Our next lady in the spot light is one we’re rather fond of. She’s been in our midst since 2011 and she definitely has some HERA blood pumping through her veins!
Meet Audsley Jones, HERA Scholar and PhD candidate at the University of Canterbury, Department of Civil and Natural Resources.
Since 2013 she’s been undertaking research in developing open source buckling restrained brace designs for the New Zealand building industry, including design and testing provisions. And prior to that, she worked as a Structural Engineer as part of our HERA Structural Systems team!
Having done a masters in Earthquake Engineering, she fits seamlessly in with our team and the seismic research we are conducting. Bringing her understanding of structural reliability analysis, earthquake design and drive to her work.
What do you love about your job?
As a PhD candidate coming from industry, I’ve enjoyed building a range of relationships across industry – from fabricators, lab staff to academia.
The ability to view engineering from both the academic and industry perspective (which differ widely in practicality and progressiveness) has also been something I’ve really loved experiencing.
What are the key challenges facing women in Engineering?
In my personal experience, the ability to be heard and considered based on my gender and the “old boys club” norm has been a challenge, although one that builds resilience and character.
Women also think differently to their male counterparts, this is an asset to any company to have this diversity. However, some environments are yet to adapt to this diversity.
As one engineer said to me “when a women speaks, you should listen, as she has considered all options before speaking up”.
What impact do you want to make in your career?
My aim is to have a PhD that is practical both academically but more so for industry application, changing the way we view and implement new technology into our structures.
I have a heart for humanitarian work, so to be able to serve those that do not have access to the same materials/technologies as we are fortunate in New Zealand to have, and provide impact (even small) through solutions in these environments would be satisfying.