I ran and maintained the magnetron sputter system. This involved, cleaning and maintaining vacuum chambers and systems, cleaning and growing samples, and measuring the magnetic properties of these samples. I got the opportunity to use Atomic Force Microscopes, Magnetron Sputterers, and Ion Implanters.

I enjoyed getting to learn more about how academic research is conducted and getting to work with a likeminded group of people. It was amazing to work with top engineering students from across New Zealand, as well as internationally acclaimed academics, and get to work together to progress current engineering research.

Massey encourages hands on group projects with presentations and technical reports. This vastly put me at an advantage compared to even postgraduate students who were in similar roles to me, as the presentation and group skills taught by Massey had prepared me perfectly for the work environment.

What surprised me was how the environment was really chill, and I met so many other students that faced similar challenges to me. Particularly, I met other neurodivergent women being successful in STEM, without being ashamed of the way their brains worked. It gave me hope that I can reach similar levels of success, which I had never felt before. I also met other successful engineering and science students who were queer which really shocked me to see how progressive applied physics and engineering research is becoming! This further gave me hope that I could feel welcome in this industry in the future.

Finally I was surprised that even with people caring about getting their work done to a high standard, we still had social evenings and a low workload compared to uni.

I plan to continue to do postgraduate study in the realms of applied physics, material science or engineering. This might look like returning to Robinson Research Institute working on their mechatronics, superconductor, or space team. If the opportunity arises, I’m also open to leaving NZ for postgrad.