Careers with STEM: Study Science at Adelaide University

CAREERS

SPECIAL EDITION

withSTEM

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Science at Adelaide University

Animal welfare researchehrow

Understanding feel animals think and

CAREERS with STEM.COM DATA

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CRIME

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PURPOSE

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PLANET

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HEALTH

Pro Vice Chancellor, Adelaide University

There’s something in science to suit everyone, so find what resonates with you!

EMMA BRASIER / SHUTTERSTOCK

REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE

Research Leader, UniSA’s Future Industries Institute

FLEXIBLE START

Nikki Stanford

particular with sustaina bility, animal science, agriculture, data science, AI and space: all areas the Academy of Science has flagged as priorities.

If you’re passionate abou t the science you’re doing, you’ll be able to ma ke a difference. You don’t need the best grade s, or even to have taken science at high school – we have pathway programs available to yo u. At Adelaide University, we will help you turn your interest into a fulfilling career.

Pro Vice Chancellor College of Science Adelaide University

Everyone has an aptitude for something in STEM.”

Nikki Stanford Pro Vice Chancellor, Co llege of Science Adelaide University

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

SPECIALISED MAJOR

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PhD, University of Wollongong

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wide range of cience opens doors to a ere to start can careers, but choosing wh elaide University, feel overwhelming. At Ad o a clear pathway. we turn your interests int me to one of the Adelaide University is ho ities in South Australia. largest science commun le to work every where: Our graduates will be ab , government, mining medical tech companies They could go overseas companies, even banks. rk in labs, or create for higher studies and wo esses. their own startup busin Adelaide University at nts de All science stu nce while they study can get real-world experie learning placements through work integrated ation work in the field, – anything from conserv in labs overseas. to contributing to research dy with these Students become work-rea velop professional placements, and they de area of interest. networks in their chosen cause it’s so I love material science be perimented multidisciplinary. I’ve ex d at a rke wo r, at a nuclear reacto talks in ote yn synchrotron, given ke ly tru Germany. I’ve had this reer wonderful, privileged, ca ce. because I went into scien in all e ag ort sh ills sk There’s a s are STEM areas, so graduate salaries at gre for well-positioned produce We rs. and fulfilling caree physics, in rch world-leading resea rth ea d chemistry, biology an se in sciences, and we speciali

Dean of Programs for Engineering and Aviation, UniSA

JOB READY

Bachelor of Engineering, University of Wollongong

FOREWORD

Choosing your own pathway

UPFRONT

Major opportunities t majors to With more than 30 differen to be choose from, there’s bound ! Check out you s something that fascinate decide. the quiz on page 5 to help you

Want to supercharge your Science?

Choose the 4-year Bachelo r of Science (Honours) to build advanced research skills, or fast-track into a Ma ster of Science with just 1–1.25 years of ext ra study.

can follow your interests With a Bachelor of Science, you degree and turn them into a job-ready

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ot sure where science could take you? At Adelaide University, you can explore your interests before specialising in a field that leads to real careers.

The Bachelor of Science is designed for you to start flexibly with core scientific skills, and finish with a specialised degree. You can explore a range of disciplines, then, over three years of study, you’ll build deep expertise in a specialised major, ranging from animal behaviour to theoretical physics.

You’ll also have a thorough grounding in data – the language of science (see page 4 for why this is important!).

Each major also ensures you’ll gain realworld experience through work placements, field trips, industry guest lectures and opportunities to study overseas. You’ll be able to tap into Adelaide University’s deep well of industry connections to kick-start your career,

Ready to apply?

The SATAC code is ABP237.

and build research expe rience with worldleading academics at the top of their fields in areas like gravitational wa ves or gene editing.

At the end of the degree, you’ll graduate ready to step into a numb er of areas: you could be a technician in a lab, monitoring the environment in the field, crunching data for a business, with a govern ment agency or striking out on your own as an en trepreneur. You will also be set up to pursue an Honours or Masters degree to go further in res earch, or qualify in a professional field like tea ching.

