2023 Speakers

Professor Kay Latham

Dean, STEMM Diversity & Inclusion, RMIT

Professor Kay Latham is an experienced materials research chemist, educator, and advocate for equity and ​diversity. 

Her career spans 10 years in the chemical industry, and more than 20 years in the higher-education sector. She is a postgraduate of the University of Cambridge (Sidney Sussex College), and a Chartered Chemist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (CChem FRSC) UK.  She is a Past President of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (Victoria) and was the first woman to take on this role.

At RMIT University, Melbourne, she has served as Discipline Head for Applied Chemistry & Environmental Science (2014–2016), and Deputy-Dean (Learning & Teaching), School of Science (2016–2020). She has been the Lead for RMIT’s SAGE Athena SWAN program of work since 2015, which culminated in a successful submission for a Bronze Award in 2020, and RMIT’s first Cygnet Award in 2023.

In June 2020, Professor Latham was promoted to Dean – STEMM Diversity & Inclusion, a role dedicated to the progression of women and under-represented groups in teaching and academia, and the further development of inclusive culture.

Professor Nicole Bell

President, Australian Institute of Physics

Professor Nicole Bell is a theoretical physicist at The University of Melbourne and the President of the Australian Institute of Physics.

Nicole completed her PhD at The University of Melbourne in 2001. She then held postdoctoral appointments at Fermilab and Caltech in the US, before returning to The University of Melbourne in 2007.

Nicole’s research lies at the interface of particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology, with a particular focus on dark matter and neutrino physics. She leads the Theory Program of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics, which aims to uncover the identity of the cosmological dark matter.

She was awarded the 2020 Nancy Millis Medal by the Australian Academy of Science for her work on dark matter and neutrino physics. She is a Fellow of the American Physical Society.

Associate Professor Alice Motion (they/she)

Deputy Director, Sydney Nano Institute, and Founder, Breaking Good

Associate Professor Alice Motion is a chemist and Deputy Director of the Sydney Nano Institute at The University of Sydney, where they lead the Science Communication, Outreach, Participation and Education (SCOPE) Research Group in the School of Chemistry. Alice is recognised as a leading international science communicator who leads an interdisciplinary program in research and practice focused on science democratisation. 

Alice’s team work to find new ways to connect people with science and to make research more accessible through creative methods of science communication and citizen science. Alice is the founder of the Breaking Good project – a citizen-science project that aims to empower high-school and undergraduate students to be active researchers in projects that will improve human health. Alice is also the founder and producer of Live From The Lab, a program connecting scientists with musicians to create new compositions celebrating science and sparking new conversations.

Alice has a particular interest in breaking down barriers to science participation for people who have been under-represented and historically excluded from STEM. Since 2018, Alice has been part of a burgeoning community of queer science communication, which has become one key focus of their research and practice. 

In 2020, Alice was awarded the Eureka Prize for Promoting Public Engagement with Science. Alice hosts a monthly segment ‘Science in Motion’ on ABC Breakfast TV, writes a monthly column for The Royal Society of Chemistry’s flagship magazine Chemistry World, is the co-host of the ABC Science podcast, Dear Science, and was the host of a weekly science slot on FBi Radio’s breakfast show from 2015 to 2021.

Dr Naomi Koh Belic 許佳丽 (she/her)

Scientist, Communicator and Educator

Dr Naomi Koh Belic 許佳丽 is a biracial, bisexual, bimbo biologist. She is a storyteller, and science is the language she speaks. Naomi is a second-generation Australian and a first-generation university graduate, with a PhD in stem-cell biology.

Naomi is passionate about making science accessible; her freelance projects focus on amplifying voices of minority communities. She produced her first documentary last year, which premiered at MCA and used burlesque as a story-telling platform to teach people about how fat bodies are healthy. She created a project with DeadlyScience that centres knowledge of Elders in Robinson River and supported them in sharing this with children in remote and regional schools across Australia. They will be sending out a scientific kit that contains an experiment, a curriculum-aligned worksheet, and a documentary that Naomi produced and directed. Naomi launched The Drag Experiment during National Science Week, a live science drag show. She is developing a Screen Australia-funded TikTok series called Bimbo Biology Body Breakdown. She was also a presenter and producer for science and health at the ABC and a biology expert on the Discovery Channel.

