Tim Goodson

Pursuing global sustainability in Paris

When Tim Goodson (BMechEng(Hons) 2014, BA 2014) turned up in France hoping to find a job, he confronted a harsh reality. To be employable there, he needed to speak better French. And he needed a master’s degree. Undaunted, Tim set about ticking both these boxes. His efforts soon paid off.

Now an Energy Analyst at the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris, Tim has joined the multinational team that produces the annual World Energy Outlook (the IEA’s flagship publication). “My role is to model future energy demand under different policy scenarios and then translate the results into a detailed analysis of global energy trends and key messages for policymakers,” he explains.

Tim’s work facilitates the global transition towards a sustainable energy future. “My team recently collated detailed energy demand data for 2017. Our data showed not only an increase in global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, but the fuels, sectors and regions driving this increase.” Major media reported these findings worldwide, highlighting what and where we need to change in order to reduce emissions.

Tim first pursued his passion for energy issues through volunteer work. “Not only has volunteering opened many doors in my professional life, it has opened my eyes to career options and global challenges,” he shares.

For example, Tim volunteered at Pollinate Energy, an Australian-Indian social business working to provide affordable and clean energy solutions to families in Indian slums. His role there laid the groundwork for his final-year project at Monash.

“I spent six weeks testing the performance of different types of cook stoves and fires in a tiny hut I’d made behind the Engineering buildings at Clayton,” he recalls. “Everyone must have wondered why the lecture theatres smelt so smoky!”

Also as a volunteer, Tim assisted in the formation of the Beyond Zero Emissions Fossil Economy Report. He helped conduct in-depth research into current energy use profiles and policies, as well as project the energy outlooks of China, India and Japan.

Over the course of his career, Tim has witnessed the exponential growth of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. “Thanks to political motivation to see more clean energy, and the manufacturing power of China, solar PV is now one of the cheapest sources of new electricity generation in many key markets,” he points out. “A similar story is now being seen with battery storage technologies, helping to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy technologies.”

Not everyone can live in Paris, but Tim had the confidence to go for it. “I’ve been lucky enough to have grown up without limits on what's possible or what you can become,” he says. “The Monash Engineering Leadership Program, my volunteering experiences, university exchanges and the opportunity to mix different fields through a double degree all contributed to opening up my world.”