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A flexible start and an expert finish

Get work experience while at uni All Bachelor of Science students get real-world experience through placements with the Work Integrated Learning program.

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STUDY SCIENCE AT ADELAIDE

UPFRONT+DATA+DIGITAL

TURN DATA INTO DISCOVERY

To succeed in science today, you need to be confident in handling large data sets.

At Adelaide University, you’ll learn to make meaning from data

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Touching base(s)

very scientific breakthrough starts with a question, and data is how we find the answer. As the challenges we ask science to solve have become more complex, so has the data collected.

Genetic diseases are treated by sifting through billions of codes in DNA, weather predictions rely on thousands of monitoring stations, and telescopes collect multiple terabytes of imagery and measurements every night – or even every second!

All of this generates more data than a person could ever manage manually. The real challenge isn’t collecting data, it’s knowing how to use it.

A typical person’s DNA conta ins about 3 billion base pairs. Th e GenBank database, which collects DNA information aro und the world, has more than 30 ,000 billion base pairs in its archiv es.

Model data How do we know one region will get warmer, or another will get more rain, as the climate changes? Detailed data-fuelled climate models, which run on computers that can make a quadrillion calculations per second.

With a science degree at Adelaide University, you’re guara nteed to learn this.

Every course has built-in data science skills.

You’ll study real-world da tasets and dissect them to discover the an swers, you’ll learn to use high-power data pro cessing programs like R, and you’ll become highly skilled in statistical thinking and data analysis.

Statistics can feel overw helming, but at Adelaide University, you will be supported to feel confident!

Want to dive deeper into data?

Consider a Bachelor of Mathematics with majors in Data Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics or Pure Mathematics

Varidhi Shrivastava IVARIDHI SHRIVASTAVA / SHUTTERSTOCK

Master of Data Scien ce

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

isions in that we make data-driven dec f you think carefully, you’ll find a dat ial efic e. It amused me how ben our everyday lives all the tim ence sci a Dat ch. any field of work or resear science could be for literally ical chn -te non looks. I’ve seen my peers of is far more accessible than it ! rse ounds do really well in this cou and non-mathematical backgr

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Which of these do you find most challenging?

A Staying organised B Taking risks C Group work D Keeping focused e Public speaking

major suits you?

Not sure which science d your perfect match! u fin Our quiz could help yo

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What’s your best strength at school?

A Practical, hands-on projects B Remembering information C Talking and presenting D Working with other students e Solving puzzles

es Which of these caus you? to matters the most ials A Making sustainable mater B Tackling diseases cies C Protecting threatened spe D Tracking climate change e Improving technolog y

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would What sort of space in? rk you like to wo a coat A A lab, wearing goggles and ipment B With complex medical equ ather’s nice we the as g C Outdoors, as lon with rain!

D Outdoors, even if it’s pouring puters om erc sup e An office, managing

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UPFRONT

h t a p r u o y d n i F

How would your friends and family describe you?

A Creative B Bold C Caring D Thoughtful e Curious

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5

Which of these classic science activities would you be most excited about?

A An explosion B A powerful microscope C A reptile show D A dinosaur display e A planetarium

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Which of these weekend activities would you prefer?

A Baking a cake B Reading a book C Gardening or playing with pets outside D Hiking in a new place e Stargazing at night

Got something else in mind?

Head to the Adelaid e University website for the full list of majors.

The results are in...