Alison Shamir (she/her)

Imposter Syndrome Expert, International Speaker, Coach & Media Contributor

Alison Shamir is an expert in imposter syndrome, and an international speaker, certified coach and media contributor. Through her work, Alison empowers global organisations, teams and individuals with knowledge, tools and methods, grounded in neuroscience, to overcome imposter syndrome and present and perform as their most confident selves.  Alison is a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, is passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion, and has held leadership roles across the technology and media sectors. She combines lived experience and professional expertise to help her clients make transformative change.  

Dr Amy Bohren (she/her)

Career Practitioner

Dr Amy Bohren is a registered Professional Career Practitioner who specialises in supporting PhD students, academics and early- to mid-career professionals. Amy’s doctoral research investigated the employability of Australian university students, focusing on differences in perspectives and experiences according to faculty, socioeconomic status and first-in-family background. In 2017, she was awarded the Career Development Association of Australia’s Excellence in Research Award. Amy’s research interests in the structural barriers to education and employment and the development of graduate identity arose from her naive sociological observations as the first in her family to attend university, having grown up in rural Victoria as the child of a migrant.

Amy gained experience in numerous university career services, primarily as a specialist postgraduate career consultant, before starting her private practice in 2016. Her approach is research-based, holistic, educative and supportive. In addition, she has served in a diverse range of roles in the higher-education and health sectors, primarily as a project manager and academic.

Amy completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and German, an Honours degree in German sociolinguistics and a PhD in Education at Monash University. She is a former Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Excellence Fellow, having written part of her PhD at the University of Bern. Amy has been a professional member of the Career Development Association of Australia for more than 15 years.

https://redcareersaustralia.com/

Dr Bree Gorman

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant

Dr Bree Gorman is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion consultant working with organisations to create sustainable, meaningful change. Before creating their own company, Bree held the position of Diversity and Inclusion Manager at Deakin University.

Bree’s expert background is in extracting data to design and implement diversity, equity and inclusion strategies. They are also an experienced facilitator and trainer, and use their personal story to empower people to be intentionally inclusive.

Bree has a PhD in analytical chemistry, a previous career in research management, and is a product of the leaky pipeline.

Dr Bridie Schultz

General Manager, Sativus

Dr Bridie Schultz and her sister, Dr Kylie Hewson, established Sativus Pty Ltd to empower researchers, investors, teachers and students with the skills to create, manage and communicate their best-possible science. Bridie lives by the principle that knowledge is useful only if it is shared; scientists spend valuable resources to solve worldwide challenges, so it is important that people know about the research to make it truly impactful. Sativus works with Australian research and development corporations, universities, secondary schools and private enterprises, with the primary objective of improving the accessibility of information generated from scientific research.

Frances Gamble (she/her)

Chief Executive Officer, Out for Australia

Frances Gamble is the Chief Executive Officer of Out for Australia, with more than 10 years of experience in the for-purpose sector. Out for Australia empowers LGBTQIA+ people to thrive at work in the formative stages of their career, and is known for running Australia’s largest LGBTQIA+ career mentoring program. Outside her role at Out for Australia, Frances works part-time with the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and lives on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country. She has several tertiary qualifications, including a Master’s of Public Policy and Management. Her background is in policy, leadership, facilitation, marketing and wine studies.

Professor Gordon Parker AO

Scientia Professor of Psychiatry, UNSW

Professor Gordon Parker AO is a Scientia Professor of Psychiatry at UNSW and Founder of the Black Dog Institute. He has more than 50 years of experience as a clinician and researcher, and has held the positions of Head of the School of Psychiatry at UNSW, Director of the Division of Psychiatry at Prince of Wales Hospital, Executive Director at the Black Dog Institute, and Editor of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. He has been the recipient of both a Citation Laureate and the James Cook Medal.

