The Women in STEM Ambassador

Lisa Harvey-Smith appointed for a new two-year term as the Australian Government's Women in STEM Ambassador

On Friday 4 September 2020, Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith was reappointed for a new two-year term as the Australian Government’s Women in STEM Ambassador. Read the media release from the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Minister Karen Andrews.

Our team will continue working across industry, government, research and education to address gender equity in STEM. Our team has:

Increased the nominations of women for the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science from 32% in 2018 to 42% in 2019 and women being awarded 5 of 7 prizes
Ignited system-wide change in grant allocation processes in STEM in Australia by trialling the anonymisation of research grants with four Australian research organisations
Driven a culture of evaluation so we only fund gender equity programs that work

Take a look at what we’ve achieved so far in the reappointment video!

Educators and young people reached

Schools visited across Australia

People reached through media

Find us on socials

Who are we?

The Office of the Women in STEM Ambassador is an Australian Government initiative to address gender equity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Led by Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith, the Office promotes awareness of STEM careers to young people, parents and carers, and works with educators to challenge gender stereotypes and promote inclusive and engaging STEM education for all.

We work with stakeholders across government, education and training, research and industry sectors to drive cultural and systemic change to institutions and workplaces that remove structural barriers and enable the full participation of women and girls in STEM education and careers.

In October 2018, the Australian Government appointed Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith as the inaugural Women in STEM Ambassador, a position outlined in the 2018-19 Budget as part of a $4.5 million package to encourage more women into STEM education and careers.

The Office is funded by a Commonwealth Grant and is hosted at the University of New South Wales. The work of the Office is closely aligned with the Australian Government’s Advancing Women in STEM Strategy and the Women in STEM Decadal Plan.

Our areas of work

Featured resources

The National Evaluation Guide

Do you run a STEM gender equity program? The National Evaluation Guide is a user-friendly,  how-to resource that breaks evaluation down into a simple four-step process. Try the Guide today!

Gender equity checklist for classrooms

Is your classroom gender equitable? Use the gender equity checklist in a STEM classroom to find out.

What drives our work?

Our work complements existing activities that are driving greater gender equity in STEM, both government and sector led, and aims to improve co-ordination and national benefit from those activities.

Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion

The Office of the Women in STEM Ambassador is committed to addressing inequities faced by women and girls in STEM. We acknowledge that the interconnected nature of social categorisations – such as gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, language, religion, class, socioeconomic status, gender identity, ability or age – create overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage for an individual or group within STEM fields, and our greater community.

Equity, diversity and inclusion within STEM drives innovation, productivity and progress and will enable all people to realise their potential regardless of background.