Brazil’s Paulo Vasconcelos is making the most of his PhD in Aerospace Engineering at the University of New South Wales (Canberra Campus).

“I chose Canberra as a place to study because it is a unique multicultural city,” Paulo says.

“Big cities like London or Sydney have problems regarding, for instance, traffic and violence.  Canberra is great as it is multicultural, safe, and vibrant.

“Indeed, Canberra was ranked in the first place in terms of quality of life, by the OECD, and this can be easily seen. On top of this, Canberra is one of the fastest-growing cities in Australia. It has a public transportation system that only gets better, and sustainable buildings.

“Canberra manages to combine all these qualities with evolving technology and research. It hosts the best universities in Australia.

“I had a memorable experience in Canberra in September 2019 at the  International Society for Air-Breathing Engines (ISABE) Conference. I volunteered at the conference, since I am studying aerospace engineering at UNSW Canberra. I had the chance to meet amazing people from all over the world, including the Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of Rolls Royce, the chief scientist of Hypersonics of Boeing, and the senior editor for the magazine Aviation Week.

“These companies have either offices or facilities here in Canberra. It is great to network with their leaders and inspiring engineers! Studying in Canberra perfectly aligns with getting a career full-time here.