Can you provide an overview of your career journey so far?
After my time at Hills Grammar, I went on to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics at the University of Sydney. During my time there I completed a couple of internships, one in the finance industry, and one at the CSIRO, where I had my first taste of research. After completing my bachelor’s I worked in the finance industry for a year or two, before starting my PhD in Applied Mathematics at the University of New South Wales. My topic was between two fields, Physical Oceanography, and Dynamical Systems, where I had a wonderful experience researching how the ocean transports and mixes heat, salt, nutrients, and all sorts of other material (like plastic!). I completed my PhD in 2022, and moved to the Netherlands in 2023, to take up a postdoctoral research position at Utrecht University, where I use super high-resolution ocean simulations and numerical models to understand how plastic (and other pollutants) are dispersed throughout the ocean.
What inspired you to pursue this career path?
There have been a number of small nudges that led me to the path I’m on today. However, I can safely say that the number one reason I chose to study mathematics in the first place is because of the guidance and support I had from Dr Peter Coutis, a maths teacher of mine at Hills Grammar. Funnily enough, Dr Coutis also completed a PhD in applied mathematics at UNSW, and also in oceanography/fluid dynamics! While I think a common experience amongst students is that “mathematics is too hard”, Dr Coutis showed me the beauty and power of mathematics, and its usefulness in society. Another inspiration was during my bachelor’s degree. I had a professor, Dr Geoff Vasil, who taught a course on fluid dynamics which inspired me to pursue fluid dynamics and oceanography as a research topic for a PhD. During my PhD I learnt more and more about how the research I’m doing can help society better understand its impact on the ocean and our climate, leading to my current role in Utrecht.
What are your future aspirations?
In the short term, I’d like to improve the numerical models we use today to better understand the spatial concentration of plastics in our oceans. Understanding where (and how much) plastic is in the ocean will help us to better predict and protect the biodiversity of marine and coastal ecosystems. My longer term ambition is to improve our understanding of how climate relevant properties (e.g, heat, salt, dissolved carbon) and pollutants (e.g., plastic, oil, mercury) are transported and mixed throughout the ocean. With a changing climate, the systems of ocean currents we know today may destabilise, such as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation which has been in the news quite a lot recently due to new predictions of its collapse by the end of the century. Understanding how our ocean will change due to climate change (and the subsequent impacts on marine life and our society) is my ultimate priority.
What advice can you give to our Hills Originals?
The best advice I can give is to follow your passions, and that it’s okay if your passions change. You don’t have to know what you want to do with your life right away. I once had a passion for financial mathematics and worked on a trading floor of a big bank wearing a suit and tie. Now I model how plastic moves around the ocean in my jeans and sneakers (and raincoat, the Netherlands is quite a rainy place). Do what you love, and the rest will follow!
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