Georgina Sweet Laureate Fellowship
Georgina Sweet Awards 2020 - Virtual Event
On Monday 12th October, more than 130 people joined us to recognise the achievements of the 6 award Recipients, and make the Georgina Sweet Awards Virtual Event such a successful celebration.









Award Ceremony Zoom Recording
Please find the Zoom Recording of the Virtual Event which includes presentations from all the award winners
Award Winners Presentations
Georgina Sweet Awards Presentation explaining their scientific achievements and vision. These are an extended scientific presentation (15 minutes).
Associate Professor Antje Blumenthal Presentation
Associate Professor Guozhen Liu Presentation
Associate Professor Makrina Totsika Presentation
Associate Professor Elin Gray Presentation
Associate Professor Jessica Mar Presentation
Associate Professor Michelle Dunstone Presentation
Password: SWEET20
About the Award Winners
![]() | Associate Professor Antje Blumenthal Associate Professor Antje Blumenthal is fascinated by the interactions between our immune system and pathogenic bacteria. Her goal is to create the foundations for improved treatments for bacterial infections that pose significant threats to global health. A microbiology graduate from Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel (Germany), she pursued her PhD research in Immunology at the Leibniz Research Center for Medicine and Biosciences (Germany), before moving to Weill Cornell Medical College, New York (USA) for her postdoctoral training. She relocated to Australia as Balzan Research Fellow to establish her laboratory at The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, where she heads her program on molecular regulators of host-pathogen-interactions and novel antimicrobials, supported by major international and national funding. Antje was recently honoured as Fellow of the Australian Society for Microbiology and Winner of the Women in Technology Life Sciences Research Leader Award 2019. Through leadership roles within her University and professional societies, she drives initiatives that promote equal career opportunities, and foster diverse and inclusive organisational cultures. Read about Associate Professor Antje Blumenthal’s research here |
![]() | Associate Professor Guozhen Liu Associate Professor Guozhen Liu is an ARC Future Fellow at Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), leading a research team working on Integrated Devices and Intelligent Diagnostics (ID2, https://guozhenliu.weebly.com/). She finished her Bachelor's and Master’s degree in China before moving to Sydney for her PhD in Chemistry from UNSW. Her career has been alternating between industry and academia. Additional to work with universities, she has accumulated extensive research and management experience with industry (such as AgaMatrix Inc) on medical devices for diabetes. She focuses on interdisciplinary and translational research to develop biosensing technologies for point-of-care diagnostics, wearable devices, in vivo cytokine monitoring, and intelligent nanoparticles which is closely engaged with industry sections. She is the inventor of 11 patents, and a co-founder at Bio-Sens Tech Pty Ltd. Her patented technologies have attracted interests and over $2M funding from industries, such as AstraZeneca, BioLegend, AgaMatrix Inc, Regeneus Ltd, etc. Read about Associate Professor Guozhen Liu’s research here |
![]() | Associate Professor Makrina Totsika Associate Professor Makrina Totsika is a molecular microbiologist and Program Leader for Infection Control at Queensland University of Technology. Leaving Greece straight after high-school with a desire to study genetics, Makrina earned a First-Class BSc(Hons) in Biological Sciences (Genetics), an MSc by Research (Distinction) and a PhD in Bacterial Genetics from the University of Edinburgh; only made possible by a prestigious Wellcome Trust 4-year scholarship. She then moved to Australia for postdoctoral research and was awarded an ARC DECRA in 2013. A year later, Makrina established her own lab at Queensland University of Technology, where she and her team study antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria, with a focus on understanding their molecular weapons and developing new drugs to block them. Makrina was named Queensland’s 2016 Young Tall Poppy of the Year and her work has been recognised by the Australian Society for Medical Research 2016 Queensland Senior Researcher Award and the Australian Society for Microbiology 2018 Frank Fenner Award. Read about Associate Professor Makrina Totsika’s research here |
![]() | Associate Professor Elin Gray Associate Professor Elin Gray is a Cancer Council WA Research Fellow and Group Leader at the School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University. Elin completed a BSc in Biochemistry at the University of Havana, Cuba, and obtained her PhD degree at University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. She was a visiting Fogarty Fellow at the Vaccine Research Centre at the NIH, Maryland; and at Duke University, North Carolina, USA. Since moving to Perth in 2011, her research has focused on identifying diagnostic and prognostic blood-based biomarkers for melanoma. She utilises novel techniques and genetic analysis methodologies to study circulating tumour cells, circulating tumour DNA and exosomes, towards the development of liquid biopsies that can provide tumour-specific information to guide disease management and treatment decisions. Read about Associate Professor Elin Gray’s research here |
