Register now for EMCRA’s annual IWD event
Inspiring leaders discuss career challenges and advice
According to the most recent statistics, women make up around 50% of the workforce, yet only 15% of the STEM workforce – a statistic that hasn’t really budged in over five years. A well-worn phrase tells us “you can’t be what you can’t see” – and SBS EMCRA’s annual IWD event will be an opportunity to hear from esteemed leaders in their field about how they’ve navigated career challenges and how their ideas of success have changed over time.
Moderator Professor Lizzie Coulson, herself a renowned neuroscientist and head of the Department of Anatomy and Physiology, will be joined by a panel of leading experts.
Special guest Professor Jenny Graves is an evolutionary geneticist whose research exploits the genetic diversity of Australia's unique mammals as a source of genetic variation to study the organisation, function and evolution of mammalian genomes. She is one of Australia's most lauded scientists and was the first woman to win the Prime Minister's Prize for Science as an individual in 2017.
Dr Marthe D’Ombrai (CSL) – whose more than 20 years of experience in the science sector spans research and development, drug discovery, commercialisation, strategy and partnerships – will talk about her journey from childhood inspiration to championing early stage research and start ups that translate promising medical research into commercial success.
Professor Di Stojanovksi, laboratory head in the Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, points to International Women’s Day as “a moment of collective focus, where issues affecting woman are not just acknowledged but actively discussed, challenged, and reframed.”
Professor Stojanovski, who has authored more than 60 publications and changed understanding of how molecular pathways are critical for mitochondrial function, will share her experiences of migration, motherhood and research excellence at the morning tea on Wednesday 4 March.
And GTAC Director Jacinta Duncan will join the panel to reflect on how a passion for life sciences forged a path in STEM education – and the lessons she's learned along the way.
- What advice do they have for early to mid career researchers?
- What doors have opened for them – and what opportunities have they created for themselves?
- This will be opportunity for researchers to hear different perspectives, get inspired, network and enjoy some cakes and refreshments together.
Don't miss out on this special event.
Image credit: Jenny Graves photographed for Prime Minister’s Prize for Science/YouTube