About ECU

Lily Pree

Lily is a driven Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science UWA graduate, recently completing a Master’s in Petroleum Engineering at ECU - as the sole women in her cohort. Through cross-disciplinary credit recognition, she broadened her technical capability by completing additional chemical engineering units, strengthening her understanding of process design, fluid behaviour, and systems beyond traditional oil and gas applications.

Passionate about energy transition, Lily has intentionally shaped her academic pathway around future-focused solutions. Her Master’s thesis explored carbon capture and storage (CCS), building on her strong foundation in technical safety, process modelling, and emerging energy technologies.

During studies, Lily completed an Engineering Internship with Kent Energy, where she prepared technical safety reports for both onshore and offshore projects, supporting hazard identification, risk assessments and consequence modelling. Contributing to the company’s new energy initiatives, Lily is now a Kent employee via their Graduate Program.

Lily is committed to supporting greater gender diversity in engineering. She believes early exposure is key and hopes to inspire young girls by sharing her journey. Over the coming years, she aims to guest-present at schools to showcase the possibilities available to women in engineering.

1. What inspired you to pursue your current field of study, and what is it about engineering that you find most rewarding?

   I’ve always been pretty good at problem‑solving, and growing up I really enjoyed maths, so engineering felt like a natural fit. At school, maths was a subject I was comfortable with, and with some guidance from teachers and mentors, I was encouraged to pursue engineering because it suited my strengths. What I find most rewarding about engineering is being able to take a problem, break it down, and work towards a practical solution that actually gets used in the real world.

2. You’ve said that a passion for engineering often needs to begin early, while girls are still in school. What advice would you give young girls who are about to choose their tertiary subjects and considering a future in STEMM-occupations?

   I do think it helps for an interest in engineering to start early, especially while girls are still at school. If you don’t take maths or STEM subjects in Year 11 and 12, the chances of going into engineering later are pretty slim, and it can start to feel intimidating or out of reach. My advice would be to keep those STEM subjects open in high school, even if you’re not sure what you want to do yet. That’s the position I was in, and because I stuck with maths and STEM, I had so many more options when I finished school. It really does open doors, and it means you can choose later instead of closing opportunities before you even realise they exist.

3. You were a national champion hurdler in high school. What lessons from competitive sports have shaped the way you approach your engineering studies and career?

   Competitive sport taught me that nothing worthwhile ever comes easy. Being a hurdler required a lot of discipline, consistency, and self‑motivation, and those have become some of my biggest strengths in engineering as well. It also showed me that with belief in yourself, sustained effort, and the right support around you, you can achieve things that once felt out of reach. Probably the most important lesson I took from sport is that setbacks aren’t failures - they’re lessons. Each one helps you grow, build resilience, and come back stronger, which is something I carry with me in both my studies and my career.

4. You were the only woman in your Master’s cohort. What was that experience like, and how did you navigate it?

   Being the only woman in my Master’s cohort was challenging at times, but it wasn’t unfamiliar. I’ve always spent a lot of time in male‑dominated spaces, whether that’s through sports like surfing and boxing or choosing a traditionally male‑dominated career. I think experiences like that teach you the importance of having confidence and being secure in who you are, so you feel comfortable speaking up and being heard in any room. At the same time, I’ve found that simply being respectful, open, and kind goes a long way. When you approach people with authenticity and professionalism, it helps build mutual respect and makes navigating those environments much easier.

5. What is the biggest learning you gained from your internship with Kent Energy?

I learned an incredible amount during my internship at Kent Energy, but one of the biggest learnings came from my mentor. He really showed me how powerful mindset is, and how it can genuinely change everything if you apply it in the right way. I also learned the importance of making work meaningful and purposeful, and of getting involved in things that sit just outside your comfort zone. A good example of that was putting my hand up to chair the Kent Graduate Committee of Australia, which I now do. On top of that, the internship reinforced how important it is to be humble and authentic in the workplace. I’ve found that being yourself is the best way to build genuine connections and learn from the people around you.