UNSW Canberra 2021 first class honours student and engineering graduate Jane Millward has been named a 2022 Fulbright Scholar.

Jane is one of 13 members of the UNSW community to receive a Fulbright Scholarship in 2022 - a record for the University. 

The scholarship will allow Jane to purse a PhD in electrical engineering, specialising in signal processing and stochastic control research, at a top university in the United States.

Jane said she was excited to begin the next chapter in her studies.

“It means I have the opportunity to really refine and extend my expertise in electrical engineering,” Jane said.

“It will give me the skills to develop my interest in signal processing further and hopefully come back to Australia and use that on challenges in the domestic, Australian industry.”

Jane credits UNSW Canberra’s supportive environment and hands-on opportunities with setting her up well for the next step in her studies.

“At UNSW Canberra I’ve been able to participate in a lot of undergraduate research projects,” she said.  

“Every semester for the last three years I’ve completed an independent project and those research skills and the ability to map out projects and work independently will no doubt serve me well as I pursue a much larger research project at the PhD level.”

She said the campus sparked her interest in the defence sector and she hopes to be involved in the industry when she returns to Australia after her studies.

Jane has interned with cybersecurity company Penten and the Department of Defence and she encourages anyone hoping to get involved in engineering to start exploring development opportunities.

“My first piece of advice would be to take up opportunities like YoWIE, to engage with opportunities that are offered by universities, and other outreach programs that will give you a taste of engineering and the types of opportunities that are in the profession,” she said.

“If you’ve decided you want to do engineering, or work in any STEM field for that matter, my advice would be to do lots of maths. It will put you in a really great position for your undergraduate degree and will give you the technical expertise to thrive and really get the most out of your degree.”

Jane will begin her PhD studies later this year.