Breaking Stereotypes Scientifically! 3 Indian-Origin Women Among Australia's 'Superstars of STEM'

Establishing their prowess in the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), three Indian-origin women have been selected as 'Australia's Superstars of STEM.' The three women who received the international recognition are Neelima Kadiyala, Dr Ana Baburamani, and Dr Indrani Mukherjee. Their skills and efforts were brought to the forefront on the national level initiative that represents over a lakh of global scientists and technologists.

What Is The 'Superstars of STEM' Initiative?

Superstars of STEM is an initiative undertaken by Australia to break past gender assumptions that underlie the field of science, technology, engineering, and maths. It is organised annually by Science and Technology Australia (STA), which is the country's peak body in the sector. The initiative builds up to identify the contributions of women and combat the long-existing gender inequity in STEM.

The body, which represents over 105,000 scientists and technologists, creates a space that provides exposure to 60 chosen Australian experts employed in the field and makes them highly visible media and public role models. Speaking during the occasion, Australia's Industry and Science Minister, Ed Husic, was quoted saying that the government is planning to scale up the programme even further and bring in more women and non-binary people under the ground-breaking initiative.

Three Women And Their Tireless Research Dedicated To Science

All three women were selected for particular contributions in which they played a pivotal role. Neelima is an Information Technology (IT) professional with over 15 years of experience. In her line of career, she has been able to deliver extensive transformation programmes across multiple private and state industries. According to a report by NDTV, she moved to Australia in 2003 as an international student and continues to establish her knowledge in the field through her services.

Ana, on the other hand, is a scientific advisor in the Department of Defence at the Science and Technology Group. She is a biomedical researcher who was always known to be fascinated by the functioning of the brain. It is for this same fascination that she has been recognised on a global forum today. Her current works have focused on piecing together the complex process of brain development and the mechanisms contributing to brain injury. The researcher has spent over a decade in Europe as a post-doctoral researcher and has been enabling more early-career researchers into the field. She aims to make the space of science accessible to all, which would help the field grow and advance further.

The third STEM professional selected under the initiative is Indrani, a deep-time geologist at the University of Tasmania who focuses on the biological transition and its driving forces. She has been working as a researcher in Tasmania and has actively looked into fields of public outreach, geoscience communication, and diversity initiatives. These three women continue to explore the space of science and technology with a genuine interest in taking the study to even greater heights. Their contributions would inspire a lot more women and STEM enthusiasts to step into the field.

Also Read: Women In STEM: Know How Number Of Women Researchers In Science & Tech Field Is Increasing In India