We’re celebrating all the talented women behind our science for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11.
ICRAR strives to support women in science, technology, engineering, and maths.
At both Curtin and UWA nodes, there are committees set up to take actions and make changes to support women and others. The committees are responsible for reviewing practices regarding career support for women and minority groups, family friendliness, professional development for early career researchers, and more.
ICRAR has been recognised with the Pleiades Award, bronze for ICRAR-Curtin and silver for ICRAR-UWA. These awards recognise organisations in Australian astronomy that take active steps to advance the careers of women through focused programs and strive for sustained improvement in providing opportunities for women to achieve positions of seniority, influence and recognition.
Both Curtin University and UWA are members of SAGE (Science in Australia Gender Equity) and are committed to the Athena SWAN Charter, which includes ten key principles around gender equality. Curtin University received the Athena SWAN Bronze Institution accreditation award in 2018.
Both nodes of ICRAR have options for flexible working arrangements, run workshops on unconscious biases, and provide child care at key events as required. Women-only jobs are advertised and recruited, such as the recent ASTRO 3D Senior Research Fellow and the annual Visiting Fellowship For Senior Women In Astronomy. ICRAR-UWA also runs a mentoring program for all postgraduate students and early career researchers.
In our efforts to constantly improve, both nodes regularly survey all staff and students to identify areas that need work and measure the impact of activities undertaken to promote equality and inclusivity.
Celebrating ICRAR’s women
- Barbara Catinella – astronomer
- Christene Lynch – astronomer
- Lilian Garratt-Smithson – theoretical astrophysicist
- Nipanjana Patra – Electronics and Telecommunication Engineer
- Ellie Gholami – Data-Intensive Astronomy Expert
- Adela Kawka – astrophysicist
- Omima Osman – theoretical astrophysicist
- Mengyao Xue – pulsar astronomer
- Claudia Lagos – computational astrophysicist
- Gemma Anderson – transient astronomer