Anika Wenceslao

Graduate Mechanical Engineer
Bachelor Engineering (Mechanical) Honours, UTS

Tell us about your educational background, what did you study at uni and where?

I graduated from a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) Honours Diploma in Professional Practice in July 2021 at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

Why did you decide to work at Thales?

I was introduced to Thales through my Thales mentor when I was an undergraduate in the Lucy Mentoring program at UTS. I completed my second month full time internship (an undergraduate requirement at UTS) under the Thales Senior Cooperative Scholarship in 2020. I enjoyed the work and was able to successfully transition into a full-time contract in 2021 and then moved into the Graduate Program in 2022.

What is your role and what do you do?

I’m a Graduate Mechanical Engineer part of the Underwater Systems business unit. I’m either working on testing, design and development on the mechanical receiver arm of our new generational Sonoflash (a deployable sonar system) or working on a R&D project called ‘MCM In a Day’ with TASDCRC which involves demonstrating a heterogenous team of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles.

Do you think someone with a different educational background could do your role?

I think it definitely depends on the person! The relevant bachelor’s degree would be the minimum requirement in industry as an engineer but a dedicated person who’s applied the relevant skills in their own projects, has a willingness to learn and is inherently motivated could succeed anywhere.

What do you enjoy about your job?

The unique projects & the intelligent people I can learn from.

What’s the most challenging part of your job?

I’d say solving problems in large teams and ensuring sub-systems in a large, complex system interface correctly.

What do you enjoy about working in your team?

Their expertise – a lot of them are so intelligent and passionate about engineering. They often work on their own projects outside of work and it inspires me. They don’t mind me asking silly questions every now and then, which as a graduate is very appreciated.

What are your hobbies and what do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I like to take a break from engineering at work with exercise through the gym, yoga classes and walking. I enjoy creative activities to do with painting and art. I’m also big on trying new cafes, bars and restaurants!

What is something interesting about you that people might not know?

I am really good at thrift shopping, I am great at finding things and I collect too many things.

What’s the best bit of advice someone ever gave you?

No one is 100% ‘ready’ for anything, sometimes you just have to say yes and go for it.

What are five words that describe you?

Motivated, Friendly, Adaptable, Genuine, Balanced

What are five words that describe your experience at Thales?

Flexible, Diverse, Global, Innovative, Extensive

I am extraordinary because…

I have a positive attitude and I’m always down to give things a go.

Ben Fleming

Graduate Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) Engineer
Bachelor of Science, University of Melbourne

Tell us about your educational background, what did you study at uni and where?

Coming out of school, I knew I wanted to go in the engineering direction, so I enrolled in the Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne. After getting a taste of various engineering disciplines in my first year, I decided to major in mechatronic and mechanical systems. Following the ‘Melbourne Model’, I went straight into a Master of Mechanical Engineering with Aerospace, which saved a year of study using credit from my 3rd year Science subjects.

Why did you decide to work at Thales?

I had never heard of Thales before seeing them listed on GradConnection, and so I looked into what the company did and what it was all about. I liked what I saw; a wide range of very interesting projects spread all around Australia and beyond, including an opportunity in my hometown of Melbourne. Having studied aerospace, I thought that getting onto the OneSKY program would be an interesting first step in my career where I could learn plenty, including an entirely new discipline to me, ILS. The plethora of opportunities available within Thales was also very attractive, if and when I decided to move on from the project.

What is your role and what do you do?

I am a Graduate ILS (Integrated Logistics Support) Engineer on the OneSKY program in Melbourne. The objective of ILS is to provide an optimised support system for the project solution. Meaning we look at how and how often stuff breaks, and what should be done to minimise disruptions to the system. This includes making design change recommendations, designing preventive and corrective maintenance programs, calculating the optimal sparing strategy and more, all through conducting LSA (Logistic Support Analysis). Personally, I assist with the entire range of LSA activities, but focus on the reliability modelling for the OneSKY system. I source failure and repair data for each piece of hardware, and create Reliability Block Diagrams to represent different parts of the design solution. The outcomes from my work feed into all of ILS, and are also used by other teams within the project to make design and purchasing decisions.

