Engineering
Larissa Michelsen is a Master of Engineering Studies graduate. She works as a Product Development Engineer for Fisher & Paykel Healthcare.
My postgraduate experience
“I found the most valuable skills I learnt at the University of Auckland were high-level academic thinking and meticulous research.
“My degree set me up with the skills I need to translate robust qualitative research into product solutions, and the wider professional network to enable those solutions to drive change in healthcare delivery.”
“The academic staff at the University were excellent, supportive and practical. I immediately felt like I was a part of a welcoming community.”
My work
“I work in developing neonatal respiratory medical equipment. This involves everything from immersive hospital visits to conducting usability studies with neonatal nurses, and machining mould tools for prototype injection plastic manufacturing.
“The neonatal intensive care unit can be a very tense and emotional environment. I enjoy seeing the joy on nurses' faces when the product I have helped design provides them with another tool to deliver better care for premature babies and their families.
“I found the Faculty of Engineering to be quite flexible and encouraging when I told them about my intentions to make my masters dissertation a cross-faculty collaboration.
“This flexibility meant I was able to learn about qualitative research and how to capture the human factors that influence the delivery and distribution of healthcare. That knowledge has made me an infinitely better medical device designer.”