His research has focused primarily on the diagnosis and management of mood disorders. He has published 23 books and more than 1,000 scientific reports. Most recently, the research of Professor Parker and his group at UNSW has led to the development of the Sydney Burnout Measure, a new measure of burnout out, and the publication of the book Burnout: A Guide to Identifying Burnout and Patterns to Recovery.

Professor Inger Mewburn

Director of Researcher Development, ANU

Professor Inger Mewburn (better known as @Thesiswhisperer on the internet) was born on Nuenonne country, which is now known as Tasmania, Australia (always was, always will be, Aboriginal land). She has a background as a designer and a researcher, which was nurtured at The University of Melbourne and RMIT University. 

Since 2006, she has worked exclusively with PhD students and early-career academics, helping them finish complex research projects with (very) demanding stakeholders. She’s passionate about people reaching their potential as researchers and helping to create a kinder, more inclusive academy. 

Inger is the Director of Researcher Development at ANU, where she oversees professional development workshops and programs for ANU researchers. Aside from creating new posts on the Thesis Whisperer blog (https://thesiswhisperer.com/), she writes scholarly papers, books and book chapters about research education, with a special interest in post-PhD employability. She is a co-creator of the PostAc app and co-hosts a regular podcast called ‘On the Reg’ (https://onthereg.buzzsprout.com/) with Dr Jason Downs. 

Dr John Noel Viaña (he/him)

Research Fellow, Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, ANU

Dr John Noel Viana is a research fellow at the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at The Australian National University, where he investigates equity, diversity, and social-justice issues in health research, promotion and communication. He holds a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from the University of the Philippines, a master’s in neurosciences from VU University Amsterdam and Universite de Bordeaux, and a PhD in Neuroethics from the University of Tasmania. He has recently published book chapters on queering science communication in homophobic societies and on communicating science on, to and with racial minorities during pandemics. He is an editorial board member of BMC Medical Ethics, Humanities and Social Sciences Communications and Frontiers in Genetics (ELSI in Science and Genetics), and is a member of the Engagement and Outreach Committee of the International Neuroethics Society.

Dr Shari Walsh

Psychologist and career practitioner

Dr Shari Walsh is an experienced psychologist and career-development practitioner, who has worked within the academic, organisational and private-practice sectors. Shari has extensive experience working with higher-degree research candidates, early-career researchers, supervisors and academics to build and maintain positive psychological wellbeing, to communicate effectively, and to develop career confidence during their research roles and beyond. Feedback from Shari’s workshops and webinars indicate that attendees highly value her warm and engaging style, her understanding and insight of issues that affect researchers, her practical approach, and the skills and strategies she offers to facilitate optimal functioning.

Shari has a Bachelor of Psychology (Hons) and PhD (Psychology) from QUT. She is registered with the Psychology Board of Australia, and is a professional member of the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc. and the National Graduate Careers Advisory Services.

www.resilientresearcher.com.au
www.linkedin.com/in/shariwalshpsychology

Sue Ellson

LinkedIn specialist

Sue Ellson is an independent LinkedIn specialist, author, educator, practitioner and consultant. She is also a gigster, a person who uses technology to attract aligned gigs, and a former banker. Sue provides teaching, training, speaking and consulting services to individuals, small, medium and large businesses, corporates, schools, universities, associations and governments in Australia and overseas. She is the author of five non-fiction books on the topics of LinkedIn, careers, business, hyper-local marketing and gigsters; her next two books will be poetry books. Since completing her university studies, she has been attending up to four events every week to keep herself up to date. Sue is also the Founder of Newcomers Network. After hours, she enjoys catching up with family and friends, walking and dancing.

Ashley Dell’Oro

Mental Health Support

Ashley Dell’Oro is a dedicated and compassionate mental health practitioner committed to providing essential support and care to individuals facing emotional and psychological challenges. With lived experience and a deep understanding of the complexities of mental health, she strives to create a safe and nurturing environment where clients can embark on their journey towards healing and resilience.  Ashley also has a profound passion for horticulture cultivated through years of hands-on experience in gardening, botany and landscape design. Her unique blend of therapeutic expertise and botanical knowledge allows her to offer clients a holistic approach to well-being.

