Growing up in Australia after fleeing war as a child motivated Mathan, corporal and airborne electonic analyst, to join Defence
Airborne electronic analyst Mathan was born in northern Sri Lanka in 1995, when a civil war was raging, forcing his family to flee their home country.
“Migrating to Australia allowed my family to raise us safely and offered them an opportunity to work and build their lives back up,” he says.
Mathan felt grateful for growing up in Australia and this gave him the motivation to give back in a Defence career.
He’s now an airborne electronic analyst in the Air Force, responsible for operating a suite of sensors on the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft: “My analysis of incoming data is crucial to the success of missions.”
He loves that his role is objective-focused, that he gets a sense of achievement every time he steps off the aircraft, and that Defence provides a supportive environment, chaplains, psychologists and workshops: “I’ve also been fortunate to have a supportive chain of command at my unit who encourage us to pursue opportunities for professional and personal development.”
Mathan’s study and career path to becoming an airborne electronic analyst
- Employment training
- Military training
- Airborne Electronic Analyst, Air Force
This article was first published in Careers with STEM: Defence 2023. For more Defence role models, head to our STEM + Defence role model hub!
