What is the photo of?
It is a photo of me as a baby, building with Lego – well actually Duplo (giant Lego for babies). Apparently I was never very interested in dolls even when I was older, and I have memories of technic Lego when I was around 10, and remember once when I was a teenager pulling apart a whole castle and putting it back together to relax.
What inspired you to become an engineer?
My dad was a civil engineer and while I was not interested in that particular type of engineering, for that reason engineering was always on my radar as something that I would be able to do. I was good at maths and physics at school and chose to study engineering at uni. Dad was happy about this, though I never realised that he was proud (quiet engineer-type) until he took me to an Engineers Australia lunch one time several years into my university studies.
What surprises you most about your job?
I also studied geology at uni and it surprises me how much overlap there is between my job (Reservoir Engineering) and geology. I always thought I would have to choose one career path or the other, but found one of the few jobs on the planet where I can do both! There is lot of high-level conceptual thinking and surprisingly little maths.
What are you most proud of having achieved in your role?
Last year my PhD supervisor (Sadiq Zarrouk) and I published a reservoir engineering textbook: “Geothermal Well Test Analysis”, with heaps of information on geothermal wells and how to test them. I have two little girls and they tell people I am an author. My Dad has a copy too, to show his friends.