Ashley completed her placement with Queerspace, a division of Drummond Street Services that caters for the LGBTQIA+ Community. Her guiding philosophy centres on the belief that all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, deserve respect, understanding and affirmation. She is committed to creating a space where queer individuals can explore their authentic selves, find healing, and embrace their identities with pride.

Her approach to her work is rooted in empathy and respect. She believes in fostering a collaborative therapeutic relationship that empowers clients to explore their challenges, develop coping strategies, and embark on a path towards well-being. She is dedicated to promoting mental health awareness and reducing the stigma associated with seeking help. She is also dedicated to making a meaningful difference in the lives of those she serves.

Maxi Xie

Mental Health Support

Supporting people in understanding themselves better, develop curiosity and self-compassion, Maxi Xie specialises in relationship counselling and sex therapy. Understanding that everyone is different, Maxi creates specialised plans and treatments for all his clients using evidence-based psychological therapies. Maxi is experienced in a range of therapeutic approaches, including acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), schema therapy, emotion-focused therapy (EFT), sex therapy and psychosexual therapy.

Priding themselves on being non-dismissive and non-discriminative, Maxi will, through therapy, help you to unpack your situation, find your strengths and goals, cope with inner conflicts and build the meaningful life you desired. Maxi is fluent in Mandarin and can provide services bi-lingually.

Carolyn Rose

Career Advisor

Theo Abels

Career Advisor

Thoa Luong

Career Advisor

Associate Professor Cate Thomas (she/her)

Associate Professor, Charles Sturt University

Associate Professor Cate Thomas has a diverse working and academic career in health, human services, leadership and management, which is reflected in her qualifications in the human services, education and business/management areas. Cate is a dynamic leader and strategic thinker. She has demonstrated leadership and influence in the academic, government and non-government arenas, holding key positions such as Manager Research to Practice in the NSW government, has worked as a private social policy consultant, and delivers keynote addresses. She has championed equity, diversity and inclusion at the university, and works collaboratively with CSIRO, ANU and SAGE to assist organisations to be more inclusive to harness the true talent of workers through an intersectional approach. Cate has received several awards, including the ANZSWWER 2017 Social Work Educator of the Year Award and, most recently, one of the inaugural 2021 HERDSA Hero’s in High Education Awards.

Cate established (and is the co-convenor) of the Social Equality, Intersectionality and Inclusion Research Group (SEIIRG). She is a Visiting Fellow at Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Ireland, and Masaryk University Brno, Czech Republic.

Emma Jones (she/her)

CEO and Founder, Project F

Emma Jones founded social-impact business Project F in 2019 to improve gender balance in technology teams and leadership. Her career in the people and diversity sector spans more than 28 years across global markets.

Originally from London, Emma’s career has seen her live and work in the UK, US and, the past decade, in Australia. Her work has focused almost exclusively on the technology sector. Driven by purpose, Emma is an unapologetic, albeit accidental, feminist, and she in on a mission to change the culture of tech with her company Project F’s gender balance accreditation program.

Emma is also the founder of not-for-profit tech community Men Championing Change. She is a strategist, mentor, gender-equality advocate and busy mother of four.

Madeleine Motion

Global Co-Head of Inclusion, Diversity & Belonging, Ashurst

Madeleine Motion is the Global Co-Head of Inclusion, Diversity and Belonging for Ashurst Australia, a global law firm specialising in corporate law. Ashurst is known for outpacing change by championing new ideas to identify solutions that create a better future for their clients and their communities. Maddy has a Master’s of Public Policy and is an experienced inclusion and communications leader specialising in high-performing, dynamic and complex organisations. As Global Co-Head of Inclusion, Diversity and Belonging, Maddy believes that when organisations have clear and transparent inclusion, diversity and belonging goals and action plans they are able to identify priorities and take action to build a more welcoming and inclusive workplace for all.

