Meet Sydney’s Young Professional Engineer of 2016 Thursday, 03 November 2016

Jacquelyn Osborne GradIEAust was recently named the Young Professional Engineer of the Year at the Australian Engineering Excellence Awards Sydney 2016. She was recognised for her outstanding contribution to the Australian community, delivering water and waste water treatment solutions as a Process Engineer with City Water Technology (CWT).

What inspired you to become an engineer?   

Growing up, I loved puzzles and problem solving – I still do! Chemistry was one of my favourite subjects, but I never really enjoyed lab work because I found it hard to see the practical application of results. I didn’t ever think about engineering until submitting university preferences and then Chemical Engineering just seemed like a natural choice.

What do you enjoy most about your work?    

The variety of work and the people. Working for CWT, a small consultancy, I have been exposed to a wide variety of projects, each with its own challenges, something I never would have had in such a short time if working for a large firm. My development has also been fostered by the support of my colleagues and our collaborative work environment. CWT is a great company so I look forward to coming to work every day.


Image: Jacquelyn at Carmila Beach, Central Queensland during WTP inspections.

What has been your career highlight to date?

A week-long road trip through central Queensland inspecting water treatment plants and updating a council’s Drinking Water Quality Management Plan for submission to the Department of Energy and Water Supply. In five days, my colleague and I inspected 8 water treatment plants (WTPs) and travelled over 1000km.

What do you credit as the secret to your success in the workplace? 

My hard work and flexibility have certainly paid off. It’s important to be open to doing all kinds of work, even if it’s not exactly what you want to do. I realised very early on that I liked some aspects of the job more than others, but that all were equally important to providing the client with a complete solution to their problem.

Complete this sentence: Not many people know this, but…

My fall back if engineering didn’t work out was to become a chef. I’ve always had a passion for cooking, winning prizes for my cakes at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. I studied hospitality in high school and was even offered an apprenticeship at a Sydney restaurant.

What does it mean to you to win Sydney’s 2016 Young Professional Engineer of the Year award?

This award is recognition of the hard work and dedication it’s taken to get to where I am. Being a young, female engineer, working for a small consultancy on projects in mainly rural and regional areas, it can be hard to get people to respect your knowledge and experience. This award will help to prove that it doesn’t matter who you work for or whether you’re male or female, but what counts is how you engage with people and the effort you put into your work. I’ve learnt so much already, I’m excited to see what the future holds!

Feature image: Jacquelyn Osborne receiving the Young Professional Engineer of the year award from Hon Victor Dominello, Minister for Innovation and Better regulation, at Engineering Excellence Awards Sydney 2016.