(she/her)
Kulin Nations Country
I started at the Bureau of Meteorology in August 2005. I moved to Melbourne for an initial 12-month contract working in ocean observations and finished up my PhD at the same time. I had plans to head overseas to do a postdoc but was given the opportunity to lead my own research in seasonal forecasting so decided to stay. My PhD was in high-resolution hydrodynamic modelling for clam fisheries in Italy and seasonal forecasting was something completely new. I made the leap and despite the rather circuitous path, I've ended up doing exactly the kind of applied climate change related work I'd always wanted to do.
Currently lots of meetings! I lead a team of seven researchers, mostly based in Melbourne. If I look at my calendar this week, I have several project and team meetings, including some with industry stakeholders, a paper to finish, a meeting with my UTAS PhD student, an abstract to write for a workshop, a seasonal outlook briefing to Defence and a guest lecture to prepare for Deakin later in the week. In the past, I would have done more hands-on programming and data analysis, but my work is more focused now on project management, stakeholder engagement and scientific leadership. It is pretty varied as a general rule and domestic travel is starting to pick up again after the last couple of COVID years.
One of my current projects is predicting marine heatwaves or 'bushfires of the ocean'. Our oceans are warming and this background warming, combined with sudden spikes in temperature known as marine heatwaves, can have wide-ranging impacts on marine resources and stakeholders. These extreme ocean temperatures affect fisheries and other aquaculture industries through increased disease, changes in migration patterns, toxic algal blooms, coral bleaching and changes in fish abundance and distributions. We are developing forecast products, in collaboration with CSIRO, to help marine stakeholders better mitigate the impacts of these extreme events and increase their resilience under climate change. During the project, we will be engaging with internal and external customers and funding bodies, with the end goal being a new official Bureau marine heatwave service.
The balance of project management, team leadership and doing research can be tricky and I'm learning that sometimes I just have to say no. The juggle of working with a young family is always there but my husband and I both work part time which works for us.
I work with some great people at the Bureau, plus I have fantastic external collaborators. Our strong partnerships meant that my name was included on papers and new proposals on my behalf when I was on maternity leave (I took three periods of 12 months), which kept my career momentum going. Our teams are multidisciplinary as are the projects we work on – I love the variety and am certainly more of a generalist than a specialist.
The other aspect I really enjoy about my work is applying my science to real world problems. For example, I work closely with reef management agencies such as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, briefing them on our coral bleaching risk forecasts for the upcoming season and providing expert scientific advice throughout each summer. I also work with fisheries and aquaculture, both directly with industry and regulatory bodies, providing forecast information for future seasons. In addition to my marine heatwave research, my team is also involved in the new Australian Climate Service, developing coastal hazard information for emergency services.
I did my undergraduate in environmental engineering but wasn't sure what I wanted to do once I finished. After doing some travel, I started applying for engineering jobs. The same week I was offered a job interstate and a PhD scholarship with a fortnight to decide. I was so indecisive that I ended up flipping a coin! It came up heads and the decision to do a PhD was made. If I'm totally honest, maybe I would've had done 'best of three' had tails come up first? Either way, I signed up that day then randomly met my future husband that evening. Clearly was meant to be!
My PhD taught me how to think and how to deliver my research in a useful and applied way. I also learned how to spot a potential paper in pretty much anything! Even though most of my work is project based, I do my best to structure it so that most work packages lead to a paper. My time as a postgrad also taught me how to deal with people and challenging situations, particularly regarding the type of supervisor and team leader I aspire to be.
Consider non-academic career pathways – there are many benefits and opportunities in working for government or industry. Be open to changing fields or at least taking a sidestep. A PhD teaches you how to think and you don't need to stay forever in the specific field that you studied.
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