Dr John Noel Viaña (he/him) (moderator)

Research Fellow, Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, ANU

Dr John Noel Viana is a research fellow at the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at The Australian National University, where he investigates equity, diversity, and social-justice issues in health research, promotion and communication. He holds a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from the University of the Philippines, a master’s in neurosciences from VU University Amsterdam and Universite de Bordeaux, and a PhD in Neuroethics from the University of Tasmania. He has recently published book chapters on queering science communication in homophobic societies and on communicating science on, to and with racial minorities during pandemics. He is an editorial board member of BMC Medical Ethics, Humanities and Social Sciences Communications and Frontiers in Genetics (ELSI in Science and Genetics), and is a member of the Engagement and Outreach Committee of the International Neuroethics Society.

Bek Lasky

CEO, Ngarrimili

Bek Lasky is a proud Wakaya woman who was born and raised on the lands of the Wadawurrung people down in Geelong. Bek is currently the CEO of Ngarrimili, a non-profit organisation that nurtures Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander business and entrepreneurship. Bek is also the co-founder of a small business, Soul Sister Co., which was founded alongside her best friend, Ruby Evans.

Bek is extremely passionate about using her voice and platform to raise awareness on topics important her, including mental health, First Nations economic development, youth entrepreneurship, and empowering others to achieve their goals and dreams.

Georgia Pascoe (she/her)

Head of Customer Success, APAC

Georgia Pascoe has been working in account management and client enablement for more than 9 years, across many sectors. As Head of Customer Success (APAC) at Mentorloop, Georgia helps her clients define their mentoring objectives, implement programs and achieve success. Georgia holds a Master’s of Positive Psychology, and is motivated to create environments that are supportive of wellbeing, in all life domains.

Dr Maggy Lord

Amplify Fellow, UQ

Dr Maggy Lord leads the Infrared surveillance and diagnostics team within the Faculty of Science at The University of Queensland. Her research focuses on developing novel and rapid next-generation surveillance and diagnostic tools for the detection of pathogens in humans and the environment and to characterise disease-carrying vectors, with a specialisation in spectroscopy and artificial intelligence. She is the co-founder of the Mshauri program and leads the STEM Spotlight program at UQ. This STEM mentorship program aims to inspire students from culturally and linguistically diverse communities to take up STEM careers. Dr Lord and her team do this by sharing their STEM journeys with students and running science workshops in schools.

Frances Gamble (she/her) (moderator)

Chief Executive Officer, Out for Australia

Frances Gamble is the Chief Executive Officer of Out for Australia, with more than 10 years of experience in the for-purpose sector. Out for Australia empowers LGBTQIA+ people to thrive at work in the formative stages of their career, and is known for running Australia’s largest LGBTQIA+ career mentoring program. Outside her role at Out for Australia, Frances works part-time with the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and lives on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country. She has several tertiary qualifications, including a Master’s of Public Policy and Management. Her background is in policy, leadership, facilitation, marketing and wine studies.

Dr Blanca del Rosal Rabes (she/her)

Research Fellow, RMIT

Dr Blanca del Rosal is a researcher and lecturer in physics at RMIT University. Blanca holds a PhD in physics of light and matter from Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain. She moved to Melbourne in 2017 for “just a short postdoc”, which turned out into a much longer stay. Blanca joined RMIT in 2020 on an ARC DECRA fellowship, a couple of years before receiving an adult ADHD diagnosis. Her research focuses on nanomaterial-based imaging and sensing for biomedical applications.

Dr Rebecca Flower

Lecturer, La Trobe University

Dr Rebecca (Bec) Flower is a lecturer and researcher in the Department of Psychology, Counselling, and Therapy at La Trobe University. Bec’s research focuses on neurodiversity-inclusive workplace practices. She formerly worked as the Research and Innovation Manager at Specialisterne Australia, where she helped large organisations conduct inclusive hiring programs to recruit autistic employees. Through her work at La Trobe, she continues to work with organisations to assist them in learning about recruiting and supporting neurodivergent employees.  

