What does your career look like?

I am currently working as a Project Engineer within the BAE Systems Australia Maritime Research and Technology (R&T) team based in the Tonsley Innovation District.

My role includes supporting a range of innovation projects by providing technical support, and managing stakeholders.

As an engineer working across disciplines, I work collaboratively to de-risk industry 4.0 technologies to benefit safety, productivity and quality of work during shipbuilding activities.

What do you like most about what you do?

The simplest way I describe my job to my 9 year old sister is that I play with cool toys everyday!

In more sophisticated terms, I love being at the technological forefront, investigating some of the most cutting edge technologies in the market today with the vision of creating an integrated high-tech digital shipyard.

I love the fast-paced nature of what I do, learning new and challenging things, surrounded by some of the most incredible minds in my colleagues.

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

I am most proud of being able to grow myself, technically, in cross-domain knowledge, and using my platform to undertake STEM outreach activities.

I have been inspired by incredible role models and mentors, both within and outside of my workplace.

I have also been a finalist for the Women in Engineering Rising Star of the year award – it has been an incredibly humbling experience to be recognised amongst so many other influential women!

Is there any experience from your time at Flinders that has had a lasting impact on you professionally or personally?

The biggest highlight from studying at Flinders was my Work Integrated Learning (WIL) experience in Singapore. I was awarded a New Columbo Plan long-term mobility grant to undertake a 20-week internship at Nanyang Polytechnic, where I worked on the development of an unsupervised, deep-learning CNN engine for reconstruction of a real face from a thermal image. The opportunity was once-in-a-lifetime, and allowed me to grow both technically and personally.

What do you think engineering will look like in 30 years?

As engineers, we are heading into a big shift in the way we work and develop solutions. There is going to be a big focus on wearable technologies. We are moving into a much more connected world, where complex integrated systems will make our day to day lives easier. As engineers, we need to be able to adapt and make the most of these developments like AI and advanced robotics.

What advice do you have for your younger self, or for students beginning an engineering degree?

Your dream job may not even exist yet, so don’t be so hard on yourself! You don’t need to figure everything out right now.

Put yourself out there and get involved in as much volunteering as you can.

As long as you put your mind to something and do what inspires you, you will be the happiest!