From little interest in maths and science to a PhD using maths, meteorology, and engineering, Andre Nunez’s journey to becoming part of the Navantia Australia team would have surprised his younger self.
Born and raised in Sydney to first-generation Peruvian immigrant parents, Andre was interested in humanities at school and originally intended on studying History at university. It wasn’t until he made friends with some very passionate mathematicians that he himself started to become interested in the field. “Once I started studying maths at university, I never looked back,” Andre says.
Andre currently works as a Data Analyst and Software Developer within the Technology & Digital Transformation team. Often touching two kinds of projects, R&D and Data Analytics supporting the TLSF Data Analytics team, Andre enjoys being able to collaborate with others who are also passionate about improving processes and making informed decisions using mathematics.
During his final year of undergraduate studies, Andre was looking for a role that allowed him to apply his mathematical knowledge to real-world problems. It was this that brought Andre to Navantia Australia. Andre has enjoyed the freedom to explore projects that are closely aligned to his interests and, two years later, he is still passionate about the work he does day to day.
“The Naval Defence Industry has a lot of interesting challenges which I believe can be solved with the right application of Mathematics, including, but not limited to, Machine Learning and AI as well as Optimisation. Given Navantia Australia’s sustained commitment to technological innovation the road ahead looks promising.”
Andre’s PhD is being sponsored by Navantia Australia and is the continuation of one of the projects he has been involved in whilst working with us. Andre is working to develop Data Analytics technologies using mathematics, meteorology, and engineering. Although he has a special interest in maths, Andre has grown to appreciate the fields of meteorology and engineering the more he becomes acquainted with them.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to have support from Navantia through the entire process. In fact, Alberto Gonzalez-Cantos, the Digital Projects Manager at Navantia Australia is one of my PhD supervisors and is actively involved in the research process.”
In his spare time, Andre enjoys going to the cinema or watching movies at home. “The experience of going to the cinema has always been special for me, ever since I saw The Dark Knight at the movies when I was younger.” The child of a Spanish teacher, Andre enjoys all the opportunities he has had at Navantia Australia to practice his Spanish speaking.