Clarrie Macklin

Studying Geophysics equipped Clarrie with the understanding of earth sciences, maths, and physics and the ability to communicate complex and diverse ideas.

My interest in studying Geophysics was based on the school subjects I enjoyed the most, Geography and English. It sounded challenging and covered a broad range of topics. The job outlook at the end of the degree looked good and I would pick up a bunch of transferable skills.

I enjoyed learning about Earth and the complex systems that sustain life and shape the planet that we see today. I liked the component of field work with Geophysics and became drawn to the climate science side of the field. What surprised me is how diverse the subject range is in Earth sciences: subjects such as resource exploration, hazards, and climate studies all fit under the same umbrella of disciplines. I found my major in English to be extremely useful in developing the writing component of my study and this gave me a real edge in the later years of my degree.

After I finished my MSc, I stayed on in the Antarctic Research Centre as a research assistant. Researchers in the centre were interested in the method of modelling glaciers I had used in my Master’s degree and wanted to apply it to other glaciers. My skills became valuable in that way: I became the in-house expert in the most useful glacier modelling software at the time. Near the end of this role, a friend who also completed a Master of Geophysics tapped me on the shoulder asking if I needed work. The job was to write a paper on earthquake modelling, a different topic but I managed to transfer the skills from my studies into the role, mainly in programming and physics. I ended up extending a three-month contract to a year.

Completing a Master’s degree acts as proof I can research. I can now digest complex academic papers and summarise findings. In other words, I speak the "language" of glaciology, mathematics, and earthquake physics. I learned how to stick with a longer-term project and condense it into a single document and how to edit and work collaboratively with a team.

My advice to future Geophysics students is to go for a summer scholarship, if there is one available. It can be a good summer job and it looks great to have some research chops going into industry. Learn to code before you get to postgraduate level if possible, you will save yourself hours of pain. Degrees that are heavier on the Mathematics and Computer Science side will be an enormous help down the line. A lot of great geophysicists tend to cross over from physics or computer science backgrounds. Subjects such as remote sensing and artificial intelligence are in vogue and are becoming increasingly important in the field.