What do an engineer, teacher, humanitarian, world traveler and adventurer have in common? Actually, they're one in the same person — Dr. Lisa Lamont, assistant professor at The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Some people may find it mind boggling how this 27-year-old native of Newmills village in County Tyrone, 40 miles (64 km) from Belfast, Northern Ireland, ended up teaching electrical engineering courses in the Middle East, but not Lamont's family and friends. According to her parents, “Lisa was never your average child. She always wanted that bit extra from life.”

From an early age, Lamont showed signs of wanderlust, convincing her parents to take their only child on a six-week tour of Asia when she was just 12. As she entered her teens, Lamont combined her love of travel with an interest in humanitarianism. She became active in the Spirit of Enniskillen Trust, a group inspired by the late Irish Senator Gordon Wilson following the Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, bombing tragedy of 1987 in which 11 people were killed.

In 2001, Lamont acted as an ambassador for the Trust, traveling to Bosnia and Croatia. There, she assisted five boys and five girls between the ages of 16 and 19 — half Catholic and half Protestant — in learning about peace and conflict resolution. Lamont also went to Washington, D.C., with a group to perform research for a conference that was being organized in Belfast on the human rights of children.

After graduating from the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, with a Ph.D. in the control of voltage source converters, Lamont was eager to begin her career. Although she was offered several positions in the United Kingdom, her desire for travel and gaining new experiences once again took hold. Lamont expanded her career search on a global level and was soon offered her present lecturing position in Abu Dhabi.

“I was brought up with the mentality that travel broadens your horizons,” says Lamont. “Because of this, I had the confidence to take my first full-time job in the UAE.”

Today, Lamont capitalizes on her diplomatic skills at The Petroleum Institute, where she works teaching all-male classes. Founded by Emiri decree in 2000, The Petroleum Institute is financed and governed by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) and its international partners Shell, British Petroleum, Total and Japan Oil Development Co. The institute's goal is to provide the UAE and its oil and gas industry with engineers who are “educated and trained to the highest standards.” Lamont more than meets the institute's standards. “Engineering is not just my job, it is a hobby that interests me,” she says. “I think that it is very important that your chosen career excites you and gives you satisfaction.”

Lamont also gains satisfaction from knowing she has an impact on the UAE's future development. “The UAE is expanding rapidly in many ways — especially in the education and training of the UAE Nationals. Lecturing at The Petroleum Institute enables me to pass my knowledge and enthusiasm on to the next set of engineers,” she says. “However, university is only the start of the learning process. It teaches you the skills and approaches required to research and learn about different topic areas, but this process must continue all your life to enable you to keep up-to-date with the cutting edge of engineering.”

In addition to lecturing, Lamont is involved in various engineering institutions and sits on several highly regarded committees.

Despite certain cultural differences, Lamont says she feels at home in the UAE — a country of more than 4 million people that labels itself a “melting pot,” blending the traditions of the East with the modern technologies of the West. “The people here are very similar to those in Northern Ireland,” Lamont says. “They are friendly and helpful, and interested to learn and expand their knowledge.”

In addition, Lamont admires the steps her newly adopted country is taking to preserve its natural resources. “Although the UAE has large reserves of oil and gas,” she says, “they are being very proactive and farsighted in investigating and researching possible future energy sources.”

In her free time, Lamont enjoys swimming, motorbikes, car rallying (think NASCAR without the racetrack) and, of course, traveling. Peru, Montreal, Toronto and New York are just a few of the places she has visited. Despite living so far from home, Lamont says today's technology makes staying in touch with family and friends quite easy. “And I'm never short of welcome visitors making use of Abu Dhabi's yearly sunshine,” she says.

After accomplishing so much at such an early age, what does the future hold for this ambitious young engineer? “I believe anything in the world can be achieved by perseverance, determination and support from your family and friends,” says Lamont.