![]() | Associate Professor Jessica Mar Associate Professor Jessica Mar is a Group Leader and ARC Future Fellow at the University of Queensland. Jess conducts research in computational biology and bioinformatics. Collectively, the Mar Group draws upon our combined expertise in statistics, computer programming, biology, mathematics and genetics to answer questions in medical research. Jess has a First Class Honours degree in Statistics from the University of Queensland and a PhD in Biostatistics from Harvard University. She has spent time as a visiting scientist at the European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge, UK, a postdoctoral fellow at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and an Assistant Professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. In July 2018, Jess relocated back to Australia after spending 16 years overseas. Jess has received several awards, including a Fulbright scholarship (2003) and the Metcalf Prize for Stem Cell Research from the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia (2017). Read about Associate Professor Jessica Mar’s research here |
![]() | Associate Professor Michelle Dunstone A/Prof Michelle Dunstone is an ARC Future Fellow Monash University’s Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. Michelle’s passion lies in discovering how hole-punching proteins change shape. She was initially trained in crystallography in the laboratory of Prof Michael Parker at St. Vincent's Institute, Australia. Her original PhD project focused on how the immune system uses hole-punching proteins to tackle bacteria. She moved to Monash University where she was able to expand on her passion to study more hole-punching proteins from the immune system, fungi and bacteria. Michelle literally takes snapshots of the protein shape, right down to the atomic level, using either the Australian Synchrotron or the Ramaciotti Centre for Cryo-Electron Microscopy. The culmination of her research has led to understanding how the final hole-punching proteins make these large pores but her next is in the application of these proteins for nano-technology and pest control. Read about Associate Professor Michelle Dunstone’s research here |
Program - Monday 12th October
Time | Title of Session | Speaker |
---|---|---|
2.15pm | Registrants Welcome to join meeting | |
2.30pm AEDT | Welcome | Prof. Leann Tilley University of Melbourne & Dr Jen Martin University of Melbourne |
Award Presentations | ||
2.40pm | Award Presentation to Associate Professor Antje Blumenthal | Prof. Melissa Brown University of Queensland |
2.45pm | Associate Professor Antje Blumenthal presentation | Assoc. Prof. Antje Blumenthal University of Queensland |
2.55pm | Award presentation to Associate Professor Guozhen Liu | Prof. Jacqui Matthews University of Sydney |
3.00pm | Associate Professor Guozhen Liu presentation | Assoc. Prof. Guozhen Liu University NSW |
3.10pm | Award presentation to Associate Professor Makrina Totsika | Prof. Frances Separovic University of Melbourne |
3.15pm | Associate Professor Makrina Totsika presentation | Assoc. Prof. Makrina Totsika Queensland University of Technology |
3.25pm | Award presentation to Associate Professor Elin Gray | Prof. Aleksandra Filipovska Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, University of Western Australia |
3.30pm | Associate Professor Elin Gray presentation | Assoc. Prof. Elin Gray Edith Cowan University |
3.40pm | Award presentation to Associate Professor Jessica Mar | Dr. Sarah Auburn Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University |
3.45pm | Associate Professor Jessica Mar presentation | Assoc. Prof. Jessica Mar University of Queensland |
3.55pm | Award presentation to Michelle Dunstone | Prof. Mibel Aguilar Monash University |
4.00pm | Michelle Dunstone presentation | Assoc. Prof. Michelle Dunstone Monash University |
DISCUSSIONS | Chair | |
4.10pm | Panel Discussion led by Dr. Jen Martin including all Award Winners | Dr. Jen Martin University of Melbourne |
4.40pm | Group Photo of the Awardees and Audience | |
4.45pm | General Discussion with Questions from the audience led by Dr. Jen Martin | Dr. Jen Martin University of Melbourne |
5.00pm | Virtual Drinks and farewell |
Upcoming Events
Monday 12th October
2020Virtual Awards Ceremony 2.30pm - 5.00pm (AEDT - Melbourne)
Please join us for a virtual event to celebrate the six winners of the Georgina Sweet Awards for Women in Quantitative Biomedical Science. The Award Ceremony including Discussion panel will take place virtually via Zoom on Monday 12th October.There are six awardees, including two who not only demonstrate excellence in Quantitative Biomedical Science but also excel in promoting diversity and inclusion.
