Job Satisfaction at ANSTO

Project management, mechanical design, document reviews, inspection of mechanical systems, reading technical drawings, liaising with contractors and suppliers

Research scientist, running experiments, preparing samples for analysis by specialist facilities on site, data analysis, reading literature, potentially writing papers

As someone very new to my role, i undertake a lot of lab work under the direct supervision of my supervisor. he and i work together as a team in the lab. outside of the lab, as i am still learning about the area, i am writing a literature review with the goal of increasing my understanding and perhaps publication.

Day-to-day responsibilities usually include chemical synthesis and work up for a variety of projects either related to method development, drug synthesis or assisting other members of the team with precursor chemicals. if i'm not in the lab, there is lots of emails, paperwork and risk assessments to be tended to. it sounds tedious but its a fine break from the lab work sometimes if the chemistry isn't going as expected.

I assist the government team with preparing for senate estimates and coordinate information to write and disseminate to the relevant government bodies. in addition, we organise vip visits and write the corporate plan & annual report for the organisation.

Commercialise research, from industry engagement, finding appropriate partners as well as implementing projects with commercial outcomes. day to day this looks like a lot of market research to back up potential opportunities, attending industry events to promote ansto capabilities as well as liaising with potential clients for the development of new business opportunities.

In my role i monitor and maintain parts of the production facility, including completing work orders and undertaking reviews and risk assessments.

My work mostly resides in the research and development area of ansto. the work in my current role revolves around radiation detection. this involves a constant mix of hands-on and computer based work. as part of this radiation detection group, i am able to enhance my skills in coding and in practical experience through the building and testing of detector systems.

Diagnose and repair bugs and faults in detector hardware and software. design and improvement of detectors and data acquisition systems.

Each of the three groups i have rotated through have given me new skills (practical troubleshooting, running experiments, computational work). i have enjoyed the mixture of active team work and individual tasks as i have become more established and self-reliant.

Optimise and improve radiopharmaceutical processes

I have had a really wide range of opportunities. i have managed science based events, written education programs, developed workshops and coordinated major outreach events.

My role is to be a project engineer, running projects that arise around site from start to finish. my day-to-day responsibilities can vary greatly, from planning projects, designing processes and equipment, managing people and constantly learning about the different work and research areas the company is involved with.

Manage multiple projects in the field of process improvements

My main role is to engage local students and teachers in stem through shows, workshops and other events. i am trusted with a lot of responsibility, but also have the support around me that i need.

As an environmental researcher, no day is ever the same. days may include reading papers, conducting fieldwork or spending hours in the lab preparing and analysing samples.

Engineering to deliver a new radio-pharmaceutical production plant, overseeing contractors, reviewing work, ensuring compliance.

Day-to-day i am constantly learning and being challenged with new technical tasks as well as concepts that are new to me.

I am currently on my second rotation with th egraduate program. i am working with the instrumentation & ccontrol engineering team in the reactor operations department of nuclear operations. my duties include collating information and documenting calculations for the operational guidelines for the reactor.

I work on maintenance and upgrades to reactor systems - on a day to day basis this means reviewing performance, responding to plant performance issues, and planning maintenance strategies. soon i am transitioning into a role as project engineer for some major system upgrades in the reactor - this will involve tooling design, testing in a mock-up, procurement of new systems, planning of installation and supervision of operators.