UNSW supports future women leaders in engineering

A delegation of 12 from the UNSW Faculty of Engineering attended the 5th edition of the Asian Deans Form (ADF) Rising Stars Women in Engineering Workshop in Singapore on 17-19 November 2024.

Comprised of representatives from engineering schools of seven leading Asian universities: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, National University of Singapore, Seoul National University, Tsinghua University, University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney and The University of Tokyo; the Asian Deans’ Forum organises the Rising Stars workshop on an annual basis.

Hosted in 2024 by the National University of Singapore, the workshop offered a professional development opportunity for young women  interested in exploring and advancing their careers in academia across engineering disciplines. 26 young women from 17 institutions were selected by the Rising Stars Committee as sponsored participants, including UNSW’s Nasim Sabahi, PhD Candidate at the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering; and Shukla Poddar, Research Associate at the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering.

UNSW also funded four additional participants: Dr Fitri Widhiastuti, Research Associate, School of Chemical Engineering; Dr Danielle Holmes, Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications; Dr Elnaz Irannazhad, Senior Lecturer, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and Dr Philippa Higgins, Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The UNSW delegation of Rising Stars and academics was led by Dean of Engineering Professor Julien Epps.

The workshop featured a series of panels, discussions and presentations from senior academics around the world. Three UNSW representatives were among the academics who presented, sharing professional knowledge and facilitating discussions relevant to the development of women academic leaders in Asia. 

UNSW Engineering Deputy Dean (Societal Impact and Translation) Prof Rita Henderson presented on ‘Contributing to society from the academic platform’; Associate Dean (Research) Prof Cordelia Selomulya from the School of Chemical Engineering presented on ‘Developing leadership in research’; and Associate Dean (Research Training) A/Prof Vidhyasaharan (Vidhya) Sethu from the School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications presented on ‘Supervising and Mentoring the next generation of Researchers’. 

Vidhya and Cordelia also spoke in the session on ‘Becoming an excellent researcher’, with Cordelia focusing on entrepreneurship and commercialisation and Vidhya on research training and UNSW’s Industry PhD program.  The UNSW delegation also included Dr Imrana Kabir, Lecturer at the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering and Rising Stars Alumnus, who contributed as a mentor to the 2024 participants.

2025 UNSW Rising Star Dr Elnaz Irannazhad said that she felt truly privileged to have attended the Asian Dean's Forum Rising Star Women in Engineering workshop.

“It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with brilliant and talented female scholars, and I deeply value the friendships and sense of sisterhood that emerged throughout the event. The mentorship provided by the Deans and Senior academics was invaluable, offering insightful advice that will guide early career researchers,” said Elnaz. 
 

“I highly recommend this workshop to final-year PhD students and postdocs. It offers exceptional networking opportunities that could lead to your next academic role."

Dr Fitri Widhiastuti also said that she was honoured to have been selected as a UNSW delegate to participate in the Rising Stars workshop. 

“This experience provided valuable networking opportunities for women in engineering, allowing me to form long-lasting connections with inspiring women from around the world and discuss the importance of strong leadership and mentorship in shaping the future of academia and engineering,” said Fitri.

“I also had the opportunity to pitch my research to a diverse audience across engineering disciplines - a truly rewarding challenge! Sharing a piece of my work and exploring future directions sparked some exciting conversations and ideas. I look forward to applying these learnings and contributing to a more inclusive and innovative engineering community.”