PhD thesis: Comparative genomics & signal transduction of Odorant Receptors in Drosophila.

Current role: Founder & Director, Empirical Careers Pty Ltd.

How I got here: Forensics Admin. Medical Scientist. Research Assistant. PhD candidate. Postdoctoral Fellow. Research Manager. Business Founder. Company Director.

One of my natural talents: I am really good at seeing, connecting and arranging ‘the dots’ to help others see the big picture (e.g. in a grant to present a clear and compelling ‘story’).

The problem I’m currently addressing: Helping researchers navigate challenges in their careers including securing research funding.

Why I think that’s important: Research makes the world a better place, whether it’s informing policy, changing practice or making new drugs or gadgets, etc. If I can help researchers achieve their goals, then we will all gain from that!

How I’m innovating to drive change: I’m constantly learning from different sources, including the small biz community. I love meeting new people and learning new skills and ideas, so I can pass them on to others. My latest is Clifton Strengths - I think it’s a game changer…

How has my leadership built capacity: I love connecting the ‘dots’, including people! I was a co-founder of UQ’s Research Administrators Network (back in the 2000’s) and also a co-founder of the OG ARC ITTC manager network (now broader ITRP network). I love that both networks continue to this day, supporting the sharing of information about best practice research management.

The impact I’ve had so far: In essence, I think of myself as a research facilitator. Through Empirical, I’ve helped hundreds of researchers across diverse disciplines improve their grant writing skills and win funding ($350M and counting), that ultimately leads to more research impact. I’ve also supported Centre Directors and ADRs across various Uni roles.

What I need now to have more impact: I want to speak with talented researchers across diverse careers, and profile their stories, so I can inspire other PhD grads to see the many ways they can use their reserach skills and experience to have impact, even if it’s not how they first imagined... I also want to create a directory of research supporters to help researchers access the services they need.

How my research skills show up in everyday life: Instead of making solutions in the lab, I now love mixing fabric paints and doing ‘experiments’ in my own ‘wet lab’ (aka studio). Once a scientist…

The most interesting place I’ve been: Antarctica. It was really cool… ;)

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