Do you think someone with a different educational background could do your role?

Absolutely. I had only very shallow exposure to ILS before starting my role, and anyone with an engineering degree would be more than suitable to join the team. Alternatively, a lot of our team came from Defence rather than formal tertiary education, with their more hands-on experience also leading nicely into the ILS space.

What do you enjoy about your job?

The team that I work with and getting to interact with them is definitely the highlight of my role. The eclectic mix of personalities and characters within the team lead to a continuous strand of humour that lasts throughout the day. Yes, there can be deadlines to meet and there is serious work to be done, but being able to approach it in a light-hearted manner makes coming to work much more enjoyable.

What’s the most challenging part of your job?

On a project of this scale and complexity, it is often necessary to speak with people from one of the many teams working on OneSKY to source the information you need. As someone with a more introverted personality, meeting with and talking to lots of new faces can be daunting at times, but it has been a great opportunity to push my boundaries and grow personally and professionally.

What do you enjoy about working in your team?

The good sense of humour which seems to be a feature in every member of the team, and the variety in their sensibilities.

What are your hobbies and what do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I’m a bit of a sports fan in general, so I play social tennis at least once a week, watch almost every Formula 1 race (not the 4am ones), and attend some Sydney Swans matches when they’re playing in Melbourne, including when they get smashed in the Grand Final unfortunately. As a child of the digital age, I also enjoy nothing more than a good video game/movie/tv series.

What is something interesting about you that people might not know?

Despite my tendency for introversion, I thoroughly enjoy public speaking. I took part in speaking competitions and was vice-captain of debating at school. On one occasion I won a public speaking contest, with a prize of $3000 cash for my school and a $300 book voucher for me. I wish it had been the other way around.

What’s the best bit of advice someone ever gave you?

Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street. At face value this just seems like a sure-fire way to get some more kitten pats or possibly bites, but the underlying message is to enjoy any good fortune or good times that come your way. Life is full of difficulty and tragedy no matter who you are, so when you’re lucky enough to have a great week, day, or even moment, take full advantage of it and appreciate what you have, if only for a short time.

What are five words that describe you?

Jovial. Sarcastic. Quiet. Confident. Nocturnal.

What are five words that describe your experience at Thales?

Interesting. Educational. Varied. Enjoyable. Satisfying.

I am extraordinary because…

My managers give me the freedom to excel and my team are always there to support me. The provision of notable responsibilities early-on in my time at Thales facilitated rapid development of my skills and confidence.

Makenzie Reed

Graduate Verification & Validation Engineer
Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communication, ANU

Tell us about your educational background, what did you study at uni and where?

I went to uni at the ANU in Canberra and studied a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communications.

Why did you decide to work at Thales?

Before I started I knew I wanted to work in something hands on and technical but I didn’t have the experience to know exactly what that was. Thales is a big company covering so many different specialities so it seemed like a great fit.

What is your role and what do you do?

I’m a Verification and Validation (V&V) engineer. I test air traffic management systems to verify they’re working according to system requirements and are fit for use. Then I’m able demonstrate to customers that their systems are working for their needs in their specific environments.

Do you think someone with a different educational background could do your role?

Absolutely! V&V engineers need good observation and problem solving skills which can come from a huge range of educational backgrounds. Our team is quite diverse, but we all have a common interest in air traffic management.

What do you enjoy about your job?

I love the variety that V&V offers. Every day is different, one day you could be working with the software team trying to understand a problem, and the next you could be travelling overseas to run a test event with a customer.

What’s the most challenging part of your job?

Running test events in front of customers can be challenging because you’re relying on yourself and everything you’ve learnt about the system. It can be a bit daunting when test events are overseas and you’re limited to when you can ask the team for help, but it’s always a good challenge.

What do you enjoy about working in your team?

