WELCOME TO QUEERSINSCIENCE
Who we are
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QueersInScience is a Melbourne-based initiative aiming to build community and improve support for LGBTQIA+ people working in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) in Australia.
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QueersInScience is proudly hosted by the Walter and Eliza Institute of Medical Research.
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Our vision
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The vision of QueersInScience is to foster and champion inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people within STEMM organisations. QueersInScience recognises that welcoming and valuing LGBTQIA+ professionals and students is beneficial to both individuals and the organisation.
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The QueersInScience vision is supported and driven by four cornerstones:
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Visibility to empower emerging and established LGBTQIA+ professionals working in STEMM, and to showcase the important contributions that members of the LGBTQIA+ community make to the field of science in Australia.
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Advocacy within STEMM organisations to implement best practice policies that promote safe and inclusive workplaces for all individuals who identify as LGBTQIA+.
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Networking to provide a safe and inclusive nexus for LGBTQIA+ individuals in STEMM to engage in social and professional networking, with mentoring opportunities for LGBTQIA+ students and Early Career Researchers to meet with leaders in their field.
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Education to raise awareness of the roles that STEMM organisations and colleagues play in creating a welcoming environment for LGBTQIA+ individuals, by debunking stereotypes and providing resources that help implement inclusive policies, language, terminology, and pronouns.
ORGANISING COMMITTEE
The organising committee for QueersInScience represents a range of research institutes and Universities across the Victorian STEMM sector.
DR SARAH GORDON
Pronouns: She/Her
Laboratory Head, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
Dr Gordon is untangling the molecular machinery that governs communication between brain cells to reveal the underlying causes of brain disorders.
DR SARAH STEPHENSON
Pronouns: She/Her
Research Officer, Murdoch Children's Research Institute
Dr Stephenson is pioneering the use of high throughput single-cell technologies to determine the molecular mechanism within brain malformations that cause epilepsy. She is the co-founder and co-chair of QueersInScience.
ROBBIE BONELLI
Pronouns: He/Him
PhD Student, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Robbie analyses the genome and the metabolism of patients suffering from a rare eye disease to find a cure. He is the co-founder and co-chair of QueersInScience.
DR DEANNE FISHER
Pronouns: She/Her
Senior Lecturer/ARC Future Fellow, Swinburne University Centre for Astrophysics & Supercomputing
Dr Fisher researches star formation and how it relates to the evolution of galaxies across the history of the Universe. She received her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin, and has since held fellowships at the University of Maryland and Swinburne before becoming a faculty member in 2017.
MATTHEW COLEMAN
Pronouns: He/Him
Research Assistant, Epilepsy Research Centre, The University of Melbourne
Matt researches the genetic causes of epilepsy and speech disorders in humans, and is the secretary of QueersInScience.
MICHELLE MCNAMARA
Pronouns: She/Her
Enterprise Fellow, School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne
Michelle teaches the Master of Biotechnology at The University of Melbourne, helping to train biotechnology leaders of the future.
KEN KNIGHT
Pronouns: He/Him
Senior Project Lead (Knowledge Translation), Murdoch Children's Research Institute
Ken helps scientists and organisations develop processes and activities that get research findings into policy and practice.
DR AARON WARREN
Pronouns: He/Him
Postdoctoral Fellow, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne
Dr Warren is using brain imaging techniques to find novel therapies for people living with epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disabilities.
DR LEIGH YANG
Pronouns: She/They
Postdoctoral Fellow, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Dr Yang is a postdoctoral researcher that uses robots to screen for small molecules against a repertoire of biological targets. Dr Yang is currently the events manager for QueersInScience.