Violet Le

What’s your job about?

I’m currently working as a Development Engineer in the Asset Management System team at Powerlink Queensland. Powerlink is a Government Owned Corporation that builds, owns, operates, and maintains the high voltage transmissions network across Queensland. Essentially, we deliver power from the generation source to the distribution network, from which electricity is then delivered to the homes and businesses across Queensland. As Queensland’s transmission network service provider (TNSP), Powerlink is playing an increasingly vital role in the energy transformation by ensuring renewable energy projects can be efficiently and reliably integrated into the electricity grid to meet the growing demand for clean and sustainable energy.

My team leads the delivery of asset data analytics services and solutions by using enterprise toolsets such as Tableau and Alteryx. We use Alteryx to build automated analytics solutions that require collecting, preparing, and blending data from multiple disparate sources. Whereas Tableau offers a wide range of data visualization capabilities and is predominantly used to develop dashboards to enable decision support.

My role in the Asset Management team is focused on working with the Asset Strategies team to research, recommend, and then develop a methodology for assessing and visualizing the vulnerabilities of our transmission network when exposed to external threats such as climate change and severe weather events. The objective for this project is to develop a proof-of-concept dashboard that can visualize any potential network vulnerabilities to climate change and extreme weather and determine why.

What’s your background?

I’ve lived in Brisbane since I was one year old. My parents were part of the last wave of Vietnamese boat refugees and I was born in a refugee camp on an island near the coast of Indonesia whilst my family were seeking asylum there. My family’s humble beginnings have always instilled in me an immense sense of gratitude and a lifelong passion for learning. I never knew what I wanted to be growing up, but I’ve always been curious, I love to learn, and I knew I wanted to contribute to a more sustainable and equitable future. 

After high school, I decided to study psychology at the university, as I was really interested in human behavior and wanted to help people with mental health conditions. Somewhere along the way. I learned more and more about engineering and the potential that STEM had for bringing about social change and impact. I felt that engineering could enable me to make a difference on a wider scale than psychology, so not long after completing my first degree, I went back to university to study mechatronic engineering.

Going back to uni to study engineering was the most challenging, rewarding, and transformative experience I’ve ever had. Becoming an active member of the engineering community at university opened up so many doors and opportunities to me that I never would have dreamed possible. And the fact that I now get to work in the energy space and help contribute to a clean energy future is just incredible. 

Could someone with a different background do your job?

Yes – absolutely. To me, engineering is the practice of applying science and maths to solve problems. Though it helps to have an affinity for maths and science to excel in an engineering role, I believe that the most important characteristics one should have to succeed in the job are:

• Have a growth mindset and be willing to learn.
• Be curious and enjoy solving problems.
• Enjoy working collaboratively with other people.

As a development engineer, you will be rotating through different areas of the business. So it is essential that you have an open mind, are willing to learn, and enjoy meeting new people and tackling diverse challenges.

What is the coolest thing about your job?

The coolest thing about my job is that I get to learn new technology and software such as Alteryx and Tableau, which are both industry standards in the business intelligence and data analytics space. My current project in the Asset Management System team is also quite unique in that it encompasses a lot of research and development work, as vulnerability assessments are very new in the TNSP space but are becoming increasingly critical.

What are the limitations of your job?

One of the limitations of my current job is that it is an office-based job with limited exposure to site visits. Also, because Asset Management System specializes in delivering asset data analytics solutions, we mainly interface with the Asset Strategies and Planning teams. So there is also limited exposure to other areas of the business outside of these teams.

3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student

• Find out what you’re passionate about and what gets you excited about the future – and then put your hand up for any opportunities that will help get you there.
• Great people do things before they’re ready, so go out there and get involved in as many student communities as you can because they will welcome you no matter the level of experience you have.
• Eat as much smashed avo on toast on a chill Wednesday morning as you can whilst you’ve got the freedom and time to do so because your week fills up quick when you start working full-time!