Engineering graduate Nusrat Binte Nijam peppered her pathway with a string of extracurriculars
As a kid, Nusrat was particularly drawn to physics, admiring the field for its logic, laws and numbers, and how they were applied.
“It was that curiosity in how the world worked that made me choose engineering,” says the now Sydney-based grad. Originally from Bangladesh, Nusrat relocated to Australia after high school.
Already sold on engineering, she fell in love with Macquarie University’s grounds and state-of-the-art mechatronics facility.
“It really stood out as a uni with a rich legacy in STEM fields,” she says.
Campus life
Enrolling in Macquarie’s Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronics, Robotics and Automation) proved a perfect fit, as did the string of extracurriculars Nusrat signed up for. She was involved in mentoring, joined the debating club, participated in Macquarie’s FIRST Robotics program and was a student rep for the uni’s Faculty of Science and Engineering.
When she wasn’t hitting up lectures and sitting exams? She became Macquarie’s Engineers Australia student ambassador too.
“Doing these extracurricular activities really helped my networking skills,” Nusrat stresses. “It’s in fact how I landed my internship and graduate job.”
On track
As a third year, Nusrat signed up for the Macquarie Analogue Devices (MAD) Lab, where she gained experience in instrument calibration and measuring high-frequency data. This eventually led to her honours thesis, which involved studying circuit design, hardware and testing. Earlier this year, Nusrat landed her first big engineering gig, as a graduate train engineer at Downer.
She spends 9-to-5 supporting the maintenance and reliability of passenger fleets in Sydney, and is responsible for train communications and surveillance sub-systems. And yes, in true do-it-all fashion, she also juggles voluntary positions at Engineers Australia and Young Transport Professionals.
Her advice to curious undergrads? “Saying yes to opportunities can take us a long way!”
Nusrat’s pathway to information and communication technology engineering
- Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronics, Robotics and Automation Engineering) (Honours), Macquarie University
- Engineering Intern, Macquarie University
- Graduate Engineer, Downer
This profile originally appeared in Careers with STEM: Engineering 2025, and was produced in partnership with Macquarie University.
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