Professor Linley Lord on Measuring Success
There has been considerable focus both nationally and internationally on increasing the number of women studying STEM and pursuing STEM related careers. However we know from research that women are more likely to face a range of challenges in building long term careers in STEM. Many organisations have put in place strategies and initiatives with varying degrees of success to address the challenges that lead to women’s continued underrepresentation in STEM careers.
One of the particular challenges facing the subsea sector is the lack of sector data that is available to establish an industry baseline in WA and to provide an understanding of women’s experience in this sector. This makes it difficult to measure the success or otherwise of particular initiatives aimed at addressing women’s underrepresentation.
On the 17th of October, we will be presenting a proposal the subsea community of Australia, our aim is to collect key data from industry that will act as the benchmark for the sector. This will enable progress to be measured. It also has the potential to act as an attractor to the sector for women in STEM as best practice initiatives that are making a difference are also identified.
Join WISE on Tuesday 17th of October from 11.45am – 1.30pm at Curtin’s St Georges Terrace facility. A light lunch will be provided and there will networking opportunities before and after.
Spaces are limited, RSVP now.
Linley Lord is an Associate Professor and the Chair of Academic Board at Curtin University. She is Deputy Lead of Curtin’s Athena SWAN Project and the Director of the Maureen Bickley Centre for Women in Leadership (MBC) at Curtin’s Graduate School of Business. The MBC was established in March 2008 within the Curtin Graduate School of Business to promote and enable the increased representation of women in leadership roles.
Linley’s current research interests include women in non-traditional areas of employment, women’s experience in leadership roles, and women on boards. She is a member of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy (WA) Gender Diversity Reference Group and has been a sessional member of the State Administrative Tribunal since its inception in 2005.
Prior to her academic career, Linley gained considerable experience as a change agent through appointments which included Project Officer for Equal Employment Opportunity focusing on Local Government (WA). She was the first Equal Opportunity Coordinator for the West Australian Fire Brigades Board (now FESA) and was the national Equal Opportunity Manager for the Reserve Bank of Australia.
For Professor Lyn Beazley, science is a lifelong passion. After graduating from Oxford and Edinburgh, Lyn has dedicated over 30 years to neuroscience, researching recovery from brain injury and changing clinical practice in the treatment of premature infants. As Western Australia’s Chief Scientist from 2006 to 2013, Lyn advised governments on science and innovation, worked closely with industry and was a science ambassador in Australia and internationally. Lyn has been determined to demonstrate that science is not just a theoretical exercise, but a practical one too. She helped establish a nationwide ‘hotline’ for school laboratory technicians, worked for healthier waterways by establishing Dolphin Watch, spearheaded a program supplying microscopes to over 450 primary schools and introduced the international science communication competition Famelab to Australia. Lyn was also part of the negotiating team that ensured Australia would co-host the Square Kilometre Array of radio-telescopes, the world’s largest science endeavour. Lyn’s goal is for every Australian child to learn and love science.
