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Life after graduate research: Dr Felicia Eng
Dr Felicia Eng’s PhD in mathematics has helped her build a career at IBM. Her PhD research used game theory to explain how people make decisions when evacuating from a bushfire. The connections she built were a highlight of her University of Melbourne experience and a key to many opportunities she has had in her career.
“I think a lot of people don't realise that PhDs don't have to go into academia. And I think in my mind I was always keen on contributing to industry,” says Dr Felicia Eng.
Dr Eng graduated from the University of Melbourne with a PhD in Science. She now works at IBM, a multinational computer and information technology company.
There are spaces and places in industry where having a PhD and knowing how research works is extremely important. Dr Felicia Eng
“But I've discovered that even when you don't need a PhD, the skills that you learn from going through a PhD translate so well into industry. Those skills are things like being able to formulate a really clear argument,” Dr Eng says.
As a Customer Success Manager, Dr Eng acts as the interface between IBM’s technology and its customers. She still uses her technical skills in coding and mathematics.
But a PhD, she says, is also a sign of someone who can find new ways forward when they come across blockers.
“In industry, that's going to happen a lot. You may have objections. You may have questions or problems that don't appear to be solvable on the surface. But with some out-of-the-box thinking, you can find a way. And when you can help clients with that, you become their trusted advisor,” Dr Eng says.
How game theory can help evacuate people during disasters
Dr Eng’s PhD research examined how people make evacuation decisions during disasters. As a mathematician, she collaborated with researchers in computer sciences and geospatial sciences, including researchers at RMIT University and the Australian National University.
As the planet warms, we’re likely to experience more disasters like bushfires and floods. How can we make sure that as many people as possible get to safety?
“Understanding human behaviour is really critical,” says Dr Eng.
Dr Eng looked at people’s evacuation decisions during the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Yarra Glen. There were only four roads out of town – and one was blocked by the advancing fire.
If you were leaving a town threatened by a bushfire, would you follow where everyone else is going? Using game theory, Dr Eng could describe how people’s decisions interacted.
“In game theory, what I choose to do will affect what you choose to do. Therefore, what you choose to do will then affect what I will choose to do. There's this feedback loop,” she says.
Understanding why people make decisions and based on what information can guide future evacuations. It will help policymakers understand how to help people evacuate as fast as possible.
“It's not an easy space to write policy for, because sometimes there are ethical consequences that need to be considered. You can't just tell one person, ‘You should go a longer way. Even though it may be worse for you, it's better for everyone as a whole,’” Dr Eng says.
Colouring breaks and juggling responsibilities: PhD life at the University of Melbourne
Dr Eng grew close with her PhD cohort.
“We would do those adult colouring books for half an hour to take a break. Or there would be other days where one of us would be asleep on the floor under the desk, because it had just been that kind of day,” she reminisces.
We'd all be there for each other, and that is something that I will always treasure. Dr Felicia Eng
For four years of her PhD, Dr Eng worked as a residential tutor at St Hilda’s College. St Hilda’s is a residential college for undergraduate students at the University of Melbourne.
As a tutor, Dr Eng got to experience college life on her own terms. She did her PhD work during the day and tutored students in economics and statistics in the evening. She had dinner with students and attended college events.
“I loved it for myself. But I also loved to see the impact that the college and its people had on the students,” she says.
Dr Eng was also already working at IBM Research during her PhD. She contributed her expertise to a project updating disaster management communication architecture.
Working at St Hilda’s helped Dr Eng juggle all her responsibilities.
“It took some of the burden off my day-to-day life, like cooking or cleaning. I felt like I could focus on the tutoring or my work, or the PhD,” she says.
“I'm still heavily involved with St Hilda’s. I've been on their board of directors since 2023.”
Connecting with people has opened doors for Dr Eng.
“The more people you talk to, and the more you share your story, the more people will remember you. And they will preference somebody that they know over somebody that they don't,” she says.
Dr Eng got both her jobs at St Hilda’s and at IBM Research through her networks.
How the University of Melbourne supports PhD researchers
Yet Dr Eng also enjoyed the autonomy she had as a PhD researcher. She could confidently explore and try new things, knowing she could always go to her supervisors for help.
“I felt really comfortable asking for help. My supervisors made it easy. They were always open, they were always understanding. They were always collaborative,” she says.
Before her PhD, Dr Eng had completed a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) and a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne.
“I didn't want to do a PhD because it was the next thing expected of me or because I didn't have anything better to do. I needed it to be something that I was going to care a lot about,” she says.
Dr Eng spent two years teaching in the economics department before she started her PhD. She started in economics but switched to mathematics. The University of Melbourne supported her decision and made the transition between faculties smooth.
Dr Eng had an Australian Commonwealth government-supported PhD scholarship that she could take between faculties. But the funding ended before she could have finished her new project. The Faculty of Science provided her with scholarships to help her complete the PhD.
“It wasn't clear to me that I was going to complete the PhD. But with the support that I received from the people in the School of Mathematics and Statistics – and the scholarships from the Faculty of Science – I got there, and I'm so happy that I got there.”
First published on 5 June 2024.
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