How we boosted female faculty numbers in male-dominated departments

How we boosted female faculty numbers in male-dominated departments

In 2016 the University of Melbourne, Australia, asked for female-only applicants when it advertised three vacancies in its School of Mathematics and Statistics. It repeated the exercise in 2018 and 2019 to fill similar vacancies in physics, chemistry, and engineering and information technology.


Elaine Wong and Georgina Such tell the How to Save Humanity in 17 Goals podcast why certain schools wanted only female candidates to apply, and how staff and students reacted to the policy. They also explain what it achieved in terms of addressing the under-representation of female faculty in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects.

Both Wong, a photonics researcher who was appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor (People and Equity) at the university in 2023, and Such, a polymer chemist and associate professor there, explain how the university’s “affirmative action” strategy is helping to address the fifth of the 17 United National Sustainable Development Goals: to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.


Each episode in this series, from Nature Careers, features researchers whose work addresses one or more of the targets. The first six episodes are produced in partnership with Nature Food, and introduced by Juliana Gil, its chief editor.

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Episoder(221)

Curiosity, drive, willingness to learn: three qualities to display at science job interviews

Curiosity, drive, willingness to learn: three qualities to display at science job interviews

Successful job candidates aren’t necessarily the smartest or most confident people in the room, Ilana Wisby tells Julie Gould in the first episode of a six-part weekly podcast series about hiring in s...

8 Mai 202515min

How academia’s ‘lone wolf’ culture is harming researcher mental health

How academia’s ‘lone wolf’ culture is harming researcher mental health

Academia’s focus on individual achievement can be a breeding ground for poor mental health, says astrophysicist Kelly Korreck.Korreck, who experienced pandemic-related burnout while working on NASA’s ...

28 Feb 202530min

How to bring health and happiness to your lab

How to bring health and happiness to your lab

A relentless pursuit of perfection in science can mean that researchers are in perpetual and self-critical ‘survival mode,’ forever questioning their behaviours and actions in the workplace, says clin...

21 Feb 202526min

‘Researching climate change feels like standing in the path of an approaching train’

‘Researching climate change feels like standing in the path of an approaching train’

Three researchers with personal experience of anxiety and depression triggered by studying the environmental destruction caused by a changing climate describe the steps they take to protect their ment...

14 Feb 202524min

How my research focus exposed me to threats and harassment

How my research focus exposed me to threats and harassment

Krutika Kuppalli, a physician researcher who studies emerging infectious diseases, joined the World Health Organization in 2021, where she worked to combat the COVID-19 on a global level.She had previ...

7 Feb 202533min

‘There is life after burnout in academia’

‘There is life after burnout in academia’

Kelly Korreck tells Adam Levy how a once-loved career in science gradually left her feeling exhausted, upset, and chronically stressed, with accompanying feelings of imposter syndrome.In 2020 the COVI...

31 Jan 202527min

‘Do I need to lead this lifestyle to succeed?’ The mental health crises that forced faculty members to change tack

‘Do I need to lead this lifestyle to succeed?’ The mental health crises that forced faculty members to change tack

Hilal Lashuel and Dave Reay join Michelle Kimple to talk about faculty mental health and why it is often overlooked.A heart attack in 2016 forced Lashuel, a neurogenerative diseases researcher at the ...

24 Jan 202537min

How to be a brilliant ally to your neurodivergent lab mate

How to be a brilliant ally to your neurodivergent lab mate

Charlotte Roughton says she developed a deep-rooted shame and resentment towards her autism diagnosis, causing her to mask the condition during her biosciences degree at the University of Durham, UK.B...

17 Jan 202529min

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