Navjot Kaur
Ask me about
- My passion for caring for the environment
- The wide variety of industries that require soil scientists
- Working in remote locations
About me
- International Experience
As an average student in Year 10 I hated Maths, Economics, Physics etc (anything with numbers) but coped well with other Science subjects like Biology and Chemistry.
My dad was an agricultural scientist and I visited his University. I liked the campus and decided to take the entrance exam for Agriculture Science. To my surprise, I got in with a scholarship. Rest is history and I enjoyed every bit of my education and training with soils.
I believe that soil is a finite source and should be taken care for future generations. There are various soils in nature and we need understanding of its chemical and physical properties for proper management.
About my role
- Confident
- Flexible
- Humorous
- Practical
- Understanding
As a consultant soil scientist with an engineering firm, the role includes working with natural and problem soils. This includes assessment and management of acidic, saline and sodic soils, contaminated soils including contamination with heavy metals, hydrocarbons, solvents and other harmful emerging chemicals. It also involves going to remote sites for collecting soil samples for analysis.
The team get to work with a wide array of projects and clients including local and state government, defence, transport (including road and rail), industrial, energy resources (including oil and gas), and building and construction throughout Australia.
Additionally, the role also includes managing small and large complex projects within budget and on schedule. This incorporates management of internal resources, external sub-contractors with emphasis on client communication and technical excellence.
A soil scientist also gets involved with data management, use of various software for data analysis, preparation of graphs, logs, presentations, statistics and reports.
Education
- Bachelor of Agriculture Science (Honours)
- Masters in Agronomy (Honours)
- Certified Professional Soil Scientist (CPSS)
Subjects
- Biology
- Chemistry
- General Mathematics (Maths A)
- Geography
- History
- Languages
- Physical Education
- Physics
Awards
- Nominated for University Gold Medal in Bachelor and Master’s degree
- Scholarship holder in both Bachelor and Master’s degree
- URS International Pyramid Award of Excellence for Health and Safety for a Project from 2008 to 2011
Hobbies
- Cooking
- Dancing
- Pilates
- Reading
- Travel
Pets
- 1 Dog
15 year old me!!
My career journey
-
Completed my master’s degree
-
Moved to Australia, first job as a laboratory assistant
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Started as a consultant soil scientist with a big engineering company
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Was made redundant but joined another firm within 3 months
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Attained CPSS and got a promotion
My typical day
My employer
