Monash University has been awarded its third SAGE Cygnet Award, this time for improving the representation of women in STEMM careers.

Monash has doubled the number of women Professors in STEMM at the University since 2018, rising from 63 women Professors in 2018  to 123 in 2024. The University has also lifted the number of women Associate Professors by 50 percent, from 78 in 2018 to 117 in 2024.

The University implemented a broad suite of interventions, including mitigating the impact of career interruptions or part-time work on academic success, challenging gendered expectations related to caregiving responsibilities, promoting leadership development and facilitating networking opportunities through initiatives such as the STEMM Women Academic Network.

Tearing down barriers to promotion

Award-winning Engineer Dr Faezeh Marzbanrad returned from parental leave to apply her new experience to her work.

“When I had my baby I struggled with breastfeeding and I never knew how much milk she was getting. I realised the reason why this problem has never been solved is we don’t have that many women engineers,” Dr Marzbanrad said.

On returning to work, Dr Marzbanrad developed a non-invasive patch that can be placed on a baby’s neck to measure how much fluid they are swallowing. She’s gone on to develop several other medical devices.

“We need gender diversity and diversity of lived experience in engineering,” she said. “We also need to think about diversity and inclusion from the beginning when we are trying to solve problems with an engineering mindset,” Dr Marzbanrad said.

Revisiting policies to make sure they have an impact

SAGE CEO Dr Janin Bredehoeft congratulated the University on achieving its third Cygnet.

“STEMM is an area where we see persistent barriers to the recruitment, retention and career progression of women, but Monash University has been making impressive progress to pull these barriers down,” Dr Bredehoeft said

“Congratulations to Monash for taking a holistic approach to addressing this challenge.”

“I particularly want to commend the team for revisiting policies and making further improvements to ensure they’re really having an impact. That commitment to continuous improvement is what SAGE is all about.”

More work to be done

Monash University Provost and Senior Vice-President Professor Susan Elliott AM thanked SAGE.

“We are delighted to receive another Cygnet award which recognises the unrelenting focus of so many people at Monash to advance gender equity, including in STEMM careers,” Professor Elliot said.

“We still have work to do, but we are heading in the right direction and have rapidly increased the pace of change since joining Athena SWAN.”

Chair of Monash University Athena SWAN Committee, Associate Professor Laura Jobson, said the Athena SWAN program provided a clear framework that helped the University to develop a robust action plan and guide efforts using an evidence-based approach.

“There’s been a lot of years of hard work from so many people across the University, from our most senior leaders to right down at local levels. We aren’t trying to ‘fix’ women, we’re changing things at a structural level so women can succeed,” Associate Professor Jobson said.

Read more about how Monash has been improving careers for women in STEMM.