Science Pathways 2016: Future Leaders

The EMCR Forum’s fourth national meeting, Science Pathways 2016: Future Leaders, will be held in Sydney at the UNSW Australia on 26-27 September 2016. The event will bring together EMCRs and scientific leaders from academia, industry and government.

As Australia’s National Innovation and Science Agenda and Chief Scientist have highlighted, our scientific industries can no longer prosper in isolation. Instead, the next generation of science leaders must be skilled in working across science sectors, collaborating with academic institutions, private companies, government and NGOs. The new National Innovation and Science Agenda makes clear that the next generation of leaders in science will be supported nationally through funding that builds collaborative capacity in Australia.

Have you ever marvelled at how great leaders manage to produce results that appear beyond many others? Perhaps you’ve been thinking about the direction that your career will take and have been wondering how you’ll get others to follow you. We all want to make an impact with our work and Science Pathways 16 is designed to get you thinking about your personal leadership style and how you’ll develop yourself to inspire others. There are many challenges that need to be considered on this path:

• How do you distinguish between leading and managing? And which one is right for a given situation?
• How do you develop leadership skills? Are these learnt or intrinsic?
• What leadership approaches are required when working with people from different backgrounds and different genders? And do leaders of different genders have similar or different approaches?
• Who are you trying to lead?

Our 2016 meeting brings internationally renowned leaders to share their experience and perspectives on how EMCRs can build themselves and their careers for a strong future in Australia. They will explain what leadership in their industry means, and how to develop yourself as a leader in their sector. EMCRs will be provided with opportunities to network with other future leaders from different backgrounds, and share their ideas on how to shape Australia’s scientific and innovative future.

We are thrilled to announce that our Chuwen Keynote Address this year will be presented by Professor Emma Johnston from UNSW. Professor Johnston has demonstrated strong science leadership through her Inaugural Directorship of the multi-disciplinary, multi-institution Sydney Harbour Research Program (SHRP) at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, a range of awards, and recently with her appointment as Pro Vice-Chancellor Research at UNSW Australia in May 2016. She is also actively involved in science communication, including her work as a presenter of Coast Australia, a Foxtel/BBC television series. She will share her experience as a leader in a range of roles and give her perspectives as a high profile female scientific leader.

Science Pathways 16 will be highly interactive and give EMCRs a great opportunity to network during the meeting. Sessions will include lectures, panel discussions and breakout sessions that will allow robust discussions and contrasting leadership styles to be shared. By the conclusion of this meeting, attendees will have learnt skills to help build themselves as a science leader.

Our previous Science Pathways meetings have covered topics of Getting Science on the National Agenda, Engaging with Industry and Innovation, and Effective Science Communication. These meetings bring together the best speakers to aid in the professional development and networking of EMCRs and we are excited that Science Pathways 16 will continue this success.