APCRC-Q Researcher Nathalie Bock wins Women in Technology Postgraduate Award
This year marked the 17th annual Women in Technology (WiT) Awards ceremony honouring the achievements of women working across the technology sector. Awardees ranged from PhD students to those at executive levels and APCRC-Q Research Fellow Dr Nathalie Bock was among those to receive recognition.
“It is an honour to have won this award,” she said after receiving the award at the recent WiT Gala Dinner. “It represents the most invaluable recognition for my PhD work, and gives me confidence and strength to pursue my journey in biotechnology, further evolving my own research ideas and one day translating them into practice.”
Prof Adrian Herington, Associate Director IHBI (TRI) said, “This significant and very well deserved accomplishment continues a great tradition for QUT’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) with several researchers having won and/or been finalists in the Women in Technology biotechnology sections over the past few years.”
APCRC-Q Research Fellow Dr Carolina Soekmadji was a finalist in the WiT Rising Star Award and IHBI’s Executive Director, Prof Lyn Griffiths, was a finalist in the WiT Life Science Outstanding Achievement Award.
WiT aims to support, develop, recognise, and promote the achievements of women in the technology industries through advocacy, networking events, breakfasts, professional development, mentoring, their Board Readiness Program and the prestigious WiT Awards.
QUT was awarded the WiT Employer of Choice. Fifty eight percent of QUT's 7,000 employees are female. Women also make up 38 per cent of the organisation's senior ranks - well above the national university average and fast approaching QUT's own target of 40 per cent by 2016. Recent ICT-related senior appointments have placed women in a number of senior roles, including three of the university's six Executive Dean, the director of QUT's largest research institute, and the Deputy Vice Chancellor who leads QUT's large IT division.
QUT received recognition for its commitment to bolstering gender equity as a core organisational value, developing a range of flexible work arrangements for all parents, and successfully implementing a range of strategies which provide support for women in the workplace and also eradicate barriers and bias.
The university also has a solid reputation for supporting activities to assist female students studying the traditionally male-dominated fields of science, technology, mathematics and engineering.
Ms Judy Stokker, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor - Technology, Information and Learning Support, accepted the award on behalf of QUT saying that QUT is “a truly wonderful place where women of all backgrounds are encouraged to strive for excellence.”
