Olivia Mirza
Associate Professor Olivia Mirza was one of the 16th Golden Jubliee Scholarship holders at University of New South Wales in 2000 from around the world. She graduated in Honours Bachelor of Civil and Environmental degree in 2002. She worked as a structural engineer for 10 years before pursuing her academic career. She worked for Leighton Contractors (now CPB), Australia Consulting Engineers and Cardno Group. Olivia is currently Associate Dean – Engagement at School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, Western Sydney University. She is also Deputy President for Engineers Australia for Sydney Division and also representative of Women in Engineering for Western Sydney Region. She is the winner of 2021 Western Sydney Women Executive Award in STEM.
During her studies she was employed by Leighton Contractors for two years as a student engineer. At this time she was involved in the [then new,] M7 Project. After graduating with Honours she worked for 4 years as a Structural Engineer for Australian Consulting Engineers and 4 years at the Cardno Group. Some of the award winning projects she involved in are One Shelley Street, King Street Wharf, Sydney where the external structural support system supported by diagrid for sustainable purposes. She was the lead structural engineer for the diagrid. The building was awarded a 6 star Green Star "World Leader" rating and the highest environmental building rating achievable in Australia. She is also involved in the Tower 5 of the New York World Trade Center.
Olivia decided to challenge herself by undertaking a PhD under the Australian Research Council Linkage Grant under Bluescope Lysaght. Olivia’s PhD research is mostly concentrated on the behaviour and design of shear connectors on composite steel and concrete structures (building and bridges). She is currently a qualified forensic engineers where her passion to apply innovative method for rehabilitating existing and deployment in deconstructible and sustainability of composite steel-concrete structures especially in bridges. She travels around the world conducting her forensic bridge engineering. Her recent success was rehailitated railway section of Sydney Harbour Bridge and it was completed in January 2021. She was the external consultant to look at the feasibility of replacing timber transom to precast modular concrete transom.
Olivia is a strong advocate for encouraging more women and Indigenous into the engineering or STEM related profession. She is also active and successful mentor for the University's WiSE program, Western Sydney University Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) initiative group and for Engineers Australia's Women in Engineering mentoring program. She also actively promotes the University's Engineering program around regional NSW. She is also volunteering for CSIRO Education to promote STEM program to female. She is currently helping in various primary and high schools in their STEM curriculum. In 2016 she set up a group called "WoW" Women of Wisdom for Western Sydney University. WoW is to help with the retention of female student in Construction and Engineering field. Australia like most other countries in the world has a shortage of engineers and it is Olivia's vision to increase the number of women engineers.