Top operator

December 13, 2023

Adelaide-based Nathan Budarick, M.AIRAH, is a research and development technician/engineer for Seeley.

Responsibilities

Every day can bring something different, from discussing/designing concepts, testing/building these concepts, field-testing prototypes, all the way to helping commercialise products.

Passions

Innovation and creating energy-efficient solutions that can be manufactured in Australia.

Passions

Getting my first conceptual prototype built and running reliably, then working on it being built into a saleable product.

Important lessons

Taking shortcuts will always catch up with you; putting in the time and effort pays off.

Whom do you most admire?

Frank Seeley, M.AIRAH, for always having a passion and drive for innovation.

Dream sabbatical

To travel overseas to study and do research with a university at the forefront of refrigeration or HVAC development

What is your motto?

You know what they say about assumptions!

Greatest personal achievement

Winning the SA Worldskills Refrigeration competition and being able to represent TAFESA at the national competition in Sydney in 2018.

Favourite film

Currently Top Gun Maverick, a solid action film.

Favourite website

Google.com – where I can find any information I need!

Coming in a close second would have to be engineeringtoolbox.com

How would you describe yourself?

Quiet but driven.

Define success

Being able to work on or with something you are passionate about while still making ends meet.

Favourite Ecolibrium cover

Favourite recently would have to be the “Critical mass” cover of June–July 2023 – both for the aesthetic of the concrete and reinforcing the idea that thermal energy storage will become a fundamental component of decarbonisation and load-shifting.