After growing up in the shadow of the Himalayas, Virat Gurung’s career will climb new heights after graduating with a Master of Professional Engineering (Mechanical).

Virat says his interest in science and engineering grew during his school years in the beautiful lakeside Nepalese city of Pokhara.

“I was in love with science from a very early age and as a child, I used to wonder how the cars were able to propel on just a press of a foot and how the airplanes fly without actually flapping its wings,” Virat said.

“Those childhood curiosities seeded my mind and created an interest that later took me to dive into the world of engineering.”

Virat says he was attracted to the field because he had a passion for finding solutions and believed engineers were real-world problem solvers.

He says he considered many institutions around the world before choosing the University of Newcastle, where he was attracted by its dedication to producing work-ready graduates through flexible learning options.

“I consider choosing The University of Newcastle for my higher education was the best decision I had made in the path of stepping towards my goal,” Virat said.

“The course content is designed such that students not only develop with core knowledge in the mechanical engineering domain, but also develop as professional engineers who are the problem-solvers through a focus on science and technology using their innovative ideas.

“I would say that the University of Newcastle has got everything that a student can utilise for their studies which include 24-hour access to the buildings to use the labs for study purposes.”

Virat said the biggest highlight of studying at Newcastle was developing his practical research skills. He gained valuable experience through projects at The Newcastle Institute of Energy and Research (NIER), the world-class industrial research centre located at the Callaghan campus. NIER is studying a range of emerging technologies including Hydrogen fuel systems, printable photovoltaic cells, thermal brick energy storage, and the area that attracted Virat, bulk materials handling and transportation systems.

“The study of bulk solids as my course content deepened my interest to explore more into this field,” Virat said.

He was awarded a Summer Scholarship that had him working at NIER investigating and developing computer modelling for liner materials on bulk transport systems, which was also the topic of his Masters thesis.

Virat is now embarking on a PhD (Mechanical Engineering) at Newcastle, where he is happy to continue his personal and professional development.

“The most valuable experience that the university has provided to me is exposure to such a culturally diversified environment, and excellent learning settings that have helped me to grow as an individual.”

Study a Master of Professional Engineering (Mechanical) at the University of Newcastle

Virat Gurung `

Virat Gurung

A passion discovered in Nepal, pursed at the University of Newcastle.

I consider choosing The University of Newcastle for my higher education was the best decision I had made . . .