STEM Profile: Jane Doe

Jane Doe

Biomedical researcher

I’m a chemist/marketer with 20+ years experience growing STEM-based businesses & taking new technologies to market.

City/town: Sydney

State: NSW

STEMM sectors: Data/AI, Education, Engineering, Environment, Science, Technology, Wider STEMM / Other

Open to being contacted about the following volunteer roles: Board positions, Mentoring others, New job opportunities, Speaking at professional events/panels, Speaking at schools

Guiding principle: Believe in yourself, give back to the ecosystem, champion talent and make the most of every opportunity.

Areas of expertise: commercialisation, industry engagement, innovation strategy,

Contact Jane Doe

Q&A

What’s a problem in your field that keeps you up at night, and why does it matter to you personally?

The commercialisation of our innovations needs to improve. After 25 years in the industry, I can see the same issues are not fixed. In Australia, we need deep cultural change to have any real impact instead of putting in new under-resourced programs, funds and continuing with industry churn.

What’s something about your field that most people misunderstand or overlook?

The role of commercialisation offices at research organisations and how they could move from bottleneck to accelerant if set-up and resourced properly to enable cultural change, education, and true engagement with industry.

When have you taken a risk in your career, and what did you learn from it (regardless of the outcome)?

Leaving a relatively safe public research agency position after 10 years to start-up a commercialisation company which brought STEM women back into the workforce all working from home pre-covid. I learnt how to build a successful business by backing myself and working with a team of professionals.

What change, big or small, would you most like to see in the culture of STEMM fields over the next decade?

I’d like big cultural changes to happen from primary school through to the heads of government and our industries. At the moment we silo the teaching of STEM and business. Innovation is the key to teaching both together from primary onwards. STEM literacy levels need to increase nationally.

What is the thing you enjoy most about your role?

Being part of moving technologies smart Australians have developed out of the lab and into use that can help our environment, animals and our lives.