Bec is passionate about conducting inclusive and respectful research, which explores practical questions of interest to the neurodivergent community, and works alongside neurodivergent students, researchers and community members. She is a first-in-family graduate, and received an adulthood diagnosis of ADHD.

Shae Wissell

PhD Candidate, La Trobe University

Shae Wissell is a respected thought leader, researcher and international award-winner for her leadership work advocating for adults with dyslexia, with a background in speech pathology and a Master’s of Public Health and Health Administration. Shae is doctoral candidate whose research focuses on the lived experiences of adults with dyslexia in Australia. Her work explores the social inequalities individuals with dyslexia may face across corrections, healthcare, education, employment, interpersonal relationships, and social and emotional well-being.

Beyond research, Shae is the director of re:think dyslexia and founder of the Dear Dyslexic Foundation, its partnering charity.  She is an accomplished workplace advisory offering, consulting on and learning and development programs that provide invaluable guidance to businesses seeking to create more inclusive workplaces. Her expertise in dyslexia and other learning differences has been instrumental in shaping workplace policies and training programs that foster greater diversity, equity and inclusion, helping organisations to unlock the full potential of their neurodiverse employees. In addition to her research, Shae is the host of the Dear Dyslexic and The Hobo CEO podcasts shows, and is a published author.  

Dr Susan Hayward

Researcher, La Trobe University

Dr Hayward obtained her undergraduate psychology degrees from Deakin University, followed by her PhD from The University of Melbourne. Her research centres around the employment of neurodivergent individuals, specifically those on the autism spectrum, with a particular focus on gender dynamics. In addition, she conducts studies on mental health and overall well-being, often within the context of the workplace.

Katrina Tune (she/her) (moderator)

Chief Operating Officer, EQUS

Katrina Tune is the Chief Operating Officer for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS) and chair of the EQUS equity, diversity and inclusion committee (EQUIP). She has always been driven to create equitable, diverse and inclusive workplaces that reinforce positive organisational cultures. In addition to working in higher education, she worked in industry and served as a Director on the Epilepsy Queensland Board for more than five years. Katrina describes herself as neurodiverse, and is a mother of two neurodiverse children and a disabled child with a life-limiting illness. She considers one of her most important roles to be a strong advocate for her children, and individuals like them, who are negotiating life in a society that is not set up for their success.

Dr Judy Tang

Neuropsychologist, Invictus Health

Dr Judy Tang is a strong advocate for multiculturalism and LGBTIQA+ communities with expertise in psychology, ageing, research and mental health. With extensive relationships across government and community groups, Judy has volunteered for more than 10 years to promote and advocate for multiculturalism and equality for migrants.

She is a former VMC Multicultural Champion and President of the Australian GLBTIQ Multicultural Council, a national body that advocates for the rights of multicultural and multifaith LGBTQIA+ people and communities. Judy has a doctorate in neuropsychology and is a practicing Clinical Neuropsychologist.

Dr Tang is a current Board Director for the Victorian Pride Centre, and is one of Victoria’s 12 Multicultural Commissioners at the Victorian Multicultural Commission
(VMC).

Among numerous organisations, she is a member of the Australian Association of Gerontology’s Victorian branch (AAG), a fellow of the Australian Psychological Society’s (APS) College of Clinical Neuropsychologists (CCN), and former National and State Convenor for the APS Psychology and Culture, and Psychology and Ageing Interest Groups, respectively.

Lynn Russell

CEO and Founder, Invisible Disabilities Australia

Lynn Russell is a long-time equity and human rights advocate, who has been working to make a difference in the lives of others for 36 years. She has been involved in disability advocacy, elder-abuse awareness, foreign policy and housing equity, among other things.

After speaking with a wide range of people with invisible disabilities, including many also have visible disabilities, Lynn found her experiences were common. She launched Invisible Disabilities Australia to shine a light on the needs of people with invisible disabilities and to help organisations fulfil their legal obligations to comply with anti-discrimination laws.

