AITPM Member Profile - Stephanie Cipressi

Stephanie Cipressi

Bachelor of Civil Engineering (First Class Honours) & Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting)
 
My experience in the Transport Engineering industry began as an intern at Brisbane City Council in the Network Operations team. I now work as a Traffic & Transport Engineer and have been for the past two years. 

What is your current role?  
Traffic & Transport Engineer, Jacobs

What first attracted you to get involved in the transport industry?

I became interested in the industry from the moment I attended the first lecture of UQ’s Introduction to Transport Engineering course and was introduced to the principles of traffic flow theory and network planning. I loved the idea that my job could involve optimising bus journey times for South East Queensland, reducing congestion or planning for safe and well-connected bicycle infrastructure. The multi-disciplinary nature of the work was also an attractive aspect as I can use knowledge from both degrees to do everyday work. 

Could you explain some key opportunities in your career and how they contributed to your development?

Once I decided to pursue the transport engineering career path during university, I enrolled in an extra-curricular program that involved developing an agent-based simulation in order to conduct scenario analyses in solving the peak hour queueing of Brisbane’s Cultural Centre Bus Station. This project was a major learning curve as I was developing my understanding of transport modelling theory whilst learning how to build and code an agent-based simulation through a new program - AnyLogic. The hours of research and pedestrian counting were worth it, as we were able to present a poster of our preliminary work at the Australian Transport Research Forum (ATRF) in 2015. Through this opportunity, I gained experience in simulation modelling that gave me the confidence and early industry experience to begin pursuing job opportunities in the field very early on in my university career.

What has been/will be your involvement with AITPM?

As a Young Professional Committee member of the QLD Branch, I hope to build greater exposure of AITPM to QLD university students through advertising and running events targeted at student members. I feel that AITPM provides a great opportunity for students to network and further learn about the field and we hope to increase that awareness to students over the next year. In addition to this, I will also be assisting with the 2020 AITPM National Conference and organisation of events throughout the year. 

What has been a memorable moment in your career?

I have two memorable moments - presenting a poster of our simulation work at the ATRF and being awarded runner-up for the David Willis Best Poster Award and then as a first-year graduate being awarded the 2019 QLD AITPM Young Professional Winner. Attending the National Conference in Adelaide and presenting to the delegates has been a major highlight in my early career. It gave me the chance to have insightful conversations with the decision makers responsible for designing the bus infrastructure and road network that I travel on a daily basis.  

What are your personal and/or professional career plans for the future?

As a young professional, I am eager to work on a wide range of projects that will challenge and help develop my knowledge and technical capabilities in the field. I am particularly interested in working on projects that involve developing and improving sustainable transport infrastructure to combat the challenges of rapid population growth. With new transportation technologies emerging, I am excited to see what’s to come in the industry and how it will transform the way we work and develop solutions.

Do you have any advice you would like to share to other young professionals in the transport/traffic industry? 

Although I am at a very early stage of my career, the one piece of advice I would have is to say yes to any new work opportunity or project that comes your way. It may be challenging at first but will allow you to develop new skills and networks that can lead to further opportunities.