Prof Nalini Josh AO will deliver a Distinguished Lecture at ANSTO on 7 November 2016 as part of ANSTO's gender equity program.
Chair of Applied Mathematics at the University of Sydney, and a Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellow, Prof Josh is currently working on new mathematical methods to describe critical solution of nonlinear systems.
Professor Joshi was a foundation co-Chair of the SAGE (Science in Australia Gender Equity) initiative jointly managed by the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. She aims to increase the profile of women in science through workshops that will simultaneously promote and support female researchers.
In her lecture, Prof Josh is highlighting that of the professors of mathematical sciences in Australia, only 9 per cent are women. In the natural and physical sciences, about 14 per cent of professors are women.
"This is often attributed to the 'pipeline effect', for example, that there are not many women studying or entering into research in these fields." said Prof Josh.
But the figures at the entry level tell a different story: almost 60 per cent of lecturers at the entry point of the academic career in the natural and physical sciences are female.
Australia has had a rise in such numbers at entry levels for decades without discernible change in the percentages of women at the senior levels.
In her lecture, Prof Josh will outline her experience as a woman in mathematics and insights into the reasons for the decline in numbers of talented senior women in Australia. She will also talk about the SAGE initiative.
Professor Joshi was born and spent her early childhood in Burma, before her family emigrated to Australia. She was awarded a BSc (Hons), with the University Medal in applied mathematics, by the University of Sydney and then a Masters and PhD in computational and applied mathematics by Princeton University in the USA.
In the 2016 Queen’s Birthday honours, Professor Joshi was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to mathematical science and tertiary education as an academic, author and researcher, to professional societies, and as a role model and mentor of young mathematicians.
Date: Monday 7 November 2016 at 11am, morning tea from 10.30am
Location: AINSE Theatre at ANSTO
Cost: Free
Published: 10/10/2016