< Previous58 ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN FUTURE LOW-ENERGY ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGIES CONNECTING GLOBAL RESEARCHERS HOSTING RESEARCH SEMINARS In 2018 FLEET began a series of live-streamed seminars to help share research results across the Centre, keep members informed on latest FLEET research, and enhance inter-node collaboration. Early-career researchers presenting the seminars gain valuable presentation experience, and benefit from feedback on their research from diverse Centre members. These seminars also provide an opportunity for regular get-togethers in each node, based around baked goods and coffees. Beginning in late 2018, FLEET live-streamed seminars have been presented by: • Dr David Colas (University of Queensland) • Dr Carlos Kuhn (Swinburne) • Dr Mark Edmonds (Monash). The 26 research seminars that FLEET hosted by visiting researchers at Monash and UNSW (see image to the left), exposed members and affiliates to diverse research from around the world. Visiting seminar researchers discovered shared approaches with FLEET and also discussed future collaborations, in some cases leading to formal partnerships, such a joint US grant, co-supervision of a PhD student, and two new Partner Investigators at Tsinghua University (see New research partners, p54-55). FLEET seminars have provided opportunities to share ideas with FLEET members, collaborators and industry figures from outside of our immediate research group. Dr Karina Hudson FLEET Research Fellow, UNSW Research seminars present the latest science to relevant researchers, fostering valuable discussions and sparking future collaborations. See FLEET.org.au/annual-reports for list of workshops and seminars59 FLEET 2018 ANNUAL REPORT PROFESSIONAL COLLABORATIONS PROFESSIONAL COLLABORATIONS In 2018, FLEET built on an existing strong relationship with the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP), the country’s leading body for physics advocacy and support. With the AIP this year, the Centre: • Hosted a members’ briefing and tour of FLEET labs at RMIT • Ran two VicPhysics Girls in Physics breakfasts • Assisted with Physics in the Pub in Melbourne and Brisbane • Presented the annual AIP Nobel Lecture, given by Prof Kris Helmerson (Monash) who spoke on optical tweezers. FLEET continues to build links with other science organisations within Australia, for example: • Arranging co-sponsorship of the national science- communication conference by 11 ARC Centres of Excellence • Participating in Victorian ARC Centres and Hubs workshop to share best practice and develop networks • Working with the ARC Centre for Gravitational Waves (OzGrav) to develop a virtual reality outreach tool • Operating lab tours with the Monash Tech School, introducing Year 8 students to science (see p75). FLEET has an increasingly visible presence in Australian science. Prof Jared Cole FLEET Chief Investigator, RMIT Public events have provided valuable opportunities for collaborations with schools, professional bodies and other ARC Centres of Excellence.PhD student Vivasha Govinden and Research Fellow Dr Peggy Qi Zhang study ferroelectric materials at UNSW. FLEET is breaking boundaries to improve gender-quity in science. EQUITY 0 4 61 FLEET 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 20% 27% 16% FEMALES IN FLEET (OUT OF 194 CENTRE MEMBERS) FEMALE RESEARCH FELLOWS FEMALE RESEARCH STUDENTS (HDR AND HONOURS) C U L T U RA L B A C K G R O U N D S 24 IN 2018, FLEET HAS: • Targeted outreach to girls in schools to improve their future participation in science • Analysed equity policies at all participating organisations to identify best practice • Developed equity guidelines for all FLEET-supported events • Identified internal cultural challenges via a comprehensive, Centre-wide survey (see below) • Submitted recommendations to Australia’s ‘Women in STEM’ Decadal Plan • Continued to foster inclusive workplace practices such as part-time work, flexible hours and family-friendly meeting times. IN 2019, FLEET WILL: • Create more career support opportunities for women at ECR level • Implement straightforward feedback systems, for when exclusivity or discrimination occurs • Improve cultural awareness and understanding of equity issues via seminars and training • Make FLEET events even more friendly for parents of young children • Create more mentoring opportunities for women and minority groups in FLEET • Offer industry training, internships and mentoring opportunities for careers outside of academia. Women are under-represented in research, particularly in physics. In this regard FLEET is no exception. We are taking steps to improve this. Our motivation is not only fairness. We also know that diverse teams do better science. By improving our performance with respect to gender-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% women researchers across the Centre by 2021. In its second year, FLEET has exceeded the 2018 target of 15% women higher degree by research students (HDRs) and early-career researchers (ECRs), with 27% and 16%, respectively. This brings the current proportion of women across the Centre to 19%. But this is just a starting point. In particular the Centre must increase the representation of women in more-senior roles. FLEET’s recruitment to date has drawn from the existing physics pool, which unfortunately has a relatively low percentage of women. FLEET’s Women in FLEET Fellowships (see case study below) will allow the Centre to begin to increase the percentage of women at ECR level beyond the average in physics. Redressing historical disadvantages for women in physics provides many complex challenges, and our actions must cut across all of FLEET’s strategies and policies. DID YOU KNOW... FLEET has people of 24 different nationalities and cultural backgrounds, across all levels of the Centre. More at FLEET.org.au/equity62 ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN FUTURE LOW-ENERGY ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGIES CASE STUDY IN 2019, FLEET WILL: • Assist members’ understanding of their peers via cultural awareness training • Educate FLEET members on equity and diversity issues using facts and high-quality studies • Avoid demonising behaviours or resorting to emotional arguments, both of which prompt push-back • Highlight benefits of diversity and of a family- friendly workplace to all employees • Encourage men to be champions of change, reducing the ‘burden of expectations’ on their female colleagues • Keep listening. CULTURAL CHALLENGES AND MEMBERS’ SURVEY Improving the situation of women in physics carries complex cultural challenges. We must be sensitive to potential challenges of resistance and backlash. As a first step in this direction, in 2018 FLEET conducted a comprehensive cultural survey of members to determine attitudes to gender equity. The anonymous, optional survey was answered by a third of members, and revealed that: • Over 90% value equity and diversity • Over 80% are aware of FLEET equity policies and initiatives • Over 80% say their workplace is inclusive and respectful • Over 70% participate in FLEET equity initiatives. We found that discrimination and harassment are rare within the Centre and that, in most cases, complaints were resolved in an appropriate manner. Negative attitudes to equity interventions have been documented across Australia, and FLEET has proven to be no exception. While the majority of members strongly support our equity measures, the survey also revealed some discomfort with initiatives created to support women in science, in particular with the Women in FLEET recruitment initiative. An understanding of members’ attitudes will allow FLEET to frame equity initiatives in a way that maximises the chances of success. We must ensure that all members understand what we are doing and why, and are empowered to speak up about difficulties. SHIFTING THE DIAL: WOMEN IN FLEET FELLOWSHIPS FLEET’s recruitment to date has drawn from the existing physics pool, which (along with related fields such as engineering and material science) unfortunately features a relatively low percentage of women. Women in FLEET Fellowships will allow the Centre to begin to increase the percentage of women above the average in these fields. The Fellowships also allow for improved flexibility in the location and type of position on offer. FLEET’s previous recruitments have been highly-focused research roles with specific expertise criteria, which has resulted in maintaining ‘status quo’ in gender balance. The new Fellowships target early-career researchers who identify as female and have research interests aligning with any research areas within FLEET, giving applicants the choice to nominate investigators they want to work with. This broader search will allow FLEET In an environment where initiatives aiming to get girls into STEM outnumber practical initiatives to keep women in science careers, the Women in FLEET fellowship is a refreshing initiative addressing much-needed structural change. A/Prof Nicola Gaston Co-Director, MacDiarmid Institute NZ Welcoming families to the FLEET Annual Workshop.63 FLEET 2018 ANNUAL REPORT The family-friendly environment at FLEET’s annual workshop was unprecedented – I’ve not seen this at any other scientific meetings. Luigi Colombo, FLEET Advisory Committee to find excellent researchers who may have been missed in previous, narrowly-targeted searches. Although it sounds simple, these Fellowships faced significant challenges in order to work with equity and recruiting policies across all FLEET member universities. The end result has been two Women in FLEET Fellowships being offered for appointment in early 2019. Our first two Women in FLEET Fellows could be experimental or theoretical, and physicists, chemists or engineers, located at any of five universities. The flexibility of offering whichever field suits the best applicants available allows the widest choice of applicants, ensuring we will hire the best possible candidates. FLEET received almost 70 applications and is currently interviewing candidates. A very large selection committee (seven members) for a Research Fellow position ensures representation across all FLEET themes and nodes. FAMILY FRIENDLY WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES FLEET endeavours to lead change within the Australian science community: we believe that all conferences and workshops must work for researchers with families, rather than the other way around. At FLEET’s annual workshops (see p86), families and partners are welcomed to all meals and social events, and the Centre provided free on-site childcare for all delegates. Free on-site childcare was also provided at the international conference ICON-2DMat hosted by FLEET in 2018 (see p56) . Between the two events, 26 children were cared for, allowing their parents to participate fully in lectures and seminars. Involving families and children at FLEET’s workshops has transformed these events. In particular, the presence of children at scientific poster sessions and social events created a unique and enjoyable atmosphere. FLEET’s annual workshop this year included 39 partners and family members. As well as ensuring that FLEET’s own events are family- friendly and supportive of diversity, the Centre has decided that events hosted or sponsored by the Centre must be similarly supportive. To that end, FLEET has set equity guidelines for all supported events: FLEET will only fund events that consider equity and diversity in their speaker selection, family-friendly policies and assistance, and overall event organisation. See the Equity & Diversity Committee (p96) . The logistical complexity of the recruitment process across all FLEET nodes was a huge challenge, but