Trudi Hoogenboom
Graduated in 2004

Why did you decide to study at Leeds?
I wanted to work with Greg Houseman

How do you think a PhD degree has helped you?
Doing a PhD provided me with the opportunity to post-doc at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It has also provided me with transferable skills (in Math, Physics and general problem solving) that I use in my current job as a Senior Geophysicist for ExxonMobil.

What was your career path to your current job?

• Undergraduate degree in Applied Physics (RMIT/Australia)
• Honours degree in Geophysics (University of Melbourne/Australia)
• Geophysicist at Pasminco (Australian Base metal exploration company)
• PhD (University of Leeds)
• National Research Council Research Associate (NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
• Senior Geophysicist (ExxonMobil)

What are the challenges and rewards of your current job?
I currently work in the Geophysical Operations Group at ExxonMobil where we design and acquire all the seismic surveys for ExxonMobil Exploration, Production and Development. My PhD involved numerical modelling of Venus so the most obvious challenge for me is learning a completely new discipline. It is also the most rewarding part of doing something different every day.

What direction do you want your career to go in the future?
ExxonMobil has been extremely supportive of my planetary research so my goal is to continue my planetary research as well as working on technical seismic design projects for ExxonMobil while I continue to learn more about the energy industry.