< Previous48EQUITYFLEET aims to achieve 30% of women researchers across the Centre by 2021.Oleh Klochan and research fellow Daisy Wang performing low temperature transport measurements of mesoscopic systems0449FLEET 2017 ANNUAL REPORTEQUITY AND FAIRNESS AT FLEETWomen are under-represented at higher levels in science, and in this regard FLEET is no exception. We must do better.Diverse teams do better science. By improving our performance with respect to equity and diversity, we are not only doing what’s right and fair, we will also be creating a more effective research team.FLEET aims to achieve 30% of women researchers across the Centre by 2021. In its first year, FLEET has reached well over the 2017 target of 10% women HDRs and ECRs (with 21% and 17%, respectively). This brings the current proportion of women across the Centre to 18%. But this is just a starting point. In particular the Centre must increase the representation of women in senior roles. Regarding ethnic diversity, FLEET has people of 20 nationalities, from more than 20 cultural backgrounds, across all levels of the Centre.Improving the situation regarding women in physics is a complex task that cuts across all the ways we work together. >20 CULTURALBACKGROUNDSFLEET is: >Targeting outreach to girls in schools to improve future participation in science >Balancing recruitment panels and shortlists: ‘If not 50/50, then why not?’ >Supporting careers via mentoring, Women in FLEET Fellowships and scholarships, and travel support >Attracting the best female researchers to physics with a $5000 scholarship to high-performing Honours students and up to $15,000 research support to female research fellows >Creating an inclusive workplace with that goal cutting across all Centre policies, including support for part-time work, flexible hours and family-friendly meeting times.CENTRE ROLEFEMALETOTAL%Chief and partner investigators2356%Research Fellows42119%Students and research assistants125821%Advisors and Associate Investigators53315%Business Team4580%FLEET challenges me all the time, and has deepened my understanding of a field essential to the progress of technology. I thought I would never be able to work within an environment full of such brilliant minds.Jessica Alves, Women in FLEET Honours scholarship recipient152 CENTRE MEMBERS27 FEMALE% FEMALE RESEARCH STUDENTS(HDR & Honours)24%% FEMALE RESEARCH FELLOWS19%% FEMALE IN FLEET18%50ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN FUTURE LOW-ENERGY ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGIESCASE STUDYFLEET’s inaugural annual workshop (see p56) was a remarkable family- and partner-friendly event. It involved 35 partners and family, including 17 children, paid childcare, family involvement in workshop social events, and a science show to entertain the kids during the research poster presentations.IN 2018, FLEET WILL: >Run a comprehensive culture survey to determine beliefs and environment regarding equity >Set strategies for wider diversity issues, including ethnicity, the LGBTI+ community, religion and Indigenous peoples >Offer equity and access training and mentoring opportunities to all FLEET members >Take advantage of the significant Centre recruitment in 2018 to progress toward our goal of 30% women across all nodes.Top: Research fellow Shilpa Sanwlani joined by daughter at FLEET annual workshopAbove: Family participation at annual workshop poster session Left: FLEET’s Dr Dianne Ruka entertains kids with an in-workshop science show0251EDUCATION04FLEET helps develop Australia’s future science leaders, ensuring they are prepared for future success wherever their career takes them.PhD student Fan Ji setting up her atomic force microscope52ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN FUTURE LOW-ENERGY ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGIES4MENTORING PROGRAMSOUTREACH ACTIVITIES INVOLVING FLEET MEMBERSRESEARCHANDPROFESSIONALDEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS616LEARNING TO TELL THEIR SCIENCE STORY: EARLY-CAREER RESEARCH TRAININGCommunications workshop for early-career researchers and PhD students Success in science requires the ability to describe one’s research in a coherent and compelling manner.FLEET has made an early start in building these skills in ECRs, with a half-day training session targeting science communications skills.FLEET ensures our young researchers are prepared for future success whereever their career takes them.The Centre currently supports 29 higher degree by research (HDR) students and 30 early-career researchers (ECRs), with another 21 affiliate students and early-career researchers working on FLEET projects and invited to Centre training, workshops and events.All FLEET’s students and young researchers receive excellent supervision, are exposed to opportunities for professional development and networking, and are supported in navigating diverse career pathways.FLEET connects its researchers with internal and international networks, for example, offering research internship programs at partner organisations.In 2017, FLEET’s focus was recruitment and induction, planning and training. Young members benefitted from skills workshops and had opportunities to present at the annual workshop. A future mentoring program will be fully implemented in 2018, allowing the Centre to meet its mentoring targets.Members’ induction includes: >FLEET’s research mission and operational structure >Members’ roles and responsibilities >FLEET’s resources and operational processes.BUILDING FUTURE SCIENCE LEADERS: EDUCATION AT FLEETIN 2018, FLEET WILL: >Have a significant presence at the 2018 Canberra International Physics Summer School on Topological Matter at ANU, providing both financial and in-kind support for the school >Partner with other ARC Centres of Excellence to deliver training for FLEET members across Australia, such as working with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems on the 2018 Ideas Factory, developing collaboration and research communication skills >Investigate online communications training, building on the skills delivered in 2017 >Increase opportunities for ECRs and HDRs to participate in Centre operations via committees and workshops >Implement FLEET mentoring programs supporting research and professional development >Create opportunities for FLEET HDRs and ECRs to present their work at international meetings.Top: From left, Fan Ji, Hong Liu, Emma Laird and Elizabeth Marcellina practise their elevator pitch Above: Yun Suk