Mostly Bs Mostly As Lab Biology Chemistry d Genetics, Microbiology and Applie Analytical Chemistry, Pure and logical Chemistry, Chemistry, Medicinal and Bio Nuclear Chemistry rmaceutical Careers might include: pha ironmental scientist, forensics expert, env monitor, lab technician

Animals&Plants

Immunology, Biotechnology, Medicinal and Biological Chemistry, Biochemistry Careers might include: medical researcher, toxicologist, bioinformatician, public health officer

Animal Behaviour, Marine and Wildlife Conser vation, Plant Biolog y, Animal Science, Food Science and Technolog y Careers might include: zoo logist, marine biologist, science com municator, conser vationist, animal traine r

Mostly Es

Mostly Ds

Earth&Environment Ecolog y, Environmental Scienc e, Geology and Palaeonto

log y, Soil Science, atial Science, Geology and Ear th Resources Careers might include: con ser vationist, science commu nicator, ecologist, government adviso r Evolutionary Biolog y, Geosp

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Mostly Cs

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Physics&Space Computational Physics, Nuclear and Radiation Physics, Space Science and Astrophysics, Experimental or Theoretical Physics, Geophysics Careers might include: space industry worker, quantum physicist, data scientist, lab technician

STUDY SCIENCE AT ADELAIDE

ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY+CRIME

STOPPING E C N IE C S H IT W E IM R C Keen on forensic science, but want to keep your options open? There are so many areas of science that you can use to stop crime, from chemistry to ecology!

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f you’re interested in sol ving real-world problems, you may want to work in the justice system – and sci entific evidence is a crucial part of that sy stem.

The need for science he re is broader than you might think: animal scientists are vital for stopping illegal wildl ife trade, chemists are crucial for spotting co ntaminants, and soil scientists are key to tracing the location of suspects.

With a science degree fro m Adelaide University, you’ll develop skills that can lead to careers in environ mental protection, forensic analy sis, and wildlife crime investigation.

You can start by studying topics that interest you, and craft them into a firm area of expertise by the time your degree is finished. That might be helping to prevent poachers from trafficking endangered Australian animals, or hunting down polluters causing environmental damage.

With key topics in data science, you’ll build skills that apply across industries, from government to environmental consulting.

JAKCSON TIERNEY / SHUTTERSTOCK

ime Preventing wildlife cr

Taking dirt to court

redible flora and fauna are a Unfortunately, Australia’s inc e trade. Poachers transport prime target for illegal wildlif live species overseas hundreds of rare plants and s. Reptiles, like SA’s each year to sell as exotic pet , are particularly beautiful shingleback lizards itat clearing makes it vulnerable. Plus, illegal hab to survive. But you even harder for the species h research. could help to prevent this wit fe Crime Adelaide University’s Wildli of stopping ont Research Hub is at the forefr are rs developing these activities. Researche like satellite imagery better tech to spot offences, helping to inform laws so to spot illegal clearing, and mental crime better. prosecutors can target environ

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

You can even help solve cases with soil science. If there’s soil on a suspect’s belongings or car, law enforcement has consulted with soil scientists at Adelaide University, such as Professor Robert Fitzpatrick, to help identify where it might have come from and where they’ve been travelling.

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✔C ommunicating clearly

ney JacksonienTitiser | t Analytical Chemist Forensic Sc

ious white powder. ay police have found a suspic what that powder How exactly do they figure out is? That’s Jackson’s job! school, and was drawn Jackson loved chemistry at great combination of to it at uni because it has a g. theory and practical learnin ver y well to working in ate “This mixture has transl d forensic industries.” both the pharmaceutical and e in the lab, Jackson spends a lot of his tim nces that have been identif ying mysterious substa . confiscated from the streets the lab skills he built up of use ive He makes extens h-tech equipment, so in his degree to work with hig as possible. that the data is as accurate the courts as evidence by d “These results are use p the streets safe.” to prosecute criminals and kee be used for other But these analytical skills can nitoring or medicines. fields, like environmental mo

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show me the money Keen to tackle environmental crime?

Study a Bachelor of Science with one of these majors:

Analytical Chemistry Marine and Wildlife Conservation

Chemist $80K–$100K Ecologist $85K–$105K Environment Advisor $105K–125K* *SALARIES ACCORDING TO SEEK.COM.AU

Ecology 7

Forensic Scientist (Illicit Drug s) at Forensic Science SA

Forensic Scientist (Toxicology ) at Forensic Science SA

Tutor and Practical Demonstrator at UniSA

✔P attern matching

Analytical Scientist at Agilex Biolabs

✔S cientific investigation

th Consider starting wi l ica yt al An in a major Chemistry

Honours Degree in Biomedical Research at UniSA

✔A nalysing evidence

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You’ll become a pro in these areas:

Want to follow Jackson’s footsteps into forensics?

Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science at UniS

SKILLS BOOST

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES  E cologist W ildlife conservationist S cience communicator G overnment advisor A nalytical chemist  E nvironmental protection officer  E nvironmental consultant R esearch scientist STUDY SCIENCE AT ADELAIDE

ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY+PURPOSE+PLANET

Guarding Earth and its residents Passionate about protecting the world? Join Adelaide University’s trailblazing work

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work to be done e all know there’s a lot of ment. in protecting the environ University, ide ela Ad at As a student to work on real-world you’ll have opportunities from your first year. environmental challenges improve animal welfare There are programs that th organisations like through partnerships wi t do vital research with Zoos SA, where you migh ld. t can’t be done in the wi endangered species tha m fro ery ov logical rec Or, you can help with eco harmful algal bloom the e natural disasters, lik rienced.

South Australia has expe rly, building experience You can get involved ea before you graduate. that employers will love ding the change in Adelaide University is lea the flexible Bachelor of conservation, and with try your hand at many Science, you’ll be able to fore narrowing in on the of these opportunities be you. area that matters most to

Get the job Major in Marine and Wildlife Conservation

Reef resilience against algal blooms A

Want science you can taste and grow?

EMMA BRASIER/ SHUTTERSTOCK

Study Agricultural Science, Food Science and Technology or Winemaking at Adelaide University’s Waite campus.

Dr Dominic McAfee

Bachelor of Science (Honours), Macquarie University

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

Future Making Fellow, Adelaide University Environment Institute

PhD, Marine Science, Macquarie University

Research assistant, Sydney Institute of Marine Science

ccording to Dominic, human-caused environmental degradation contributed to the harmful algal bloom that devastated much of SA’s coastline in 2025. But he wants you to know that you and your community can address it. “We’re not helpless witnesses. We can get involved in making change,” he says.

At Adelaide University, Dominic has been working on a huge reef restoration project to build back historic oyster reefs: natural filters which remove dangerous algae and prevent it from blooming.

Boats of volunteers have been tracking oyster numbers all around South Australia and modifying sea floors to help them grow.

If you’re thinking about marine science, Dominic has one big tip: “Get involved!” There are many different coastal care groups around the state that always need volunteers, and it’s a great taste of conservation work – plus, it’s work experience!

Endeavour Research Fellow, University of Hong Kong

Postdoctoral Research Associate, The University of Adelaide

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✔ F ieldwork & data

show me the money Marine biologist $65K–$80K

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uch as we might like them to, animals can’t talk! So it can be difficult to fully understand what they’re feeling.

But new technology can help. Adelaide rd University students are using cameras to reco rams prog r orangutans 24/7, then build compute that can analyse their behaviour, movement patterns and facial expressions.

“Together, these methods aim to provide detailed and objective information about how individual animals behave over time,” says Justine, who is helping organise the project.

“I am passionate about understanding are animals, what they are thinking, what they d worl feeling, and how they experience the around them,” she says.

The project depends on students from ce to different disciplines – from computer scien animal behaviour.

“The project also allows students to develop er, valuable skills by working with an industry partn real to the zoo, and applying their knowledge ne. world animal welfare challenges,” says Justi

Major in Animal Behaviour

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES R esearch scientist

A nimal behaviourist A nimal trainer W ildlife conservationist A nimal welfare officer M arine biologist  Z oologist S cience communicator G overnment advisor

Feel like staying in today?

You don’t need to leave the house to learn about the world!

The university has developed 360° virtual reality experiences through Project LIVE. They’ve developed more than a dozen experiences, from the front line of a bushfire, to the 600-millionyear-old history of the Flinders Ranges!

