In line with UQ’s commitment to the national Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Pilot of the Athena SWAN program, the aim of the group is to create a supportive environment for women within the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology.
We want to build a sustainable network, where members can share knowledge and experiences, to enable and encourage the development, leadership, mentoring and advancement of women.
When you join this community, you are committing to help grow a strong supportive culture across our Faculty that values, acknowledges and promotes the contributions of academic women.
The group is open to all academic women. We hold this to include transwomen, non-binary people, and cisgendered women.
To join, please send an email to: academicwomen@eait.uq.edu.au
Organising committee
- A/Prof. Ruth Knibbe (School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering) – Chair.
- A/Prof. Gilda Carvalho (Chemical Engineering)
- Dr. Denys Villa Gomez (Civil Engineering)
- Dr. Cathy Keys (Architecture, Design & Planning)
- Dr. Julie Pearce (Gas and Energy Transition Research Centre)
- Dr. Miao Xu (Electrical Engineering and Information Technology)
- Ms Karen Perkins (Faculty Executive Office)
- Ms Kimberley Nunes (Faculty Research Office)
The Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology Women’s Working Group was established to promote professional interactions and career development for women in the Faculty, for more information please download the Women’s Working Group Terms of Reference below.
Women’s Working Group Terms of Reference (PDF, 115.2 KB)
Contact us
EAIT Academic Womens Group
E: academicwomen@eait.uq.edu.au
UQ resources
UQ has pledged a commitment to improving gender equity. As part of this, there are a number of resources that can be found on the webpage, including:
- The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA)
- SAGE Pilot of Athena SWAN
- The University of Queensland Strategic Plan
- Diversity and inclusion policies and procedures
- Career programs for women.
Whilst the page focuses on academic staff, it is a good place to start as it has a number of useful links and resources. For example, there are management tools for supporting gender equity and articles on mentoring and gender research in academia.
Another UQ initiative is Ventures LeadHers. Leadhers is a program for all female-identifying students, staff and alumni across all disciplines at UQ. It aims to grow leadership capabilities, develop connections and build confidence in participants. It also includes mentoring sessions.
The Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) also has collected together a range of information for women. Make sure you check out their resources pages.
Resources for mentoring activities
Mentoring is a useful tool to boost your confidence, to help you identify and achieve career goals, and to feel encouraged and empowered in personal development. There are plenty of resources dedicated to mentoring, here are just a few:
- The UQ Graduate School also offers a mentoring program for HDR students
- Women in Technology (Australia): WiT provides a safe networking and learning environment for ladies at all stages of their careers - where there is no hard sell and it's easy and encouraged to meet new people
- STEM women (Australia): Discover the diversity of women with science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills across Australia. With your help we connect women with career advancing opportunities.
- Mentoring Resources (Stanford): Mentoring resources curated by Stanford University
If you or a colleague find yourself in a difficult situation there are several avenues where you can seek help:
- The UQ Health and Wellbeing site has links to a range of support mechanisms at UQ for Students and staff. Members should visit the Health and Wellbeing section of the UQ Staff website at https://staff.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/health-safety-wellbeing.
- The UQ Respect website is dedicated to helping the UQ community build campuses that are a safe and respectful environment. The Support, Report and Educate program provides information on where to seek help if you are experiencing an emergency or have just experienced sexual assault and misconduct.
- Did you know the staff and their immediate family members can access a free and confidential wellbeing, coaching and counselling service through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP)?
- If you are experiencing discrimination, harassment and bullying this is a good place to start.
- For concerns about research conduct the Research Support section of the UQ Research website is a valuable page to visit.
- The UQ Complaints Management page has links to a range of sites for lodging concerns.