Each of the six awardees will make a brief presentation followed by a panel chaired by award winning science communicator, Dr Jen Martin and a general discussion, with lots of virtual audience participation throughout.
- RSVP by Monday 5th October: Eventbrite
- Queries: gslf-tilleyadmin@unimelb.edu.au
- View Event Flyer
- If registering on the day, a Zoom Link will be sent 1hr and 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting
- Phone Contact: +61 3 8344 2312 or +61 3 8344 2275
Submit Events for inclusion
The Georgina Sweet Awards for Women in Quantitative Biomedical Science were created by Professor Leann Tilley as part of her Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship program to promote and support female scientists who demonstrate excellence in the area of Quantitative Biomedical Science.
Quantitative Biomedical Science is Biological/Biomedical Research that employs a quantitative approach, particularly in areas such as Computational Biology, Biophysics, Bioinformatics, Biochemistry, Genomics, Structural Biology, Cell Biology etc.
Two awards were established in 2016 and available each year until 2020:
- Georgina Sweet Award for Women in Quantitative Biomedical Science: Four awards of $25,000 each were made to Australian female researchers who demonstrated excellence in the area of quantitative biomedical science. Diversity is an essential part of the Award mission, so applications were welcome from women of culturally diverse backgrounds
- In 2020, an additional two awards of $25,000 each were made for Excellence in Inclusivity, recognizing Women in Biomedical Science who had a strong track record in research and who had demonstrated the importance of inclusion and diversity. Applications are now closed.
- Georgina Sweet Travel Support for a Female Keynote Speaker in Quantitative Biomedical Science: Up to five awards of $3,000 each were available each year to support the attendance of a female keynote speaker at an Australian conference. Applications are now closed.
2019 Award Winners
Georgina Sweet Award for Women in Quantitative Biomedical Science
- Traude Beilharz, Monash University
- Kim-Anh Lê Cao, University of Melbourne
- Sarah Auburn, Menzies School of Health Research
Pictured (left to right): Leann Tilley, Traude Beilharz , Kim-Anh Lê Cao, Sarah Auburn.
The Georgina Sweet Awards have been given annually since 2016 and have had a real effect on women in quantitative biomedical science.
A/Prof. Stephanie Gras (2017 winner)
“The award has allowed me to support my team, and to ensure that early career female fellows are developing their track record to allow them to develop their emerging career.”
A/Prof. Alyssa Barry (2017 winner)
“I am honoured that I was chosen to take part in this groundbreaking scheme that will undoubtedly make a huge impact on women’s involvement and recognition in science in the future.”
A/Prof. Megan Maher (2017 winner)
“The award has had a significant impact on my achievements and career progression over the past year. I have said it before, but this truly is an incredible initiative.”
2018 Award Winners
Georgina Sweet Award for Women in Quantitative Biomedical Science
- Cornelia Landersdorfer, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Ana Traven, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
- Aleksandra Filipovska, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, UWA


Pictured (left to right): Cornelia Landersdorfer, Leann Tilley, Ana Traven, Frances Separovic, Aleksandra Filipovska
2017 Award Winners
Georgina Sweet Award for Women in Quantitative Biomedical Science
- Alyssa Barry, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
- Stephanie Gras, Monash University
- Megan Maher, La Trobe University
2016 Award Winners
Georgina Sweet Award for Women in Quantitative Biomedical Science
- Alicia Oshlack, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
- Kathryn Holt, University of Melbourne
- Freya Fowkes, Burnet Institute
Pictured (left to right): Alicia Oshlack, Kathryn Holt, Leann Tilley, Freya Fowkes at 2016 Georgina Sweet Awards ceremony
GEORGINA SWEET AWARDS 2019 CEREMONY
Pictured: 2016-2019 Georgina Sweet Award winners, committee members, invited speakers and guests.
