Are maths and physics! See how they can help land you an engineering career that’s good for the planet
Want a STEM job that’ll have an impact? Consider a net zero career in renewable energy engineering. Renewable energy engineers will help Australia achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 through their work in renewable energy technologies like solar, wind, biomass and smart grids. Australia is a world leader in photovoltaics, which is the use and manufacture of solar cells to power virtually anything electrical.
To set yourself up now for a renewable energy career, you’ll need to study maths (the language of STEM) and physics at school.
Take it from Jamie Harrison, a PhD Student in photovoltaics at UNSW.
Jamie always planned on following an English pathway at uni, so she never took up physics. But in her final year of high school in Canada, she took a calculus class and it completely changed her mind about the science subject.
“I had already applied to university by that point as an English major,” Jamie says. “I emailed the university at the last minute and asked: Could I do a major in physics and a major in English?”
The answer was yes and after some catch up classes to get a high school physics credit, Jamie was on a new path to her current career researching solar panels in space!
By the end of uni, Jamie says she had fallen in love with physics and wanted to use it to do something meaningful.
“I thought if I could do something related to energy or climate change that would be ideal for me because it would combine a personal passion with something academic.”
With her understanding of physics, Jamie says she understood the technology behind solar energy, and after looking for a PhD opportunity in this field she landed on UNSW, which has an internationally recognised team of pioneers in solar energy who’ve made world-first discoveries.
Jamie now works on the type of solar panels used to power satellites. Her current project is working out how to make these solar panels super tough so they last longer in the harsh environment of space.
Future study pathways
If you want to solve global energy challenges, specialise in solar, wind, or grid integration, and drive the transition to net zero, enrol in one of the following UNSW degrees:
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Renewable Energy)
- Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Photovoltaics and Solar Energy)
Or check out their Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) double degrees.
The required subjects for these degrees are physics and maths, so sticking with them now will leave you in a great position to pursue an exciting net zero career.
This feature was brought to you in partnership with UNSW’s School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering (SPREE).
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