30 November 2021
Thi Quang Linh Tran
Master of Engineering (Water Resources Management)
As a child, Thi Quang Linh Tran was in awe of the women in her life as engineers or scientists. Looking up to them as talented, strong, intelligent and dedicated individuals, this admiration naturally progressed into a genuine interest in engineering and science.
Even before she enrolled in engineering at university in her home country of Vietnam, Linh loved spending time immersed in science papers and trying her hand at solving complex engineering problems.
Despite being one of the few women in the industry, Linh threw herself into the construction, operation and maintenance of refineries, as well as structural fabrication projects, as a Project Coordinator at one of Vietnam’s most prolific engineering organisations, PTSC.
Through her role supporting these major project teams and managing project activities to achieve the planned completion, she had the chance to meet people from all walks of life and build up her solid technical knowledge, as well as her project management skills.
In this role, Linh also discovered a passion for working towards more sustainable options within our environment. Recognising the fact that while parts of the world are beginning to pay attention to such environmental ethics, there’s still a large portion of the world where these goals seem unviable, and has tremendous economic and health impacts on these communities.
“While the world is starting to pay more attention to sustainability, I still feel that these goals in many places around the world are something that is particularly hard to reach for many communities” Linh says.
“I desire to bring sustainability closer to these people, organisations and governments with an easier way and definition. Water and environment are typical examples of sustainability, they exist in our lives daily, so by saving water and protecting environment means we are achieving more sustainable outcomes.”
This revelation led her to embarking on a Master of Engineering (Water Resources Management) at the University of South Australia through the Australia Awards Scholarships and the experience opened up a whole other world and expertise in conserving such precious resources.
The Australia Awards Scholarships are long-term development awards supported by the Australian Government and offer emerging leaders in developing countries the opportunity to undertake full-time study in Australia in priority fields to build networks to drive change and contribute to development.
Born and raised in a similarly relaxed and peaceful town in Vietnam, after endless research into many international graduate programs, Linh fell in love with Adelaide right after she came across the program and lifestyle.
“From the first moment I arrived in Adelaide, I felt like it was my second home city.”
“Adelaide and UniSA were both lovely places to live and study, and it was easy to make the most of my academic journey – and try to widen your network by making friends – by participating in the many events, festivals and workshops the city had on.”
“After two years of living in Adelaide I know I made a great choice, I always felt at home when I was in Adelaide. What I miss the most now is the festive atmosphere. It helped me to overcome the loneliness of living apart from my family.”
“Always remember that you are not alone in Adelaide and at UniSA.”
The experience and qualifications she gained here also proved professionally fruitful as well and on returning home to Vietnam, Linh landed a role with the LEGO Group, developing sustainable strategies with the ambition to create zero impact on the community.
Still after such professional success, Linh is conscious of the fact these opportunities are hard to come by and she remains a staunch advocate for gender equity in similar STEM careers in Vietnam and the rest of the world.
This resolve has infiltrated other parts of her life and work too, and she continues to use her voice not only for other aspiring women in the industry but as a defender of sustainable engineering and leaving the world a better place than we found it.
“My proudest achievement is the fact I have even become a female engineer, especially a sustainable engineer. I say that because there are still biases about gender in engineering.”
“Although we have successfully established associations like Women in Engineering, there is still an urge to promote more chances for girls and women to be rewarded as equally as men.”
“People tend to ignore or underestimate the environmental impacts too, particularly when faced with budget constraints, so I have to be brave to raise my voice to protect our ultimate sustainability goals.”