Thank you to everyone who attended the 2019 Georgina Sweet Awards for Women in Quantitative Biomedical Science on Monday 12th October. Similar to previous years we had more than 130 people in attendance to hear presentations from the winners about their research and personal journey in science so far. Special thank you to Professor Sue Thomas who provided the audience with an engaging keynote address.
Thank you to Westbourne Grammar School and University High School students for attending, along with guests they were able to experience a special Molecules in Motion Display. This included some Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Molecualr Graphics Visualisation Software of a range of biological systems with experts.
Congratulations again to our 2019 winners; Traude Beilharz (Monash University), Kim-Anh Lê Cao (University of Melbourne) and Sarah Auburn (Menzies School of Health).
Pictured: 2019 Georgina Sweet Award winners - Sarah Auburn, Traude Beilharz & Kim-Anh Lê Cao.
GEORGINA SWEET AWARDS 2018 CEREMONY
Pictured: 2016-2018 Georgina Sweet Award winners, committee members, invited speakers and guests.
Thank you to everyone who attended the 2018 Georgina Sweet Awards for Women in Quantitative Biomedical Science on Monday 8th October. We had more than 130 people in attendance to hear presentations from the winners about their research and personal journey in science so far. Thank you to Leanne Harvey for her insightful keynote address about the path to leadership and the challenges faced by women along the way. Thank you to Westbourne Grammar School for making a special visit and taking steps to encourage the next generation of female scientists.
Congratulations again to our 2018 winners; Cornelia Landersdorfer (Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences), Ana Traven (Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute) and Aleksandra Filipovska (Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, UWA).


Pictured above (left to right): Cornelia Landersdorfer (2018 winner), Leann Tilley, Ana Traven (2018 winner), Leanne Harvey (keynote speaker), Deniz (guitarist).
Pictured below: Award attendees in Bio21 atrium after the ceremony.
NEW 2018 veski inspiring women STEM sidebyside program was launched on 22nd March 2018.
Click the link below for more details
Promoting gender equity in Science
During the course of Prof Tilley’s Laureate Fellowship (2015 – 2020), she will engage in different strategies to support the promotion and advancement of women in science. Some of the issues she will be targeting include:
Developing and promoting templates for gender policy for scientific conferences
Female Speakers in Quantitative Biomedical Science
Mentoring and development programs
Career interruption policies and opportunities
Recognition of women’s contribution to science
Women in Science and Gender Bias in Academe
Developing and promoting templates for gender policy for scientific conferences
Many scientific conference speakers and panels are currently male dominated, even in disciplines where the balance between male and female researchers is approaching equality. Over the next few months, we hope to develop gender equity policy principles that will be made available as templates for conference organisers. As an example, see this article on how gender balance was achieved in three years at the Lorne Conference on Protein Structure and Function.
Female speakers in Quantitative Biomedical Sciences
Prof Tilley is developing a list of high profile Australian and international female researchers in quantitative biomedical science. The current list is available to download here.
If you would like to nominate a high profile female researcher in quantitative biomedical science to join this list, please contact gslf-tilleyadmin@unimelb.edu.au . To be included on the list, researchers should have an excellent research track record in quantitative biomedical research, be an experienced conference speaker and have an engaging presentation style. Researchers will be contacted to gain permission prior to inclusion on the list. The list will be reviewed and updated periodically.
For ideas on how to increase the number of women speakers at conferences, see this article in Nature. The following web sites may also provide information on female speakers from around the world:
- American Society for Cell Biology has a women’s community (WICB) site
- WICB has a searchable list of female cell biologists who are potential conference speakers, with links to the subject’s home page for further information on each person.
- The Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) has a Women in Science group and awards an annual prize and lists previous winners who may be available as speakers:
- The American Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology has a timeline of female researchers in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, including links to each person’s home page.
Mentoring and development programs
The University of Melbourne offers:
- A workshop on establishing your research career is available for early career staff.
- Academic orientation programs are offered for both early career and senior staff.
- The University supports the practice of mentoring and this can be arranged individually or with help from your Head of Department.
- A Women in Leadership program is available for level C and D staff.
Career interruption policies and opportunities
The University offers generous parental leave provisions and a return to work bonus following maternity leave. Further information is available here. The University also offers the Melbourne Research Fellowship (Career Interruption) to help researchers re-establish their career after carer, parental or other prolonged periods of absence.
