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Breaking new grounds with Nasim Nazari on dam safety, diversity and why curiosity matters in engineering careers

Nasim Nazari, a dam safety engineer, shares her journey from Iran to Australia and how curiosity, diversity, and inclusive support systems are key to building a stronger future in engineering.

By news@gippsland - 23rd June 2025 - Back to News

Nasim Nazari is one of two female engineers working in our dam safety team. She believes curiosity is central to a successful career in engineering and something that comes naturally to many people regardless of gender. Today, we talked with her about breaking new ground, building dams and how diversity delivers the best outcomes.

Engineer Nasim Nazari says curiosity drives success in engineering, as she shares insights on dams, diversity, and breaking new ground

Engineer Nasim Nazari says curiosity drives success in engineering, as she shares insights on dams, diversity, and breaking new ground

Engineering journey origins

Tell us about your early inspiration and journey in engineering. My interest in engineering came from both my strength in technical subjects and the support of those around me, especially my parents. I've always enjoyed studying, especially maths, physics, and chemistry as they just made sense to me. Growing up in Iran, education was highly valued, and engineering was seen as a prestigious path.

Getting into university was very competitive, with a national exam being the main entry to free public universities, so it was a major achievement. I studied civil engineering, specialising in surveying. That year was the first time women were allowed into the Civil Surveying stream at my university, and with only seven women out of about 40 students, it felt like we were breaking new ground.

Support from university, and later from my workplace, helped me continue through to completing Master's in Geomatics Engineering. I think being surrounded by a culture that respected higher education and support from my teachers and peers helped me thrive even within a male-dominated field.

Engineering career highlights

Why dam engineering?

What drew me to dam engineering was understanding how critical water infrastructure is, especially in a country like Iran with limited water resources and high earthquake risk. Dams are essential for water supply, agriculture, flood control, and energy, and the real-world impact really appealed to me.

My first exposure to dams came during the last year of my bachelor's degree, when a site visit to a major water infrastructure company in Iran unexpectedly led to them offering me a casual job, which later launched my career in dam engineering.

What have been some of your career highlights?

One highlight was contributing to the safety monitoring of Milad Tower in Tehran. At 435 metres, it is the sixth tallest telecommunication tower in the world, and we used high-precision GPS and structural instrumentation to track subtle movements.

Another was working on Karkheh Dam, one of the largest embankment dams in the Middle East. I was part of a team monitoring its structural behaviour using geodetic and GPS networks to track the stability of the dam over time - which is crucial for ensuring dam safety.

In 2012, I moved to Australia and continued my engineering journey working on several dam safety projects before joining Southern Rural Water to take on the challenge of managing safety at seven major storage dams and eight diversion weirs.

What are the similarities and differences you've noticed working here and overseas?

Working in both Iran and Australia, I've seen similar strong technical standards and a shared focus on safety and quality. Culturally, Australian workplaces are more informal and collaborative, with a greater focus on work-life balance and open communication, which I really value.

One key difference is how structured and transparent systems are here, especially around safety and consultation. Another big difference is in Iran; there is a high number of women entering Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) degrees. Being surrounded by driven young women early on helped normalise female participation in engineering, which had a lasting impact on me.

Do you think perceptions of women in engineering have changed?

I've faced gender-based challenges throughout my career, especially early on. What helped me push through was encouragement from mentors, supportive managers, and peers, both men and women. Their support gave me the confidence to keep going and to show that I had the skills and expertise to be a great engineer.

Today, I think there's broader recognition of women's contributions in leadership, innovation, and technical roles, and many organisations are actively working to build more inclusive teams. While progress has been made, there's still work to do.

How do we encourage more girls and women to take on STEM subjects and engineering careers?

I think we need to start early by showing girls that engineering is not just maths, infrastructure, and machines, it's about solving real-world problems. To any young girl curious about engineering, we should say "follow that curiosity!" because engineering is about asking questions, solving problems, and improving lives.

I think we need to emphasise, particularly with girls, that you don't need to know all the answers from the start. The thing to focus on is that if you're curious about how things work or how they could be better, you already have the mindset of an engineer. If you're a parent, teacher or colleague and there's a smart, curious engineer-in-the-making or seasoned professional, back her and believe in her because it can make a massive difference.

Empower women STEM

Another vital part of ramping up female representation is providing hands-on experiences, diverse role models, and visible success stories because they make a big difference. And we also need to create more inclusive workplaces that offer flexibility, growth opportunities, and value different perspectives.

I've also found great value in professional networks and women-in-STEM communities in Australia because they've provided space for connection, shared learning, and support. Being part of networks like these is a great reminder that we're not alone on this journey.

What excites you about the future of engineering?

I'm excited by the increasing collaboration across disciplines. Today's problems require a collective approach, with engineers working alongside experts in fields like social science, environmental science, public health and data science.

As technology, sustainability, and engineering converge we have the chance to address pressing issues like resource scarcity and social inequality. And with innovations in AI and renewable energy, the possibilities for progress are expanding rapidly. So, girls and women everywhere stay curious, trust in your skills, embrace challenges, and know that your perspective is essential to engineering a brighter future.

Pictures from Southern Rural Water website.


Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com



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