I have over 30 years experience spent in public and private research sectors. Having been in academia and research environments for many years now, my passion as I transition into more ‘mature’ years, is to ensure we communicate better. I am also passionate about education and am committed to ensuring we deliver some innovative short courses and opportunities for engagement either through field activities or face-face.
One of my key strengths is my ability to read the landscape. Having received my formal training in Ireland and then coming to work in Australia, I never have had a ‘fixed’ notion of how river landscapes ‘should look’. As a result, I interpret catchment systems based largely on first principles. This allows me to consider processes at any spatial or temporal scale- from plots to large basins, but always with an eye for how the system as a whole might respond or be affected. This also spills into how I communicate; I am a self-confessed big picture communicator so I have the ability to distil large and often complex ideas into simple, easy to understand concepts.
I am prone to think fairly quickly but can often forget to pause long enough to communicate clearly or sensitively – just ask my children- they will tell you that as quick as I can be giving feedback on their assignments, it’s often not delivered in the most thoughtful manner! I also tend to assume that everyone thinks like me- although thanks to all who have pointed this out- I am definitely getting better at rectifying that.