This research could change how we understand animals”

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*SAL ARIES ACCORDING TO

Get the job

Bachelor of Animal Science, University of Adelaide

Zoologist $100K–110K*

Education Officer, Sea World

How’s it going, orangutans?

Ecologist $85K–$105K

Master of Teaching, CQUniversity

Marine Animal Specialist, Sea World

✔ L ong-term analysis PIC

Accreditation and Anim Zoo and Aquarium Associational Welfare Manager, Australasia (Secondment)

✔S ystems thinking

PhD, Adelaide University

Enrichment Coordinator, Sea World

PhD candidate Research / Animal Welfare and SA os Manager, Zo

Animal Welfare and Research Manager, Zoos SA

In these courses, you’ll learn key skills that can be applied elsewhere:

rtoon e JustineinPa im an al welfar

Master of Animal Welfare Ethics and Law, University of Science, Winchest

SKILLS BOOST

STUDY SCIENCE AT ADELAIDE

ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY+HEALTH

s ’ d l r o w e h t g n i v Impro e l u c e l o m e n o , health at a time Stop disease by going straight to the source: invent brand-new vaccines and treatments

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octors treat individual patients. But what if you want to treat a whole population at once? If you want to improve human health, science can take you there. At Adelaide’s Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, scientists are finding new ways to beat pathogens like viruses, bacteria and parasites. They’re using cutting-edge technologies to target microbes and make more efficient medicines and vaccines.

Students at Adelaide can build vital skills in medical science and lab work as they study, and gain real-world experience through lab placements.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES M edical researcher P ublic health advisor

H ealth informatics coordinator  L aboratory research assistant  T oxicologist M edicinal chemist

Gene detectives

Pathogens have weak spots, but finding them is tricky!

Adelaide University researchers are es using CRISPR gene editing techniqu by nts tme trea for to find new targets hunting for vulnerable genes.

SKILLS BOOST You’ll become a pro in these are

✔ Research & experimenta tion ✔ Understanding human biology ✔ Translating science into healthcare ✔ Collaboration across tea ms

CHANELLE LAI / SHUTTERSTOCK

Boosting crop resilience

ity Biotechnologists at Adelaide Univers are using tools like synthetic biology and genetic engineering to understand how plants respond to changes like droughts and extreme weather events. to They are even working with NASA grow plants in space!

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as:

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chanelle Lai Bio

medical scientist

Try it while you Study Major in Medicinal and Biological Chemistry, Genetics, Immunology and Microbiology

Work experience… busting malaria All science students at Adelaide University can get real-world experience with work placements. For Chanelle, a placement in one of the university’s labs set her on the path to becoming a malaria-busting researcher.

“I had enjoyed my time so much during the placement that I’ve decided to further my studies here!” she says.

Chanelle is now studying a PhD at the university. She grows malaria parasites, looking for weak spots on their surface that new vaccines could target.

She says her favourite part of the PhD is finding new ways to set up her lab experiments.

“I spend most of my time in the lab performing experiments for my project.”

Bachelor of Biomedic al University of AdelaScience, ide Research intern, So uth Au str alian Museu and other labs acros s South Austr alia m

Bachelor of Science (Ho University of Adelanours), ide Research assistant, Pr actical demonstr University of Adela ide University of Adelaator, ide

Watching evolving threats

Adelaide University res earchers understand that knowing how a pathogen evolves, can be tter prepare us to defend against it. Expe rts in biotechnology and molec ular science are studying this to make stronger vaccines and better antiv iral dr ugs.

show me the money Toxicologist $105K–120K

Bacterial factories

Laboratory research assistant $85K–$95K

Did you know that bacte ria are used to make mRNA vaccines?

They can be genetically modified to grow medicine and other useful material s. Researchers at Adelaide University are even working on engineering gut bacte ria that could travel to cancer cells in the body and release treatments direc tly onto them.

Medical scientist $80K–$100K* *SAL ARIES ACCORDING TO

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STUDY SCIENCE AT ADELAIDE

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

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