave my job to do a foundation course in design and start following my dream. I supported myself flipping burgers and pulling pints 鈥� but I made it.

What鈥檚 the secret to thrilling people?

There鈥檚 often a fixation on adrenaline junkies and extreme thrill-seeking, but pleasure is equally as important as arousal in creating a feeling of thrill. Thrill is subjective, and most people can experience the same amount of thrill as an adrenaline junkie without going to extremes.

What achievement are you most proud of?

My formula for thrill, published in , which says you鈥檒l maximise it if you can create a huge, rapid rise in pleasure and arousal. This remains my golden rule in thrill engineering.

What scientific development do you hope to see in your lifetime?

Personal electric flying machines.

If you could send a message back to yourself as a kid, what would you say?

鈥淵ou might feel like you鈥檙e giving up art for science, but you do find a way to combine them later in life.鈥� Ugh 鈥� I鈥檇 probably throw this message away, thinking my dad had written it.

Is there a discovery you wish you鈥檇 made yourself?

Luigi Galvani discovered electricity could be used to reanimate the legs of a recently deceased frog. It was the birth of neurology (and a great party trick) and also inspired Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein.

If you could have a conversation with any scientist, living or dead, who would it be?

I鈥檇 have a (responsible) drinking competition with Leonardo da Vinci and Leon Theremin. They both applied creative ingenuity to science and art alike. I鈥檇 have to introduce them to Google Translate first, which might blow their minds.

What鈥檚 the most thrilling thing you鈥檝e worked on in your career?

I鈥檝e worked on roller coasters and ejector seats for Typhoon jets, but my first virtual-reality swing gave me goosebumps. The screams as people felt like they were swinging much higher than they were made me realise I could create thrilling experiences at a fraction of the cost of a new ride or jet plane.

鈥淭he apocalypse might be a little stressful, so after it I鈥檒l open a theme park鈥�

Do you have an unexpected hobby, and if so, please will you tell us about it?

I鈥檓 training for my third dan black belt in Shotokan karate, and have handled whippets at dog shows.

What鈥檚 the best thing you鈥檝e read or seen in the past 12 months?

I read Richard Harris鈥檚 1940 patent for a ride called the . He shows the different spirographic movements riders will experience depending on gear ratios. It鈥檚 exciting to see how he makes connections between psychology and physics.

How useful will your skills be after the apocalypse?

The apocalypse might be a little stressful, so I鈥檇 open the world鈥檚 first post-apocalyptic theme park.

OK, one last thing: tell us something that will blow our minds鈥�

I have a defective D4DR gene that means I can鈥檛 process dopamine as effectively as other people, and need to go to greater extremes to sense pleasure or be thrilled. I鈥檓 quite hard to buy for at Christmas.

Brendan Walker is director of the and professor of creative industries