Geoscience Australia's Graduate Recruitment Program

Emma's Story

I was one of Geoscience Australia's first graduates, joining in the first year of the Graduate Recruitment program in 2001. I have enjoyed working at Geoscience Australia so much that I am still here! And I am not just saying that because I was asked to write about my experiences of the program for the website. During my graduate year, and thereafter, I have always felt that Geoscience Australia gives you the opportunity to do exciting and relevant science, and to be able to learn and develop along a path that you are passionate about. Staff are similarly passionate and positive about what they do and there is much support in regards to assistance in IT, graphic design and figures for reports and presentations etc, GIS, and field logistics support.

I am currently working in the Coastal Research and Management Project as an environmental scientist researching nutrient cycling within Australia's estuaries. I joined the coastal group following my graduate year and since then have conducted field work and studies on estuaries in southern NSW, southwest Western Australia and the Coorong in South Australia. I find the work very rewarding because it has direct relevance to the communities living around and using the estuaries, who are similarly concerned about their environmental condition.

Working conditions are also very flexible, and I have been able to pursue passions outside of work, such as Mountain Running, where I have had international success winning the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships two years consecutively, in 2005 in the Pyrenees in France and 2006 in Colorado, USA.