Key points
- Superstars of STEM is an initiative designed to smash gender assumptions about who can work in science, technology, engineering and maths.
- Three of our researchers have been selected as part of the initiative to become public role models.
- These researchers shared their reflections on their careers and their top advice for those considering a career in STEM.
Three of our pioneering researchers have been selected to join Science and Technology Australia’s Superstars of STEM program. The 2025-26 program will support 60 Superstars employed in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to become highly visible media and public role models to challenge gender assumptions about who can work in STEM.
We spoke to these pioneering researchers to find out how they got to where they are, and hear their advice for those starting out in their STEM careers.
Dr Melanie McGrath, psychological scientist
Dr Melanie McGrath is a social psychological researcher working in our Data61 research unit. Her research investigates the nature and function of human trust in collaborative intelligence systems. These systems will enable humans and machines to work together in ways that complement the strengths of each.
“I love working in STEM because it’s all about having questions and not knowing things,” Melanie said.
“The point of science is to run towards the things we don’t know and don’t understand and try to make sense of them.
“I would love for everyone to know that you’re not the wrong kind of person for science if you don’t understand something – you’re actually already on the way!”
Dr Lynn Nazareth, research scientist
Dr Lynn Nazareth’s research is on the nose, literally. She’s an olfactory or “sense of smell” expert with over a decade of experience studying this system.
Based at our Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP), she is currently developing ex-vivo (or in-a-dish) models of the olfactory system. She wants to investigate how viruses like highly pathogenic avian influenza can travel from the nose to the brain.
“Growing up, I never really considered pursuing a career in STEM. It’s because I’d never seen or met a scientist who looked like me,” Lynn said.
It was only during her undergraduate degree that Lynn encountered her first role model in STEM – her biochemistry lecturer. Her lecturer's passion for science inspired Lynn to follow a career in STEM.
“It is my hope to do the same for others, to show the next generation what a tangible career in STEM looks like. For them to know that it takes passion and not privilege to succeed in science,” Lynn said.
Dr Helen McFarlane, geologist
Dr Helen McFarlane’s job rocks. She’s a geologist in our Mineral Resources Research Unit who investigates how the structure of rocks, in very old geological areas of Australia, affects critical mineral deposits that are essential to the global energy transition.
“My career in earth science has changed the way I see the world around me, and my passion for understanding how and why it has evolved, continues to grow,” Helen said.
“Part of my work is to find new ways to study geology at the surface and underground, to understand and track changes in the 3D forms and movement of earth materials, including critical minerals, through time.
“I am really looking forward to sharing this curiosity and excitement with people around Australia to inspire our future STEM minds and help tackle global problems from an Earth Science perspective.”