Diversity in STEM panel

During this event we will hear about the lived experiences working and studying in the FoS from seven individuals and work to identify specific actionable items for Schools within the FoS to achieve the six focus areas of the 2030 UoM Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

At the conclusion of the panel the faculty will supply refreshments in BioSciences 1 Rm G26 for those keen to continue the discussion.

Moderator: Dr. Lisa Godinho (Acknowledgement of Country/Welcome)

Keynote Speaker: Prof. Mick McCarthy (SEFS/SoB/FoS): Examining how different hiring practices shift gender ratios

Panelists:

• Prof. Mick McCarthy (SEFS/SoB/FoS)
• Prof. Margie Mayfield (SoB)
• Ms Sarah Sandford (QiS)
• A/Prof. Georgina Such (SoC/FoS)
• Ms Maddison Miller (SEFS)
• Prof. Rachel Webster (SoP/FoS)
• A/Prof. Michael-Shawn Fletcher (GEAS; tentatively)

Panel Topic: What actionable items are required for Schools within the FoS to achieve:

• A culturally safe environment
• Fully accessible campus
• Inclusion in teaching, curriculum development, and research
• Student equity and diversity
• Effective and accountable leadership
• Fair and transparent hiring processes

These are the six focus areas of the 2030 UoM Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

Professor Michael McCarthy - A professor of quantitative ecology with a PhD on stochastic population ecology, he is also Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne. His research focuses on ecological modelling, using mathematical and statistical methods to help understand ecological systems, and develop methods that assist with environmental management. He teaches in various areas related to Ecology and Environmental Science, from introductory biology through to a graduate level subject in Environmental Modelling.

Professor Margie Mayfield is a plant community ecologist interested in how changes to the environment impact on plant and insect community structure and function. Her work spans theoretical and applied questions about how biological diversity is maintained in general and in response to local and large scale environmental changes resulting from climate change, invasive species, urbanisation, agricultural intensification and (on a more positive note) restoration.

Ms Sarah Sandford a PhD Candidate at the University of Melbourne, researching how the gut immune system responds to viral infection. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and of Queers in Science, she is passionate about diversity in STEM. Gender equity and LGBTQIA+ representation in STEM are extremely important issues for her and she aspires to be a role model for others.

Associate Professor Georgina Such is a senior lecturer in the School of Chemistry at The University of Melbourne. She runs a research team looking into synthesis and application of functional materials.

Ms Maddison Miller is a Darug woman whose research looks at ways of knowing Country. She is interested in ways of bringing non-Indigenous and Indigenous sciences together to understand and care for Country, particularly through storytelling.

Professor Rachel Webster is a Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor in the School of Physics where she has been a faculty member since 1992. She currently leads the Astrophysics research group comprising more than 60 research students and staff. She has a continuing commitment to equity and diversity in science. Her research interests include quasar emission regions, gravitational lensing and cosmology. She has a keen interest in issues around sustainability and climate change, with a side interest in the physics of geothermal energy.

Dr Michael-Shawn Fletcher is interested in the long-term interactions between humans, climate, disturbance and vegetation at local, regional and global scales. His current work involves developing and integrating high-resolution palaeoenvironmental records from across the Southern Hemisphere using multiple proxies, including microfossil, charcoal, geochemical and isotopic analyses to provide comprehensive reconstructions of environmental change.

Host or Publisher Science at Melbourne