Past Graduates Profiles

Katherine Daniell

Why study Civil Engineering

I have always been fascinated by how the world works and how people shape their environments in the pursuit of increased well-being. I believe that achieving sustainable development and avoiding further environmental degradation and resource depletion is essential, and so I wanted to discover how to better design and manage our societal and environmental systems to help meet these aims. Studying Civil Engineering (and Arts) gave me this opportunity and allowed me to better understand how socio-environmental problems develop and to learn how to solve them.

What did I learn?

Civil Engineering provided me with a diverse range of skills, from technical analysis and design of structures to more conceptual and managerial skills, such as how to define problems and how to work with, and lead, groups of people to solve them. The development of this very broad and multi-disciplinary skill set has allowed me to pursue my goals of evaluating and developing solutions for today's challenging socio-environmental problems.

Where am I now?

I am currently in France in my final year of a PhD in water management and sustainable development which focuses on how multi-stakeholder decision making processes can be better aided, in order to drive and encourage the collective adoption of sustainable water practices and technologies at a regional, national and international level. During the second year of my PhD, I was involved in the design and facilitation of a participatory process for the creation of the Lower Hawkesbury Estuary Management Plan, a regional planning project funded by the Hornsby Shire Council in NSW, Australia. I am currently working on a participatory risk management process, 'living with floods and droughts', in the Sofia region of Bulgaria, as part of the European Project, 'AquaStress'.

Phil Crawley

Why Civil Engineering?

In high school I thoroughly enjoyed Maths and Science subjects and therefore undertaking a degree in Engineering was a logical choice. My father was also a Civil Engineer and as a result I had first hand exposure to the very diverse range of opportunities and activities that this discipline has to offer. Following five years experience in Consulting Engineering, the opportunity arose to return to University to undertake post-graduate studies. Both my Masters and Doctoral research projects were industry based and were subsequently utilised to deliver significant, tangible cost savings.

What did I learn?

My undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering provided a solid base of technical skills and training in problem solving. Real world design projects in third and final year together with vacation work experience provided a taste of what a future career in Civil Engineering might hold. Benefits of my period as a post-graduate at the University of Adelaide included the development of a strong research skill base and significantly enhanced report writing capabilities. The broad nature of my Doctoral studies (which included elements of water resources planning and management, risk analysis, computer programming, systems analysis, electrical engineering, and psychology (!)) also required the interaction with people from a wide range of backgrounds and provided opportunity for the development of people skills.

Where am I now?

I am currently the Deputy Managing Director of Tonkin Consulting. Tonkin Consulting is a South Australian Consulting Engineering firm employing over 100 personnel and delivering consulting services in engineering and science to a broad range of public and private sector clients. One of the main reasons for returning to work for Tonkin Consulting for a second time was that the firm is passionate about what they do and are strongly focussed on providing an environment that allows people to produce their best work.