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Meet Inga Smith

Job: 

Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Physics, University of Otago.

Job description: 

Researching how sea ice forms when the ocean freezes, and how this will change in the future. I also apply my physics and maths skills to research heat and moisture transfer in buildings, and greenhouse gas emissions from international transport. The main part of my job is scientific research, but I have also lectured in climate change and environmental physics at the University of Otago for the last few years.

Work background: 

After I finished my PhD, I worked for a season in the ski industry as a trainee snow maker (which I was really bad at!) and chairlift operator (which I was much better at, and really enjoyed!). I then worked for two years in England as a postdoctoral researcher in physical oceanography at the University of East Anglia (Schools of Mathematics and Environmental Sciences), studying the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. When I returned to New Zealand, I did a lot of volunteer work and then for the last 10 years I have had temporary jobs: Teaching Fellow in Energy Management and Physics, a Research Fellow and now Senior Research Fellow (mainly in sea ice physics).

Favourite part of job: 

Using physics and maths to explain what is happening to sea ice, and  visiting some of the most amazing places on Earth! I  work with great people, and hang out near penguins, seals and other cool wildlife. I’ve been vegan since high school and vegetarian since primary school because I love animals, so doing science (physics and maths) where I don’t hurt animals is important to me.

Least favourite part of job: 

My job is great, but it is not permanent or full-time, which can make it stressful towards the end of each contract.

What I am working on now: 

Working out how sea ice observations can be made more useful for improving climate models.

A quick story about a job well done: 

As a scientist, I feel happy when each paper I have written, or helped write, is published after other scientists have looked through it in detail (“international peer review”). My satisfaction increases and I know we’ve done a good job when the papers are used (“cited”) by other scientists, or when other scientists contact me for advice.

A (humorous) story about a job that went badly and what you learned: 

On my first trip to Antarctica, I was supposed to be a field assistant for one of the other sea ice PhD students. We had been at camp for a day or two when the major piece of equipment needed for his experiments broke, and there was no way a replacement could be flown in before the sea ice started to melt. The decision was made to pack up the camp and go back to New Zealand, but Scott Base could not come and get us for another couple of days. Everyone then switched over to working on my project with the equipment that we had left, and we wrote up a paper out of it later. From this I learned that when you go to Antarctica, you need to be flexible and ready for anything!

Qualifications: 
  • BSc (Honours) in physics
  • PhD (jointly supervised by physics and marine science)

 

Interests outside work: 

Snowboarding, flat-water kayaking, cross-country skiing, vegan cooking, and beach walks.


Inga Smith down in Antarctica. Inga is a Physicist and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Otago. Image: I Smith's collection.

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