Dr Peter Ghin (he/him)

Research Fellow, Future of Work Lab, University of Melbourne

Dr Peter Ghin is a Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne’s Future of Work Lab. One of Peter’s main areas of research interest is investigating the relationship between chronic illness and work.

His research explores both supply and demand side issues of long-term health conditions in the workplace, that is, how individuals experience and manage chronic illness and how organisations can support, attract, and promote this significant talent pool of workers.

His most recent research has been published in the Harvard Business Review and is focussed on the disclosure experience of leaders who manage chronic health conditions.

In addition to his PhD in organisational behaviour, Peter also holds a Master of Applied Science (Organisational Dynamics). He is the host of the podcast Work.Work.Work. which explores the legacy of the pandemic on the world of work.

Dr Susan Hayward (moderator)

Researcher, La Trobe University

Dr Hayward obtained her undergraduate psychology degrees from Deakin University, followed by her PhD from The University of Melbourne. Her research centres around the employment of neurodivergent individuals, specifically those on the autism spectrum, with a particular focus on gender dynamics. In addition, she conducts studies on mental health and overall well-being, often within the context of the workplace.

Dr Eugene Sachkou (he/him)

Postdoctoral Researcher in Sports Statistics, La Trobe University

Dr Eugene Sachkou is a researcher with a background in quantum physics, who recently pivoted his career to pursue a passion for sports analytics. During his PhD at The University of Queensland, Dr Sachkou made significant contributions to the study of two-dimensional superfluid helium. His work earned him a Springer Thesis Award and an invitation to the Meeting of Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany.

After his PhD, he joined the Superconducting Quantum Devices Laboratory at The University of Queensland, focusing on superconducting qubits. His interest in data science and a lifelong passion for sports recently led him to a new role as a Postdoctoral Researcher in Sports Statistics at La Trobe University. Dr Sachkou has a keen interest in various aspects of sports data analytics, but he is especially passionate about football (soccer) analytics, where he enjoys diving into tactical trends and data-driven insights. Committed to science communication, Dr Sachkou has participated in numerous outreach activities across various towns in Queensland.

Dr Maja Cassidy

Senior Lecturer, University of New South Wales

Dr Maja Cassidy is an experimental physicist working at the intersection of condensed matter physics and quantum devices. She is currently a Scientia Fellow and Senior Lecturer at the School of Physics at UNSW, where she leads the Quantum Materials and Devices group. Maja did her undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering as a Coop Scholar at UNSW, working with Professor Andrew Dzurak at the Centre for Quantum Computing Technology. She then moved to the US, completing her PhD at Harvard University as a RG Menzies scholar in 2012 under the supervision of Professor Charles Marcus. She then worked as a postdoctoral fellow at QuTech/TU Delft with Professor Leo Kouwenhoven in the Netherlands, on hybrid superconducting circuits and topological materials. Before joining UNSW, she was a Principal Research Manager at Microsoft Quantum from 2017 to 2022.  

Dr Nicole Robinson

Lecturer, Monash University

Dr Nicole Robinson is a Research Fellow at Monash University, with a cross appointment between the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences. She is affiliated with the Department of Electrical & Computer Systems Engineering, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, and the School of Psychological Sciences. She is also an Adjunct Lecturer with the QUT Centre for Robotics.  Her research on human–robot teamwork, involves theoretical and applied human–robot interaction work in domestic and field settings, including for mobile, manipulator, mobile manipulator, humanoid and social robots. 

Nicole has been an invited guest lecturer on behavioural science, technology, engineering, entrepreneurship and human–robot teams. She is a strong advocate for public outreach and promoting STEM careers for women, with a media reach of 40+ million so far across live television, radio, print articles and world-renowned festival stages, including Tedx, International Business Times, MIT Technology Review, Gizmodo and the World Science Festival.  She has also hosted a podcast on artificial intelligence and robotics, available on iTunes and Spotify.