it was exciting to do something radically new in the area of gender equity. Elena Ostrovskaya Chair, FLEET Equity and Diversity CommitteeTraining early-career researchers at FLEET annual workshop. FLEET is developing future Australian science leaders, and preparing them for success. EDUCATION 05 65 FLEET 2018 ANNUAL REPORT BUILDING FUTURE SCIENCE LEADERS: EDUCATION AT FLEET FLEET ensures that our young researchers are prepared for future success wherever their career takes them. The Centre currently supports 42 higher degree by research (HDR) students and 49 early-career researchers (ECRs), with another 22 research affiliates 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. FLEET provides me with access to a broad network with diverse scientific know-how, from fundamental research all the way to devices and applications. Dr Agustin Schiffrin FLEET Chief Investigator, Monash 12 RESEARCH WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES ORGANISED 26 RESEARCH SEMINARS HELD 3 FLEET-WIDE, LIVE-STREAMED SEMINARS 7 RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS 132 OUTREACH ACTIVITIES INVOLVING FLEET MEMBERS 4 MENTORING PROGRAMS66 ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE IN FUTURE LOW-ENERGY ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGIES YouRforum So you’ve got a PhD, now what’s next? Because most PhD graduates will not end up in academia, FLEET assists HDRs in developing a diverse skills base to maximise future career opportunities. In 2018, FLEET’s YouRforum (Young Researchers Forum) was expanded to UNSW, where a panel of science PhDs discussed career options for STEM PhD graduates and ECRs. Participants heard from nine academics, entrepreneurs, business development and research managers, who shared their career journeys and top tips on making the most of a PhD. YouRforum was an original initiative of the Monash Centre for Atomically Thin Materials. HIGHLIGHTS IN 2018 • Launching FLEET’s mentoring programs • Joining with the ARC Centre for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS) to run the Idea Factory (see case study p67) • Starting monthly FLEET-wide live-streamed seminars • Contributing to the ANU summer school on topological physics (see p68) • Hosting Nature-paper writing workshop, at the FLEET annual workshop. IN 2019, FLEET WILL: • Improve ECRs’ entrepreneurship and commercial skills • Provide gender-equity and diversity training • Provide opportunities for HDR students to visit other nodes’ labs • Continue building members’ communication skills (see p82) • Grow and monitor FLEET’s mentoring program • Assist with the Canberra International Physics Summer School at ANU in January 2020 • Launch an internal FLEET grant program for ECRs aimed at developing new collaborations • Launch Women in FLEET mentoring program. Developing future skills, YouRforum early-career development training and panel, UNSW.67 FLEET 2018 ANNUAL REPORT FOSTERING HELPFUL RELATIONSHIPS: MENTORING AT FLEET FLEET recognises that, no matter where they are in their career, many of our members would benefit from a mentor to help prepare them to take ‘the next step’. A mentor provides independent, thoughtful support and a sympathetic sounding board, and can help with practical or people issues, or in career planning. 2018 saw FLEET launch its mentoring programs, focusing on three different sectors: industry, academic and early-career researchers. Thirty FLEET members have been matched with mentors, making connections both within the Centre and externally. The FLEET annual workshop provided an opportunity for a face-to-face meeting for many mentor–mentee pairs, and a number of useful collaborations have already come out of these relationships. The program is flexible, covering mentoring relationships that are general and ongoing, as well as short-term arrangements targeted at a specific outcome – for example, obtaining a grant or getting promoted. Learning works both ways in a good mentor–mentee relationship, and a number of FLEET members are building their own mentoring experience via mentees from outside the Centre. PITCH PERFECT: THE IDEA FACTORY FLEET has begun an ongoing partnership with the ARC Centre for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS) to run a yearly ECR workshop building skills in communication, methods for pitching and presenting science, and working collaboratively with others. In between the teams’ pitch preparation and delivery, formal training sessions included science communication, oral presentations and how to craft an engaging research pitch. The Idea Factory challenged small, diverse teams of ECRs to develop and pitch a research proposal to a panel of judges. The ability to explain a proposal’s significance and innovation to a technically-competent but broad audience is a key skill for ECRs. As well as developing these pitching and communication skills, the workshop focuses on collaboration. Each teams’ mix of institutions and research areas, including theorists and experimentalists, gives participants additional challenge, and value. The ability to collaborate across traditional boundaries is key for future careers. The Idea Factory develops necessary skills for a research career, whether in industry or academia, or wherever the future lies. The Idea Factory is one of several successful collaborations with other ARC Centres run this year (see p59). My mentor and I have already had insightful conversations about translation of research to commercial products. I’m looking forward to more of these engaging conversations in the future. Yonatan Ashlea Alava FLEET PhD student, UNSW The Idea Factory taught me to pitch a project quickly and with impact (much more difficult than it sounds!) and to explain why I was ‘the right person for the job’ (a challenge, as we don’t feel comfortable bragging). Dr Antonija Grubisic-Cabo FLEET research affiliate, MonashNext >