Meet the women leading Australia's charge in science and space

On the other hand, when Astro-3D director Lisa Kewley, who studies the origins of the universe, saw another scientist taking her two young children on trips to conferences as part of her work, it showed her it was possible to have a career and a family.

Their experiences and paths might have been different but despite the challenges, women are taking the lead in science and engineering, in particular in space initiatives, in Australia.

The Australian National University's Institute of Space is headed up by director Anna Moore and executive director Milica Symul. The institute is 75 per cent female.

The Australian Space Agency is led by Megan Clark, and the agency has five executive directors, three of whom are female.

Among others, CSIRO has appointed a woman as chief scientist in Cathy Foley, and the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology is an engineer - and a woman - Karen Andrews.

Lisa Kewley is trying to understand how galaxies have formed and evolved from the early days of the universe. She's the director of the $40 million Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in All Sky Astrophysics, known as Astro-3D, and manages about 200 people across Australia and internationally. And she's a mum of two children, aged seven and 10.

The Centre of Excellence was formed in 2017, is based at Mount Stromlo, and was Professor Kewley's vision.

"I wrote the proposal, this is my baby," she says.

"It's basically all the science and astronomy that I think Australia has really got a fantastic opportunity to lead into the future over the next decade, or two decades.

"We're really great at building 3D technology, we're doing it for telescopes overseas and in Australia, and we're contracted to build it for the next generation of telescopes."

Professor Kewley says as a female in what is a male-dominated field, there are challenges. But she believes her passion and her people skills got her to where she is today.

"I think in some ways, you need to have a lot of people skills and I think that sometimes it comes very naturally to the women that I know that are in Australia in the field at the moment. We're good at engaging people."

When she speaks to school children about galaxies colliding, she reminds them women can be scientists. She also tells them she doesn't wear a lab coat or glasses, and she has hobbies outside of work.

"One of the main challenges that I've experienced was when I had children, and coming to find the right amount of time working and with my family that I'm comfortable with."

"I'm really happy with how we do it now. I usually take the holidays off to spend with them, and I do school pick-up three days a week. I really enjoy having a good family life as well as my research."

Professor Kewley says she tries to model behaviour she hopes to foster in the organisation.

"I think it's really important for young people to see you can have a family and a successful career as well."

Incoming chief defence scientist Tanya Monro says a lack of role models was a huge challenge for her, particularly when trying to juggle children and her career. But the recent surge in women being appointed to leadership positions in science and engineering is fantastic to see.

"I think that what’s happened is that the notion of merit is starting to become less gendered, which is fabulous," Professor Monro says.

"In the role I’m taking on as Australia’s Chief Defence Scientist, we have an organisation [the Defence Science Technology group] that has had male leadership for over 100 years."

She says she never pictured herself in the position she's in today.

"At age 15 I decided I wanted to be a physicist, and once a physicist always a physicist.

"I’m still an active researcher, however I’ve discovered along the way that I have a real affinity for leadership. The greatest privilege of all is being able to shape culture and create teams that tackle significant challenges, and if we can do this in a way that supports talent from a diverse range of people we get better outcomes."

According to the 2016 Chief Scientist's report on the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce, about 16 per cent of the STEM-qualified workforce was female.

Of those, representation in higher-paid roles was low. Just 12 per cent of women fell into the top income bracket - above $104,000 - while 32 per cent of men were employed in that bracket.

“Maybe it's timing, maybe it is pure luck that at this point in time, we’ve all converged and we have this great representation of women in our centre and around Australia,” Milica Symul says.

She’s the executive director of ANU's InSpace, which is led by director Anna Moore.

It wasn’t planned that way, but since it launched in October three-quarters of its workforce has been female.

“I think having a female head of agency is probably quite prominent because it's so unusual," Dr Symul says.

“I think we are setting a pretty good example."

“There’s no legacy for us in our centre because we founded the centre, but in the space industry there is a big legacy of dominant male leadership. It’s not natural actually, and I won’t say it is not accepted but it's rare to see female leaders in the space industry internationally.”

Dr Symul says while there is an increasing number of women in leadership positions across the sector, they still have problems attracting women to join.

“We are certainly feeling it in an engineering space that if you just do a blanket advertisement for a job you will not get many females, sometimes you might not get any females applying.”

But specific job advertisements pitched to women have a better reply rate, and colleagues at another university have gone even further and asked for female-only applicants.

Institute director Professor Moore says she initially thought this was a bad idea, and not something she'd want to be part of – a view that completely changed when she saw how the process worked.

"An Australian university did this and they realised that the calibre of applications they got was so good, objectively so amazing, they actually gave two appointments. That opened the eyes of many people like myself, that the way we do hiring is just not really geared to a fully diverse population," she says.

Professor Moore says the top people in their field are very busy, and it takes time and effort to complete a job application. She says if you add a family to that, it becomes an even greater task.

“You need to think that you have a chance,” she says.

Anntonette Dailey never dreamed she'd be where she is today.

When she was in high school, she was bullied heavily for being a space enthusiast. Now, she's an executive director of the Australian Space Agency.

"That just spurred me on," she says of the bullying.

"Space and science has turned from being a nerdy, weird subject to being actually a real opportunity for the world, and if you're not in it you're probably being left behind."

Ms Dailey is proud to be executive director of operations and communications for the Australian Space Agency.

"One of the great things about being part of [a] new government body is there are no glass ceilings," she says.

"The agency doesn't have a legacy. It's not an old organisation where you have to try and change the culture.

"We're developing it now in the 21st century of what should be an absolutely normal way of establishing an organisation.

"We can demonstrate from the start what 'normal' looks like. And normal means that there are no glass ceilings installed."

Ms Dailey says she hopes when her three-year-old daughter Skye grows up there won't be a term like "glass ceiling".

"I hope that female leadership is just normal, that businesses mimic what's in society. I'm hoping for her that it's just a reality rather than a discussion point."

In the Australian Space Agency alone, three of the five executive director positions are held by women.

Alexandra Seneta is executive director of regulation and international obligations. She's been involved in space for 16 years and it's a career that has taken her all over the world.

"It is so important to be part of something bigger than ourselves, making a positive contribution, and working in the national interest," she says.

"For me personally, it shows that if you work hard, and are passionate about what you do, you can find your niche. I'm lucky to have found mine."

Aude Vignelles is executive director of program and capability for the agency. She left the European Space Agency to move to Australia 18 years ago. She says she spent 17 of those years frustrated about Australia not having such an agency.

"I grew up with the creation of the European Space Agency and the Ariane project. I was lucky enough to witness Ariane's first launch in French Guyana in 1979 and anyone who has attended a launch will tell you that you tend to catch the space bug forever."

Ms Vignelles says working in an organisation with so many women is a big change for her.

"Being a female space and aeronautical engineer does not really give you much opportunity to work with women, so I am delighted because I am loving it," she says.

"At the end of the day it should not matter which gender you are, but I can testify that diversity brings a lot in a team and we certainly have that in the agency. We aim to inspire all, and if having so many women helps to show all of the girls out there that yes, they can work in space if they want, then that is extraordinary."

Mount Stromlo Observatory will host an International Women's Day event with talks from Anna Moore, Anntonette Dailey and Lisa Kewley on Friday, March 8 from 6pm. Find out more on its Facebook page.