In a bold bid to tackle the global dearth of women leaders in STEMM, Dr Katie Sizeland, a Postdoctoral Fellow on the Small Angle X-ray Scattering beamline at the Australian Synchrotron in Melbourne is taking her commitment to leadership to the end of the earth after being chosen as a Homeward Bound participant in 2019.
Homeward Bound is a global 12-month leadership initiative for women with a background in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine). It aims to equip a 1000-strong collaboration of women over a ten year period who are in leadership roles or aspire to leadership, to increase the visibility of women in both academia and industry.
This 12-month program includes online learning to increase leadership capacity, strategic capability and collaboration, and culminates in a meeting of all 100 participants from around the world in Ushuaia, Argentina before embarking on a life-changing expedition to one of the most ecologically sensitive and inspiring areas on Earth, Antarctica, at the end of 2019.
Originally from New Zealand, Katie obtained a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and Nanotechnology and a PhD in Engineering from Massey University before moving to Melbourne in 2016. Katie’s research explores the nanostructure of collagen, one of nature’s building blocks, and bridges the gap between synchrotron-based science and industry, leading to real-life benefits in the biomedical and agricultural industries.
The Homeward Bound selectors noted that Katie’s expertise in the area of nanotechnology and her potential to lead and enact change made her a natural choice for the highly sought-after leadership program.
“Although there have been improvements in the number of women in STEM in the last decade, we still need to do better. I am passionate about science communication, outreach and gender equity in STEM and hope to inspire the next generation of women in STEM,” said Sizeland.
‘The aim of Homeward Bound has always been to identify and foster outstanding leadership potential in STEMM and Katie is exactly the kind of person I had in mind when I dreamt of this program,’ founder Fabian Dattner said.
‘It is no accident that we end up in Antarctica, as it is part of the vision. It is where we can see the impact of our inaction first-hand. It is sensitive and challenging, awe inspiring and motivating, and I can think of no more fitting experience for a group of leaders.’