Leverage for a successful engineering career

Griffith Alumnus, Rachelle Willis, completed her Bachelor of Engineering (Environmental) in 2006 and PhD in 2011 and now works in Western Australian for Western Power.

Dr Willis chose to do her PhD at Griffith due to the offer of an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage PhD candidacy that saw the University lead a major smart metering study, involving Gold Coast Water, Wide Bay Water, the Queensland Water Directorate and the Institute for Sustainable Futures (UTS).

“I was impressed with the practical and applied research portfolio which was proposed and the option of industry placement. Completing my PhD with Griffith gave me an excellent breadth of both academic and industry experience, which resulted in the publication of many journal papers and use of outcomes immediately within Gold Coast Water,” she said.

Dr Willis chose to study at Griffith after doing the Open Day rounds of Brisbane Universities.

“Griffith was the stand out university for me. The professors and lecturers took the time to explain the course and outlined career paths that other students had taken after completing Environmental Engineering at Griffith,” she said.

Core experiences gained while studying assist Dr Willis daily in her role as the Land Access Team Leader at Western Power.

“My job is to lead the team to secure land access, environment, development and stakeholder approvals to facilitate asset placement and maintenance of the electricity network known as the South West Interconnected System in Western Australia. Undertaking courses at Griffith in project management, environmental regulations and management, planning of infrastructure and the understanding of sustainable innovations to avoid or minimise impacts on the environment, community and economy are put to use everyday in this role,” she said.

Dr Willis encourages high school students to attend open day and to consider studying engineering.

“Engineering is a diverse, interesting and exciting profession. Engineers design, create, innovate and provide critical infrastructure for the community. They also provide critical advice on policy, economics, infrastructure and the community for a resilient future,” she said.

To find out more about Engineering at Griffith visit tomorrow for Open Day. Sunday August 10, all campuses.