Hannah Nickerson ChatterHigh Profile

Background

Hannah grew up in Nova Scotia and first attended Acadia University to study chemistry. As she neared graduation, Hannah wasn’t sure what career to pursue but became interested in engineering. A career in engineering would involve solving interesting problems and provide diverse career opportunities. She decided to continue her education in engineering at Dalhousie. It’s never too late to change directions in life!  

Throughout university, Hannah was a teaching assistant in chemistry labs and volunteered with the SMILE program. Hannah participated in the co-op program through Dalhousie to help pay for university and discover what careers might interest her. These co-op terms took her to the Department of National Defence and the Irving Oil refinery. Hannah graduated with a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Dalhousie University.

Career

Hannah is an engineer with Irving Oil’s Process Engineering Group. She enjoys a mix of field work and desk work, while working with a diverse team. Hannah uses her math and chemistry skills to troubleshoot plant operations, develop a solution and execute the plan. This involves participation from many teams. In the field, she might supervise certain activities or climb through equipment to perform inspections. Findings must be captured and communicated through reports and presentations to ensure the equipment continues to operate well.  

Every day is different and Hannah enjoys continued education through course and conferences. One of her favourite activities is mentoring students and engineers-in-training as they begin their engineering journey.