Nicole is a Co-Founder and Executive Director of LYRO Robotics Pty Ltd, a deep-tech robotics company that builds and deploys intelligent pick-and-pack robots for order fulfilment using state-of-the-art computer vision, deep learning and robotic systems. In 2020, LYRO Robotics won first place in the Unicorn Cup, the world’s largest start-up pitch competition, against 2,000 companies from 125 cities.

Dr William Sullivan (he/him)

Assistant Director STEM Engagement & Inclusion, DSTG

Dr Kristen Harley (she/they) (moderator)

Communications and Engagement Manager, EQUS

Dr Kristen Harley is the Communications and Engagement Manager at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS).  Before joining EQUS, Kristen did a PhD in applied mathematics at Queensland University of Technology, and worked as a subeditor on Nature and as a digital producer at Cancer Research UK.  She has previously chaired EQUS’ equity, diversity and inclusion committee, and continues to contribute to equity diversity and inclusion initiatives at EQUS. Kristen led the organisation of the hugely successful 2022 and 2023 National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trips (https://www.qdmroadtrip.org/), and in their spare time they perform and volunteer at Big Fork Theatre.

Andrew Eddy (he/him)

CEO, Untapped Talent

Andrew Eddy is the CEO of Untapped Talent, a for-purpose social enterprise focused on developing a sustainable neurodiverse employment ecosystem to increase opportunities for autistic individuals, thereby realising their untapped potential.

Andrew is also driving the Neurodiversity Hub community-of-practice initiative (https://www.neurodiversityhub.org), which is about working with universities and employers to facilitate neurodivergent university and college students to become more work-ready, and to increase their chances of securing a job and commencing a career. A range of life-skills training courses has also been developed for neurodivergents (https://www.beyourbest.academy).

Andrew also promotes the Genius Armoury platform (https://geniusarmoury.com) to attract and identify an autistic cybersecurity talent pool through fundamental training in cybersecurity.

Chris Lienert

Men Championing Change

Chris Lienert is a software engineering manager who has worked for 25 years in and around the world wide web. He is an active leader in the tech community, speaking, facilitating and organising meetup groups and conferences.

Chris is responsible for the Melbourne branch of the community group Men Championing Change (https://menchampioningchange.com.au/), which pushes for gender equality and female leadership in the technology sector.

He has lead software teams in Australia, the UK and Singapore, and currently works as a Principal Consultant at Cognizant Servian.

Dr Katie Spearritt (she/her)

CEO and Founder, Diversity Partners

 Dr Katie Spearritt is a diversity and leadership expert in Australia. She is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Diversity Partners, a specialist consultancy that helps organisations to achieve diversity progress and create more inclusive and high-performing work environments. 

Under Katie’s guidance, Diversity Partners has advised more than 500 organisations in Australia and New Zealand on diversity and inclusion strategies and leadership programs. 

Katie works closely with boards, CEOs and senior leadership teams in the private, public and for-purpose sectors. She is a regular keynote speaker and provides commentary about diversity and inclusion to the media (Australian Financial Review, The Age/SMH, ABC radio). 

Associate Professor Cate Thomas (she/her) (moderator)

Associate Professor, Charles Sturt University

Associate Professor Cate Thomas has a diverse working and academic career in health, human services, leadership and management, which is reflected in her qualifications in the human services, education and business/management areas. Cate is a dynamic leader and strategic thinker. She has demonstrated leadership and influence in the academic, government and non-government arenas, holding key positions such as Manager Research to Practice in the NSW government, has worked as a private social policy consultant, and delivers keynote addresses. She has championed equity, diversity and inclusion at the university, and works collaboratively with CSIRO, ANU and SAGE to assist organisations to be more inclusive to harness the true talent of workers through an intersectional approach. Cate has received several awards, including the ANZSWWER 2017 Social Work Educator of the Year Award and, most recently, one of the inaugural 2021 HERDSA Hero’s in High Education Awards.

Cate established (and is the co-convenor) of the Social Equality, Intersectionality and Inclusion Research Group (SEIIRG). She is a Visiting Fellow at Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin, Ireland, and Masaryk University Brno, Czech Republic.