A recruitment drive for women in engineering is now underway at the University of Sydney, with a number of academic roles specifically reserved for women.
The identified roles are in the Faculty of Engineering’s School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, School of Computer Science, and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Just 12 to 17 per cent of continuing academic staff in these schools are women.
The recruitment drive aims to encourage more academics into the field and the positions are open to Australian and international candidates.
Associate Dean Culture and Community, Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sydney, Professor Renae Ryan, said the recruitment drive was about addressing the historic underrepresentation of women in the engineering sector.
“We need to access our whole talent pool to tackle the complex problems of the future like climate change, resource availability and food security,” Professor Renae Ryan told Women’s Agenda.
“By not providing everyone an equal opportunity to participate, we may be missing out on the next big discovery, the next major advance that could change the direction or even the survival of the human race.”
Only 11 per cent of engineering students who identify as female qualify and go on to work in an engineering role, according to a report from the Diversity Council of Australia.
“We hope to recruit some fabulous and talented women to our Faculty that can contribute to our education and research endeavours and drive innovation and excellence,” Professor Ryan said. “To provide more role models to our students and Early Career Researchers and contribute positively to our culture.”
“To drive change, we need to create it. We’ve identified areas of the faculty where there’s gender imbalance and now we’re determined to shift that.”
Professor Ryan said the identified recruitment round sends a strong message that the faculty is serious about diversity and attracting talent.
“Australia needs 60,000 additional engineering graduates by 2035 according to Engineers Australia. It is vital that this workforce reflects society,” she said.
Dr Shuying Wu from the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering said role models played a huge part in her career as an engineer.
“My early exposure to engineering came through time spent in my father’s factory, where bamboo/wood crafts and furniture were produced. Watching the machines and production processes ignited my curiosity about how things work and inspired me to explore ways to design and improve them,” Dr Wu said.
“Role models played a huge role in shaping my career in engineering. Therefore, having this initiative is invaluable and is believed to help foster the growth of women in research and contribute to building a stronger , more inclusive engineering community, where we, in turn, hopefully can inspire and empower the next generation of women engineers.”
The current recruitment round closes on 25 August.
Feature image: Professor Renae Ryan.