“AIMS' commitment to advancing marine research while fostering Indigenous participation and knowledge exchange is particularly inspiring. I am eager to contribute to initiatives that not only enhance our understanding of marine ecosystems but also prioritise the conservation and sustainable management of our oceans.” (Female Applicant, 2024)

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has been awarded its third SAGE Cygnet Award, recognising meaningful progress in making its recruitment processes more inclusive, equitable, and representative, from how job ads are written to how diversity data is collected.

For a science-focused research institute operating in a male-dominated field, attracting and appointing women is both a strategic priority and a systemic challenge.

SAGE CEO, Dr Janin Bredehoeft, congratulated AIMS:

“Inclusive recruitment isn’t just about who applies, but also every signal an organisation sends before a candidate even clicks submit. AIMS has rethought its advertising language, its data collection, its panel composition, and its training. When you change that many levers at once, you change the culture around hiring, not just the numbers.”

AIMS’ third Cygnet Award documents the concrete steps the organisation has taken since its 2020 Bronze Award to dismantle two interconnected barriers: attracting and selecting women into STEMM roles and expanding the lens of recruitment to capture intersectional data on other underrepresented groups.

AIMS CEO, Professor Selina Stead, spoke to this achievement:

“I am proud of the strong representation of women across all levels at AIMS. There is an ongoing and active effort to strike that positive balance, and it begins with how we engage a diversity of talent from across Australia and the world. By emphasising respect, integrity and passion, we nurture the collaborations that drive AIMS innovation.”

Centering indigenous women in STEMM

AIMS’ second Cygnet focused on Indigenous Partnerships as a standalone theme. This third Cygnet documents how those commitments are now embedded in recruitment practice.

The Indigenous Partnerships Program, established in 2016, has generated a series of targeted appointments, including the roles of Indigenous Partnerships Officer and Coordinator, and since 2024, the Careers page features a dedicated Indigenous Partnerships section.

Rather than generic diversity imagery, AIMS has published first-person stories from Indigenous women and women from non-English speaking backgrounds — their journeys into science, their everyday experiences at AIMS, and their advice for those who might follow.

“AIMS’ commitment to advancing marine research while fostering Indigenous participation and knowledge exchange is particularly inspiring. I am eager to contribute to initiatives that not only enhance our understanding of marine ecosystems but also prioritise the conservation and sustainable management of our oceans,” commented a female applicant in 2024.

These aren’t incidental gestures. They directly address the representation gap that makes science feel inaccessible to many. The applicant responses in the survey show that candidates notice, and that it matters to their decision to apply.

Rewriting the invitation

Since 2024, every position description, job advertisement and candidate information pack has been overhauled with inclusive, non-gendered language.

Advertisements now clearly articulate flexible work arrangements, alongside an Acknowledgement of Country and explicit commitment to AIMS’ Athena Swan participation.

Where earlier ads buried benefits in a single paragraph and directed candidates to a named contact, current materials open with what working at AIMS actually looks and feels like.

The AIMS Careers page, redesigned in August 2024, now includes a dedicated Equity, Diversity and Inclusion section, an Indigenous Partnerships page, and information on the SAGE Athena Swan Bronze Award.

“For having mentioned in the public notice about candidates from other countries, about diversity and inclusion, I felt comfortable for being a Latin American woman for applying. Grateful for the opportunity to be included,” said one female applicant in 2022.

Reducing recruitment bias on panels

Improving how AIMS attracts candidates means little if selection processes replicate the biases the organisation is trying to address. In August 2024, the AIMS Recruitment Lead developed a mandatory training module for all panel members covering unconscious bias identification, legally compliant selection processes, structured interview techniques, conflict of interest management, and candidate care.

The module is available online to all staff, not just panel members, and is regularly updated. As of April 2025, 115 employees have completed it.

AIMS also ensures gender balance on every selection panel, as well as diverse background and experience through the inclusion of at least one panel member from outside the working group recruiting, a minimum standard the organisation intends to formalise as part of a broader recruitment procedure review.

Building a detailed picture through data

In 2020, AIMS introduced a voluntary applicant survey to begin gathering diversity statistics — a significant step forward from the manual gender-only counting that preceded it.

The survey collected information on gender, age, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin, disability status, non-English speaking background, and Australian South Sea Islander origin.

Critically, responses were de-identified and kept away from selection panels, ensuring the data informed organisational strategy rather than individual hiring decisions.

In 2024, AIMS implemented the Big Red Sky (BRS) e-recruitment system, integrating the diversity survey directly into the application process. Participation moved from an estimated 75% response rate during the voluntary period to near-complete data collection.

What the numbers show

Between 2021 and 2025, the proportion of women in STEMM positions at AIMS grew from 39% to 43%.

The difference in percentage of men and women in STEMM roles narrowed from 22 percentage points in 2021 to 14 percentage points in 2025. These are meaningful shifts in an organisation and a field where progress of this kind is hard-won.

Intersectional data on disability, Indigenous identity and other demographics remains thin, partly because response volumes are low and partly because the new BRS system was recently implemented.

What comes next

AIMS has set out four further actions. The most ambitious is a target that women make up 47% of STEMM applicants by 2027 — a sharp increase on current figures.

Alongside that, the organisation will explore how to measure the impact of its actions more systematically, create more content for the careers page, and develop a specific strategy to attract applicants with disabilities and neurodivergent applicants, a group currently representing just 2% of the applicant pool.

The experience of one panel member illustrates the impact of this work: “I was on an interview panel today where one of the candidates stated that they were really impressed with how organised and efficient AIMS’ recruitment process has been for them. They said ‘The communication has been great, and the recruitment process has been so organised. This is so different from other organisations and is a breath of fresh air. It has left me with a great first impression of AIMS’.”

Jill Sargeant, Manager of People and Culture at AIMS, affirmed the Institute’s intentions saying, “This latest SAGE award recognises the dedication and collective effort of our people to build a more inclusive and equitable workforce through strong recruitment practices at AIMS.

“Our teams have worked collectively to demonstrate that every role that delivers and supports our research is accessible to people with diverse skills, backgrounds and perspectives. It is so important that all candidates can feel comfortable and confident that AIMS is the right fit for the next step in their career, where they can do meaningful work and belong.”

About the SAGE Cygnet Award

SAGE Cygnet Awards celebrate organisations that have demonstrated progress in making their workplaces more equitable by removing or reducing a barrier to inclusion. They must be able to show that these changes have had a real impact on staff and/or students.

This builds on AIMS’ two previous SAGE Cygnet Awards on indigenous partnerships and flexible work arrangements. You can read all about AIMS’ actions, outcomes, and impact in their full Cygnet Award Application, or read an overview version in the Progress and Impact Summary.

About SAGE

Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) is Australasia’s leading advocate and accrediting body for equity, diversity, and inclusion in the education and research sector. It is the guide our region’s brightest minds turn to when they want a vibrant workplace where everyone can thrive.

Using an evidence-based and impact-focused framework, SAGE helps institutions build systemic, structural, and cultural change. Their world-respected Athena Swan accreditation program drives and measures institutions’ progress against international benchmarks.