Eo (left) and Eliezer Estrecho developing Why, What, How and What If53FLEET 2017 ANNUAL REPORTCASE STUDYSKILLING-UP EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS AND PHD GRADUATESSo you’ve got a PhD, now what’s next? Smartphone video skills to take science communications to the next levelThe vast majority of PhD graduates will not end up in academia – FLEET’s HDR students must develop a diverse skills base to maximise future career opportunities in a competitive environment. FLEET helps young researchers build a broad range of skills with programs such as YouRforum (Young Researchers Forum), which in 2017 provided training on post-PhD careers and video communication.The ‘Got PhD, what next?’ forum exposed PhD students and recent graduates to a panel of science PhD graduates whose paths had led them to a range of diverse careers, including academia, research management, entrepreneurship and industry. Panellists shared their career pathways and discussed tips on transferring into different fields following a PhD. YouRforum’s smartphone video training introduced delegates to the skills required to put their science into a professional and effective video format, using only a smartphone and a professional editing app (provided). The training was presented in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS), and included all the necessary elements for preparing video for online and broadcast media.While YouRforum training is specifically targeted at FLEET members, sessions are open to researchers from other centres and universities, building links with A professional external facilitator from consultancy Mind Your Way coached young researchers on the particular skills needed for writing, presenting and discussing science. Around 70 FLEET and affiliated ECRs learned to effectively structure their communications, and to customise their language for different audiences, different forums and different lengths.A ‘Why, What, How, What if’ structure was applied to a whole range of communications, from the classic ‘elevator pitch’ to talking to politicians or potential investors, giving an in-depth presentation to research collaborators or writing a scientific paper: >Why are we doing this, and why should you care? >What did we do? (briefly) >How we did it, in logical steps >What if, what’s next, questions and bonus material.Too often, scientists assume their audience already knows why a piece of research is important. By learning to start with ‘Why’, FLEET’s up-and-coming researchers will deliver more compelling and more effective communications.Communicating well is crucial to FLEET’s success, as well as the future career success of our ECRs; it will maximise their chances of success in published articles, presentations, grants and applications.By having ECRs explain their research to each other, across nodes and research themes, FLEET also used the exercise to improve Centre cohesion, with ECRs making connections and discovering how other teams’ research projects were related to their own.FLEET is helping me to establish myself within the research community, building new networks and finding opportunities for high-impact work.Dr Torben Daeneke FLEET Associate Investigator RMIT UniversityCareers in industry panel discussion; from left, Dr Alexe Bojovschi (Academy of Innovative Business), Dr Monika Fekete (Australian Coffee Science Lab), Dr Richard Huysmans (Raven Consulting Group), facilitated by FLEET’s Dr Tich-Lam Nguyen (YouRforum founder)these other organisations and providing a valuable networking element for the participants.YouRforum was an original initiative of the Monash Centre for Atomically Thin Materials.0154ENGAGETo engage the public and encourage more interest in science for future generations of AustraliansFLEET PhD student Chutian Wang demonstrating 2D materials using scotch tape and microscope, Monash University Open Day0655FLEET 2017 ANNUAL REPORT83933955575306862School teachers engagedHours spent on outreachSchool students reached through outreach activitiesResearch workshops organised, 2 international30Home science activities demonstratedTotal number of Centre members attending training workshops Total number of Non-Centre members attending training workshops 3150Public audience reached through outreach activitiesResearch seminars held 217FOLLOWERS ON FACEBOOKVIEWS OFFLEET RESEARCH VIDEO550FOLLOWERS ON TWITTER286AVERAGE MONTHLY NEW USER VISITS TOFLEET.COM.AU862MENTIONS IN ONLINE MEDIA48AVERAGE MONTHLY UNIQUE PAGE VIEWS3877PRESSRELEASESRADIOINTERVIEWSPRINT ARTICLE IN AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE21256ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN FUTURE LOW-ENERGY ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGIESANNUAL WORKSHOPDelegates at FLEET inaugural annual workshop, November 2017FLEET’s 2017 annual workshop really solidified the various branches of the centre and created a common narrative for the research efforts.Dr Harley Scammell FLEET Research Fellow UNSWFLEET’S FIRST ANNUAL WORKSHOP: A CASE STUDY ON MEMBER ENGAGEMENTForging a Centre that is greater than the sum of its partsFLEET’s inaugural annual workshop in Torquay, Victoria, represented the Centre’s first chance to cement relationships between geographically-isolated research nodes and diverse physics disciplines.With a focus on education, each day began with a tutorial laying out the fundamentals for one of three research themes. This introduction maximised the value of the more-detailed project updates that followed. Presenters were also carefully briefed to ensure that project updates would be pitched at the right level for a non-expert audience.As this was our first chance to forge collaborative links, time was left for discussions that cut across geographic and research lines and work.The workshop was also remarkably successful in incorporating kids and families (see p50), with over 30 partners and family involved, including 17 children.The annual workshop built on other functions that are building and maintaining Centre cohesion, including inductions, an internal monthly newsletter, outreach collaborations and FLEET-branded clothing.57FLEET 2017 ANNUAL REPORTThe inaugural FLEET workshop in Torquay was a highlight of 2017. I learned how my work fits into the grand scheme of FLEET and how the different themes all lead toward the same goal. It was great to put faces to names, and to start to feel part of something much bigger than just my work.Dr Daniel Sando FLEET Research Fellow UNSWNext >