IWD 2024: Inspired by peers & mentors

In the lead up to International Women’s Day, our experts share the role models who have stood out during their careers - from mentors to peers - with A/Prof Vicki Lawson, Dr Robyn Brown and Prof Christine Wells.

Associate Professor Vicki Lawson

Department of Microbiology & Immunology

For Vicki Lawson it’s her peers who have always inspired her and the support of peer mentors along the way.

How important is gender equity?

“My experience of gender equity throughout much of my early science experience meant that I never questioned that I, a woman, could be a scientist because I did not think that being a scientist was a gendered occupation. I am not a female scientist; I am a scientist, and my colleagues, are scientists. But I acknowledge that this is not the experience of everyone.”

Vicki reflected that her early education experience had a positive impact on her world view and identity as a scientist.

“I completed high school in a small rural city - shout out to Warragul High School! - at a time when there were both technical schools and high schools. And perhaps because of this my year had a small, equally numbered and equally capable group of boys and girls studying STEM. Indeed, the academic achievement awards in biology, chemistry, and physics all went to girls - and we all went on to study science at Melbourne and complete PhDs.”

Undertaking her PhD at The Macfarlane Burnet Centre for Medical Research (now The Burnet) Vicki’s colleagues included Sharon Lewin, Katherine Kedzierska, Anna Peeters, Diana Magliano, Rosemary Kiernan, Melissa Churchill, Liz Vincan and senior role models Suzanne Crowe, Sally Land and Marjory Kennett.

“All of these women were – and still are - great scientists," she said.

Vicki went on to do postdoctoral research at the National Institute of Health where she worked with an amazing group of women: “They were a special group of women who provided humour, encouragement, and community and who have all gone on to lead research groups all around the world."

While she doesn't ever question her right to be a scientist, Vicki says she has been challenged when her peer mentors have not been as available or have been less visible: "For me, this occurred during the transition to a Level B academic coupled with the responsibility of running a lab. This was also at a point in time where gender equity in STEMM had lost its balance."

So who has inspired me? These women. These peers. These remarkable women who have gone on to be quite remarkable. They are incredibly smart, very hard-working women who perhaps, like me were very, very lucky to see it so they did it.

Vicki features in our Master of Biomedical Science Spotlight Series: Research Possibilities. Find out what she has to say about working with the next generation of biomedical scientists, commercial, industry and healthcare professionals.

Watch the Spotlight Series here

Dr Robyn Brown

Department of Biochemistry & Pharmacology

Robyn Brown is a behavioural neuroscientist looking to understand motivated behaviour, overeating in obesity and addiction. Her role model is Professor Margaret Morris whom she met while doing undergraduate degree at University of Melbourne.

"Margaret was the coordinator of my favourite subject – neuropharmacology. She was kind enough to meet with me when I was a directionless undergraduate student and she was the first to impress on me that a path to research was a possibility. Later, when I found my dream honours project in an addiction-focused lab that was moving from Monash to be based at the Florey I went to her for help. She took me under her wing and became my co-supervisor so I could enrol through my favourite pharmacology department.

I have stayed in contact with Margaret over the years and she has been at the helm of obesity research in Australia for decades so I really look up to her as a leader in my field. She came through at a time when there weren’t many women in positions like hers and she showed me that it was possible."

The most exciting is that when I look around me today I am not alone. When I started out in research and I looked for senior female researchers ahead of me like Margaret they were few and far between. As I progress in my career I realise this is not the case any more. I am surrounded by the most amazing high calibre women and I find them truly inspirational.

Learn more abut Robyn Brown here

Prof Christine Wells

Department of Anatomy & Physiology

For Christine Wells, there have been many people who have inspired her research. She met Mary Lyon who taught her mouse genetics when she was working in Oxford.

Mary Lyon was the pioneer of the field of epigenetics - she was a keen observer, in science and in life.

Now in her current role where she is working to build educational pathways for advanced cell and gene therapies, Christine says Fiona Wood is an inspirational figure.

Fiona has achieved a great deal in terms of skin repair after traumatic burns, and aspires to, and inspires excellence.

Christine's current role model and mentor is her colleague Kim-Anh Le Cao, Director of the Melbourne Integrative Genomics - "she is an interdisciplinary researcher who has made statistics exciting!"

Learn more about the Wells Lab here

Catch up on Part 1 of our IWD 2024 series here:  Historical role models and why they matter