The Superstars of STEM initiative is encouraging diversity and helping to raise the profile of Australian women and non-binary people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Delivered by Science and Technology Australia (STA), it is one of many programs the Australian Government supports to increase diversity in STEM.
The program provides media training, mentoring and networking to the Superstars, along with opportunities to inspire the next generation of STEM students and professionals.
Since 2017, the program has created 270 superstars, inspiring over 80,000 high school students at over 480 schools around Australia.
The new group of superstars are experts in a wide range of STEM fields and will join the program in 2025 and 2026.
Representing the diversity of Australians, the cohort includes superstars from regional areas, those with First Nations heritage, people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
The new superstars are striving to achieve extraordinary goals and outcomes across a wide range of STEM fields. This includes safe, sufficient and sustainable food, to nanotechnology for the detection of diseases, and 3D printers to produce patient-specific medical implants.
Here’s a selection of the amazing new Superstars of STEM:
- Dr. Melanie McGrath is an AI psychology specialist. She is investigating how humans develop trust in machines, and what effect that might have on the way people and AI work together.
- Krystal De Napoli is an astrophysicist, science communicator, educator and author. As a Gomeroi woman, she advocates for dark skies to sustain ecological health and educates the public on measures we can take to fight species extinction.
- Dr Renee Goreham is a nanotechnologist from the University of Newcastle. She uses tiny objects called ‘nanomaterials’ to detect diseases and is developing a breathalyser for early lung cancer detection.
- Dr Naomi Paxton is a world-leading early career researcher in the field of biofabrication (medical 3D printing). She has pioneered techniques for printing new biomaterials, advanced the development of specialised medical 3D printers, and innovated in surgical implant design.
- Dr Alison Bentley is a crop science researcher from the Australian National University. She aims to understand fundamental plant processes that can be used to drive agricultural productivity and build climate resilience for a more food secure future.
- Adele Pentland is a paleontologist and part-time PhD candidate at Curtin University who lives and works in a farm on Koa Country. She has discovered two new species of pterosaur (often called pterodactyls) and collaborated with museums in central-western Queensland to promote tourism across the outback.