Monash University
I first interacted with the EMCR Forum at a Theo Murphy Think Tank and was inspired by a number of things that occurred at the multi-day meeting. It was the first time that I had really worked with scientific disciplines well outside of my general area of the agricultural/earth/environmental science cluster which really engaged me, and it piqued my interest in working with scientists across disciplines. It was also the first time I interacted with some of the Executive members, and hearing about the initiatives that they drove, the advocacy work for and about EMCRs in STEM and events that they ran inspired me to want to join the Executive. So, I applied, and I was successful!
What followed was an incredible 3 years working with an amazing group of EMCRs who were dynamic, enthusiastic, engaging in a committee that collaborated and delivered on those initiatives around issues that affected EMCRs, and was very well supported by the Academy Secretariat. I learnt a lot engaging in the science policy space and how to be effective in science advocacy. These are skills that are not generally taught as you progress in your career as a scientist, and which I now find invaluable. From my time on the Executive, I now also have a number of colleagues who I have no hesitation in calling up for advice across multiple STEM disciplines, who I would normally have never met.
The University of Melbourne
As a founding Executive member of the EMCR Forum, I have established a great network of colleagues and friends over the last 10 years. Helping to establish the EMCR Forum and working closely with colleagues from around Australia with the help of the Academy of Science, opened up many career opportunities. The skills learnt relating to strategy and policy development, stakeholder engagement and advocacy were invaluable when making the move out of the lab and into research management. Many of the connections I made through the EMCR Forum enabled me to broaden my horizons and career prospects beyond lab-based research. For that I am so grateful and feel privileged to be a small part of the EMCR Forum's establishment and ever-growing profile. I fondly remember those first roundtable discussions with the original crew (including the late Ben Chuwen), whose passion and leadership ensured that the EMCR Forum would be an enduring success.
University of Technology Sydney
Being a member of the EMCR Forum, and moreover being on the EMCR Forum Representative Network (RepNet) has greatly elevated my capacity to connect with people, understand our common obstacles and challenges, and give back to our academic community. At the time I joined the EMCR Forum RepNet in 2019, I was two years into my postdoc on a NHMRC fellowship, and facing great challenges with obtaining research funding and building towards independence. These challenges were in some ways amplified by my experience as a first-generation researcher and ethnic background. Being on the RepNet allowed me to connect with EMCRs facing similar challenges from different organisations across the country, giving us the joint capacity to identify problems and work towards a plan to bring positive change. It also elevated my understanding of the importance of having our voices heard and approaches to make this happen. I was consequently motivated to seek and take up opportunities that I would not normally have attempted. In 2020, I have transitioned to an academic position at UTS, joined their committee for setting up a UTS EMCR network, and became a UTS Women in Engineering & IT Gender Equity Ambassador. I was also selected as a 2021-22 Superstar of STEM by Science & Technology Australia. Through these new roles, I am excited to connect our EMCRs across institutions, advocate for gender and cultural diversity in research, and work towards solutions for the common challenges faced by EMCRs in the STEMM sector.
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