Everyone in the team is always willing to help the people around them and we’re able to learn from each other every day. There’s so much knowledge within Thales and being able to approach anyone for new information is really incredible.

What are your hobbies and what do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I love spending time with my friends and I can always be convinced to have a drink and play a board game.

What is something interesting about you that people might not know?

I can’t (and won’t) stop buying fun art from local markets in Melbourne.

What’s the best bit of advice someone ever gave you?

Good or bad, if you’re not learning you’re doing something wrong.

What are five words that describe you?

Enthusiastic, encouraging, curious, creative and honest.

What are five words that describe your experience at Thales?

Challenging, exciting, engaging, fast-paced and rewarding.

I am extraordinary because…

The people around me help me to be the best I can be.

Matt Corneliusen

Graduate Hardware Engineer
Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (HNRS), Swinburne University

Tell us about your educational background, what did you study at uni and where?

I studied a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (HNRS) at Swinburne University in Hawthorn. I started in 2014 and finished up at the end of 2019, just before COVID started. I managed to get a little lucky there…. I did a short 6 month internship during 2018 at DST in port Melbourne.

Why did you decide to work at Thales?

I’ve always had an interest in automotive engineering, I really wanted to work somewhere like Ford or Holden while I was at Secondary School. Well that did pan out as planned…. They both essentially shut down and that dream sort of floated away. While I was looking for jobs after uni, the ad for Thales popped up and I did some research and realised that I would be able to combine my defence knowledge gained at DST and my passion for automotive into one job. A perfect match if you ask me.

What is your role and what do you do?

I’m a Hardware Engineer. I believe the title Integration Engineer would better suit my day to day activities. I do everything from designing bespoke bracketry to enable the integration of systems into the Hawkei platform, technical writing, mathematics and many many meetings. All of which I love, because at only 18 months into employment I’ve been given a pretty significant voice and plenty of responsibility.

What do you enjoy about your job?

I enjoy the work life balance, the people, the work itself. Testing activities are really fun, you get to go off-site for the majority of it, to a new place that you typically haven’t been before. And guess what!? Work pays! What more can you ask for?

What’s the most challenging part of your job?

Probably when things don’t go to plan and they rarely do. There will be periods of calm and consistent work and then all of a sudden you have to drop the things you are working on and go and support an activity that has had a bit of a hiccup. It’s challenging but also fun, and it’s times like those that you learn the most. You don’t have enough time in life to make all of the mistakes yourself, you need to learn from the mistakes of others or you are doomed to fail!

What do you enjoy about working in your team?

I enjoy working in my team because I can lean on others for support. I dislike working in isolation as I can tend to drift or procrastinate. It’s interesting actually, had you asked me the same question while studying at uni I would’ve said that I hated working as a team as I felt like I always ended up doing the lion’s share of the work. Whereas everyone at Thales is engaged and willing to help, everyone is held to the same account and we engineer a pretty special product that is designed and made right here in Australia.

What are your hobbies and what do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I love cars, motorsport, lego, video games and I dabble in a little bit of guitar. I like all things mechanical.

What is something interesting about you that people might not know?

Hmmm, I’m a pretty out going bloke and don’t hide many secrets. It’s a hard one to answer, probably that I have a bit of an obsessive lego collection, for my age haha.

What’s the best bit of advice someone ever gave you?

It’s tricky to pin point a phrase that isn’t a cliché trope like “never give up”. Although its probably what I said earlier: “You need to learn from the mistakes of others, there isn’t enough time in life to make them all yourself,” or “fail hard and fail fast”. Something to do with learning from mistakes, because I sure as hell make plenty of them!

What are five words that describe you?

Loud, talkative, friendly, funny and smart. (The last 2 are definitely my opinion, I was going to chuck handsome in there but I thought it to be a little distasteful haha)

What are five words that describe your experience at Thales?

Challenging, interesting, engaging, exciting and fun. There’s a lot more there, 5 words really isn’t enough.

