Shireen Federico

One of the best decisions I ever made was to take up the Science Communications course in my 3rd year at the University of Melbourne. Not only has it allowed me to combine my strong interest in both Science and Communications, it has led me down a most interesting career path.

After completing the Science Communications course, I volunteered at Melbourne Museum as a Science Communicator. Later, I had my first foray into Science Journalism when I took up a three-month internship at The Conversation (Australia) where I worked on the Science and Technology desk.

Moving back to Singapore and while seeking employment, I was surprised to find that I had a huge advantage over other jobseekers in the same field. No one else had my formal training and work experience in Science Communications. Research institutes like Duke-NUS Medical School and the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) were quick to offer me employment, and I was able to negotiate respectable increments in my salary.

At EOS where I am currently the Communications Manager, I manage all content on the blog and work closely with the media to maximise publicity for EOS. And, whenever a natural disaster (like an earthquake, tsunami, or volcanic eruption) strikes the Asian region, I have to work very quickly with our experts to get a media statement out on the EOS website to inform the public and media of what’s happening. As stressful as it may be, I thoroughly enjoy how stimulating the work is.