Doctor Cindy Hull, Specialist Avian Ecologist

 

Who do you work for?

I work for Roaring 40s, a renewable energy producer, with wind farms in Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia, as well as seven wind farms in China and one in India.

 

What does your job involve?

I study the birds at potential sites for wind farms, to estimate the risk of building a wind farm to those birds. This includes suggesting changes to the design of the wind farm to reduce its impact on birds. I also monitor the birds once the wind farm has been built to see if there are impacts on the bird population, and if there are, devise and implement management strategies to minimise the impact.

 

Why did you choose to be an avian ecologist?

I have been fascinated by wildlife and birds for some time and have always been interested in and concerned about environmental issues, especially climate change and its impact on wildlife.

 

What has been one of your recent achievements?

My proudest achievement has been breaking new ground on understanding why birds sometimes collide with turbines, even though they can see them. This can help us work out ways to reduce the collision risk. I feel this is having a positive effect on the use of wind energy.

 

What do you enjoy most about your job?

It is a very exciting, stimulating, interesting and satisfying job. It requires me to be creative and allows me to apply my biological knowledge. I believe in the renewable energy industry and am happy to help make it succeed while trying to minimise its impact on wildlife.  I also enjoy all the travelling to interesting places and working with great, talented people.

 

What is the biggest problem you have to deal with over your career?

My biggest problem is trying to fit in all I would like to achieve – I am very busy.  I also get frustrated about all the misinformation that is spread about wind farms.

 

What are some of the benefits that avian ecologists have in their jobs?

Besides job satisfaction, there are other benefits such as travel. The typical salary range is $75 000 to $100 000 per year, in line with the senior scientist scale.

 

What training did you have for this job?

In my senior years at secondary school, I studied a mixture of subjects, including some science and art.  I then completed a degree in Environmental Science, then a Science degree with Honours , majoring in Zoology, and finally a PhD in Zoology. I did these courses at Deakin University, Monash University and the University of Tasmania. I also completed a post-doctoral fellowship studying birds at Simon Fraser University in Canada.  All that study took about ten years to complete, but I found the courses fascinating and therefore easy.

 

What is your advice to students?

At school I wanted to major in fine art. After I finished school, I started a degree but didn’t like it. I then completely switched to science (biology) and loved it. So don’t worry if you don’t yet know what to do. Some people are unsure in secondary school.  Others decide to change career paths at some point. I found it possible to do this, provided you complete a reasonable broad arrange of subjects that allow you to do this. Follow your dreams, believe in yourself  . . . don’t be dismayed if things don’t work out – try a new direction.

Science is so much more than white coats and test tubes. It is a process or technique for assessing the world – a way of questioning how something works or solving a problem then using this information to improve management of an issue (like I do in my work), or to cure a disease, etc.

Good luck!