I am extraordinary because…

I am extraordinary because I try my hardest day in day out, rain hail or shine. This question is very egocentric, not particularly easy to answer without sounding pretentious, I think I did ok though.

Luke Ceddia

Graduate Software Engineer

Tell us about your educational background, what did you study at uni and where?

I did a Bachelor of Science followed by a Master of Software Engineering, both at the University of Melbourne.

Why did you decide to work at Thales?

The work sounded interesting, the office is in a convenient spot and the pay was decent.

What is your role and what do you do?

You’ve probably seen air traffic control in airports in movies, people with headsets looking at radar screens with planes on them. I’m a software engineer working on that screen, as well as all the behind the scenes systems that power it.

Do you think someone with a different educational background could do your role?

There’s a lot of programming involved, so experience with that would definitely be required. It doesn’t have to be an engineering degree specifically though, any course that has the practical computing experience would be useful.

What do you enjoy about your job?

I get to play with some fairly sophisticated stuff, and it’s great knowing that the thing you’re building is going to get used in the real world.

What’s the most challenging part of your job?

There’s a lot of specifics to learn, both about Air Traffic Control and all the software we have. It can be a slow process to get to grips with everything you need (especially the acronyms!) to make even a small change. There’s also the (occasionally terrifying) reminder that you’re working on a safety critical system – thank goodness for the people who do testing.

What do you enjoy about working in your team?

The team has some very smart people who have been here a while, and they’re always willing to lend a hand and patiently explain how something works. It also helps that we don’t take things too seriously.

What are your hobbies and what do you enjoy doing outside of work?

When the weather is good I might be in the garden in the backyard or on the bike. I swim a few times a week, though my times are still terrible. I’ve got an ever-growing collection of typewriters and old computers that I tinker with and restore; it’s satisfying nto see a machine come back to life.

What is something interesting about you that people might not know?

I can wiggle my ears on command, that’s always a neat trick.

What’s the best bit of advice someone ever gave you?

The most efficient and easiest work is that which you don’t have to do. Alternatively: The best way to convince people you know what you’re talking about is to sound like you do.

What are five words that describe you?

Never stop searching, always learning

What are five words that describe your experience at Thales?

Intricate technical challenges tackled collaboratively

I am extraordinary because…...

I am extraordinary because I enjoy solving problems the hard way.

Adeline Antolis

Graduate Engineer, Vehicle & Tactical Systems

Tell us about your educational background, what did you study at uni and where?

I graduated from a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Monash University in 2021 and took about 1.5 year gap year where I worked and travelled around Australia.

Why did you decide to work at Thales?

I decided to work at Thales as the opportunity came up when I started looking for a full-time engineering role towards the end of my gap year. Despite Mulwala being quite remote (border of VIC/NSW), I was attracted to it as I had visited the place before and was looking for a change from the city.

What is your role and what do you do?

I am a Graduate Chemical Engineer working at the Mulwala Site and so far I have done various production rotations around the facility where I have shadowed the engineers and operators learning about the different processes and products manufactured.

What do you enjoy about your job?

I enjoy that I am learning so much and there are so many approachable people on-site that are willing to help me if I have any questions or problems. The work culture and work-life balance is also really great.

What’s the most challenging part of your job?

Sometimes accomplishing a task isn’t about what you know but who you know and being able to form those relationships can be challenging at times especially for someone more introverted.

What do you enjoy about working in your team?

Everyone in my team has been very approachable and supportive especially as someone who has just moved from the city to a country town not knowing anyone.

What are your hobbies and what do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I enjoy exploring the surrounding regions around Mulwala and going camping and fishing.

What is something interesting about you that people might not know?

I have two Labradors who keep me on my toes!

What’s the best bit of advice someone ever gave you?

Do not take life too seriously, you’ll never get out of it alive!

What are five words that describe you?

Adaptable, Caring, Adventurous, Curious, Honest

What are five words that describe your experience at Thales?

Exciting, Challenging, Interesting, Diverse, Rewarding

I am extraordinary because…..

There’s no one else like me.

A Day in the Life