What's your job about?
I work as a Research and Development (R&D) engineer at Xtralis, a company owned by Honeywell, to help design, develop and improve smoke detectors and indoor air-quality (IAQ) devices. My role varies day-to-day, ranging from writing firmware in C/C++ on microcontrollers for our products, writing software in Python to interface with devices or automate processes for testing, designing or updating hardware schematics and PCBs, and debugging devices.
I did a lot of work on a product called VESDA-Air, which is a combined smoke and IAQ detector. I was heavily involved in development of programming, calibration and test procedures and fixtures for the sensor modules used in IAQ monitoring. An exciting task I completed was creating an interface board to be used for sensor setup and performance testing. The task involved reading datasheets, choosing electronic components, designing the PCB, troubleshooting the design, coding a software driver to communicate with the sensor and designing a user interface for logging data and sensor calibration.
The work is usually very hands-on and engaging; I use a lot of electrical, coding and data analysis knowledge from my degree, and I’m still learning lots. I’ve also got a heap of devices on my desk that I frequently use, including Xtralis and Honeywell products, microcontrollers, development boards, an oscilloscope and power supply.
What's your background?
I’m originally from sunny South-East Queensland and moved down to Melbourne to attend Monash University and pursue amazing opportunities. I really enjoy being hands-on and making things light up, so I studied a double degree of Engineering (Electrical and Computer Systems) and Science (Major in Computational Science & Minor in Physiology). Our first engineering project was to create a lamp from scratch which was super fun and confirmed my choice of electrical engineering.
I absolutely loved being involved and making an impact at Monash. I was fortunate enough to become a PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) leader in second year, which led into a Teaching Associate role within the Engineering Faculty, so I’ve had the pleasure of teaching many engineering units and interacting with many students since. I was also heavily involved in student clubs like MESS (Monash Engineering Students’ Society) as their Academic Vice President and IT Officer, and SMEE (Society of Monash Electrical Engineers) as their Secretary; as well as student team MDN (Monash DeepNeuron) as an Industry Partnerships Manger and projects team member.
These roles helped me develop the soft and technical skills and experience required for my internships with Transurban, Telstra and Invetech, which in turn helped me mature as a graduate engineer. I applied to Honeywell as a Project Engineer and R&D Engineer initially, and after the graduate application process and some discussion, accepted a position as an R&D Engineer at Xtralis, Honeywell.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes, I work in a diverse team consisting of people of different ages, cultures and experiences. We all bring in different ideas and skills which help us identify critical problems and form innovative solutions. However, having a keen engineering mind is crucial, as there is a lot of technical information to process and understand. Other important characteristics to have include teamwork, communication and being able to learn and adapt for each task.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
The coolest thing about my job is the fact that I help develop life-critical safety equipment which is used worldwide in all types of buildings and facilities, enabling those occupants to carry-on with their own potentially lifesaving or ground-breaking work. I also really enjoy applying my technical and problem-solving skills in hands-on engineering tasks to design and develop a tangible product, learning heaps in the process.
What are the limitations of your job?
A limitation to my job is that I mainly work from the office (despite being offered hybrid work at Honeywell), as I am frequently requiring hardware and equipment in the office. However, that means I get to see my colleagues, receive support and ask lots of questions.
Another limitation is that we sometimes have early morning or late evening meetings, as we work with other international engineering sites and must account for their time zones. On these days we schedule our day accordingly (start and finish early, or start and finish late, or take a break during the day).
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...
If I could go back in time and give myself advice, I wouldn’t change anything… but my top tips for students would be: