Dr Fatemeh Salehi, Senior Lecturer in our School of Engineering and Co-Director of the Macquarie Sustainable Energy Research Centre, was recently awarded the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship. We asked her a few questions to find what makes her tick!

1. In a nutshell, my job is to…

develop physical models to predict the flow behaviour. This helps to advance new engineering technologies. For example, I currently work on modelling particle and droplet flows which are important for developing next-generation aerosol drug delivery systems.

2. My definition of success is…

to see my work make positive impacts. Particularly, it is rewarding to see my students become good engineers/researchers who contribute to a better society.

3. This year I want to…

have a better work-life balance. For me, work-life balance means to switch off my mind when I am not working, which I’ve found challenging.

4. The scariest thing I’ve ever done is…

Sky diving! It was amazing but the moment I jumped was super scary.

5. As a kid, I was…

very curious and loved to build things. My brother and I were obsessed with a kids magazine about “How to build things with …”. Each issue was a new project: “How to build things with papers”, “How to build things with plastic waste”, …. It was a great magazine, guiding kids to be innovative and to create something fun or useful.

6. My guilty pleasure is…

eating ice cream before dinner.

7. I’m scared of…

cats. When I was a PhD student, my flatmate had a cat named Pepsi. It was a nightmare at the beginning but I made great progress to be able to be with Pepsi in the same room. I am much better now but still scared of cats.

8. The most important thing I’ve learned this year is…

things are dynamic and I should be flexible.

9. I’m happiest when…

I travel. Being in the middle of nowhere and embracing the beauty of nature make me happy.

10. If I had the day off today, you would find me…

at the beach. Swimming makes me relax and takes my mind off from the work.