Be ambitious, inspirational and pragmatic
In 2018 engineering undergraduate Jeremy Lai had a “coffee catch-up” with an IET representative at his university. That meeting provided the spark that ignited his personal and professional growth. Jeremy is now a leader in Australia’s engineering and technology community.
Since childhood Jeremy has been intrigued by building things and problem solving. It came as no surprise to his family and friends when he decided to slant his high-school studies towards STEM.
“I didn’t consider engineering as a career until I saw that Mechatronics Engineering was an option at Queensland University of Technology [QUT], my university of choice,” said Jeremy.
“I was drawn to the course because the degree was so versatile. And because it focused on understanding how mechanical, electrical and software systems work in parallel to create a functioning product – which I could relate to everyday life.”
IET volunteer
Jeremy became an IET student member in his first year at QUT following an informal catch-up with an IET representative: “As an undergraduate, I saw the potential that IET membership would offer.”
In his third year at QUT he set up a highly successful On Campus group: “I chaired the group from November 2018 to July 2020. By providing practical and technical resources, industry connections, support and inspiration, we helped many students in QUT’s Science and Engineering faculty to embark confidently on their career.”
In 2020 Jeremy became Queensland’s Young Professionals Chairperson, a role that saw him launch a student mentorship programme and become a prolific mentor.
Graduate trainee
Jeremy accepted a job offer from Saab Australia in May 2020 and joined its two-year graduate programme in January 2021. His first rotation was as a graduate systems engineer in the Civil Solutions Business Area, where he found the Sydney Opera House security upgrade project particularly enlightening.
“Working on site at Australia’s most iconic building taught me a lot,” he said. “My role included subsystem design commissioning, client and subcontractor liaison and updating 3D model elements and data. The scale of the project and the engineering challenges we faced really nurtured my professional growth.”
The second rotation was in the Maritime Business Area as a software engineer. Jeremy worked on Saab’s Combat Management System, which plays a vital role in the Royal Australian Navy’s defence strategy. His responsibilities included software coding, reviews and documentation.
During the rotation, Jeremy and a friend from BAE Systems in South Australia decided to compete in the IET’s inaugural Hackathon Challenge. They each recruited two work colleagues and named themselves ‘Team Data Solvers’. The team’s Green Bytes app concept aimed to reduce carbon emissions by encouraging users to develop more eco-friendly data-usage habits.
The judges were impressed. The team won the Software stream of the competition and a fabulous prize: an all-expenses-paid trip to London for all six members, plus £2,000 in total.
Software Engineer
In January 2023 Jeremy took on his current role: Software Engineer. “I come from a non-software-prominent engineering degree and didn’t do any coding during my first year at Saab,” he said, “so I’m finding that the most challenging part of the job is (rather surprisingly) the coding itself!”
Jeremy has been fortunate in experiencing a variety of roles and opportunities since joining Saab, including a four-month placement to work at Saab AB in Sweden.
“I worked on assignments that I wouldn’t get to experience here in Australia and I expanded my connections in Sweden. The relationships I started there are contributing towards the alignment of our work between the two countries.”
Outstanding commitment to volunteering
Jeremy remains committed to mentoring undergraduates at local universities and early-career professionals at Saab. “Mentoring is hugely rewarding,” he said. “It’s a two-way street; you get as much out of it as you put in.”
Jeremy has also dedicated a lot of his free time to promoting and demonstrating the value of volunteering with the IET. “That experience alone has fast-tracked my development as a leader in the engineering and technology community in Australia,” he said.
He is proactive, reliable and able to manage different competing priorities. For example, in 2023 he revived the IET South Australia and Northern Territory Local Network and combined it with the local Young Professionals group to form a single committee that delivers quality events and recruits new volunteers. He also leads the IET Australia New Zealand Young Professionals Committee and is an active member on the IET Asia Pacific Communities Committee.
“All this experience has had a direct impact on my professional development,” he said. “Volunteering for the IET has also expanded my network exponentially, especially with the exposure to its different committees across Australia and internationally.”
Jeremy’s phenomenal efforts were recognised at the 2023 IET Achievement Awards, where he was presented with the Paul Fletcher Medal, recognising outstanding contributions to the IET by an early career volunteer.
Next steps
Although Jeremy has big career ambitions, his feet remain firmly set on the ground: “New and upcoming technology is what excites me the most. I’ve always wanted to experience the technical side of my degree in the real world before becoming a team leader or manager.”
Work-life balance is important to Jeremy: “Above all, be happy – not just with your job, but also with things outside your career. There’s more to life than work!”