Ever wonder what kind of people work at CSIRO? Well, in the lead up to Mother’s Day on 12 May, we’re asking the mums who work at CSIRO to tell us more about what they do.
Prizes - chromosome towels, heart necklace and DNA pendant
“My two boys once told me I go to work, do a few clicks on the computer, have lunch and come home.” – Jenny Hayward
Jenny Hayward, research scientist from our Energy Technology group is the first cab off the rank. She walks us through a typical day in her busy life.
Describe a typical day.
I rush around the house then walk kids to school and myself to work. The first thing I do is make a coffee on our new coffee machine (thanks social club) and then I can start thinking about what I need to do. A typical day at work involves writing reports, running our global electricity model and interpreting the results and literature searches – sounds quite relaxed when you write it down.
What attracted you to working at CSIRO?
I was always told I ask too many questions, so science was a good fit for me! It’s also such an interesting and challenging place to work.
Has being a mum changed how you work? If so, in what way?
Definitely. Before I had kids I used to work from 2pm until 2am sometimes. Apart from being too old for that, the kids would kill me!
Tell us about your children.
I have two boys, Peter who is 11 and loves drama, cars and Jeremy Clarkson (why?) and Tom who is 9 and loves cars and soccer.
How do you think your sons would describe what you do for a job?
They once told me – I go to work, do a few clicks on the computer, have lunch and come home.
What one thing do you wish other people understood more about being a working mum?
Actually, people at work are really good about that. I guess it’s more outside of work, where I can’t drop everything to help out at my kid’s local theatre, for example. I just don’t have enough spare time for myself!
What’s the best day you’ve had at work?
Getting a piece of work finished is always a great day.
What one invention would you like CSIRO to work on that would make a mother’s life easier?
A home kitchen vending machine with legs so it can carry food to the kids and empty plates to the sink – washing up would be great too.
Just a typical day at work for this research scientist and mother of two.
Stay tuned – more profiles to come in the following weeks!