The ARC and NHMRC both offer early career researcher fellowships and the NHMRC also offers career development fellowships. Both funding bodies have policies that take into account career interruptions when applying for these grants.
Recognition of women’s contribution to science
Women are highly underrepresented as recipients of the higher level awards for many scientific societies and often this is due to a dearth of female applicants. By contrast, there is no shortage of applications for the L’Oreal prize, which specifically targets women in science.
The Australian Academy of Science offers two Australian-based prizes for women in sciences:
- The Nancy Millis Medal for Women in Science is open to mid-career researchers in the natural sciences.
- The Dorothy Hill Award, valued at $3,000, is open to early career female researchers in earth science.
In 2016, Profess Tilley established a new prize for women in science, the Georgina Sweet Award for Women in Quantitative Biomedical Science. This award, valued at $25,000 is open to mid-career female researchers in quantitative biomedical science.
Careers in Quantitative Biomedical Science
Article in Science Magazine discusses careers in Quantitative Biomedical Science
Women in Science and Gender Bias in Academe
There are many Australian and international web resources that provide information for women in science.
Some international academic papers on gender bias in academe are also provided.
Women in Science resources
- Women in Science Australia website has an excellent resources section
- Women in Science Australia Speakers
- VESKI Inspiring Women in Science
- The NHMRC Women in Health Science Working Committee. The site also provides information on institutional gender equity policies.
- Data base of expert women in life science (WILS) (European based)
- Women in Science and Engineering, WISE, is for science and engineering students at the University of Melbourne.
- The Australian Academy of Science has a section on gender equity, including links to the SAGE and Athena Swan initiatives.
- Conversation article: Why aren’t there more women in Science?
- Article on achieving gender balance in scientific conferences in 3 years:
- Nature special on women in science
- Peer-reviewed research and resources for Women in STEM by Astronomer and Astrobiologist Dr. Sarah Rugheimer
- Message from the President of the Biophysical Society Suzanne Scarlata about resources within the society to help meeting organisers find established women and minority speakers
- Biophysical Society Blog post by Sharona Gordon regarding new anti-harassment policy
- Science & Technology Australia (STA) new program: Superstars of STEM - Empowering female role models
- Stem Cells Systems Centre - Unravelling Modern Biology with Computational Methods (Dr Kim-Anh Lê Cao)
Other Grants & Awards
Gender Bias in Academe resources
- Gender Bias in Academe: An Annotated Bibliography of Important Recent Studies
- Does diversity influence group success by Johanna Vandermaas
- Expectations of brilliance underlie gender distributions across academic disciplines
- Women’s Belonging With and Motivation for Male-Dominated STEM Fields As a Function of Effort Expenditure Concerns
- Female peers in small work groups enhance women's motivation, verbal participation, and career aspirations in engineering
- National hiring experiments reveal 2:1 faculty preference for women on STEM tenure track
- Why gender balance at conferences should become the "new normal" by Professor Julian Eastoe
Leann Tilley is Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Associate Director, Structural & Cell Biology in the Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne.
In 2015 she was awarded the Australian Research Council Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship for her research on the malaria parasite to deliver new biotechnology and biomedical outcomes that may combat disease in livestock and humans. As part of its Laureate Professorship programme the Australian Government introduced the Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship in 2010. The award is made to a highly ranked female candidate from the science and technology disciplines. The Fellowship includes additional funding for recipients to undertake an ambassadorial role to promote women in research.
As part of her Laureate Fellowship, Prof Tilley is committed to promoting gender equality in sciences. Over the course of her Fellowship, she will initiate strategies to promote the recruitment and advancement of women in science. See this page for further information on these gender equity initiatives.
The first strategy to be implemented was the establishment of a significant award for women in science. Commencing in late 2016, Professor Tilley has been sponsoring the inaugural Georgina Sweet Awards for Women in Quantitative Biomedical Science. A $25,000 award will be awarded to each of three recipients who demonstrate excellence in quantitative biomedical science.
Also implemented was the Georgina Sweet Travel Support for a Female Keynote Speaker in Quantitative Biomedical Science. Up to three awards of $3,000 are available each year to support the attendance of a female keynote speaker at an Australian conference.
Further Links:
Contact
Enquiries
Phone: +61 3 8344 2312/ +61 3 8344 2275
Georgina Sweet Travel Support for a Keynote Speaker in Quantitative Biomedical Science
"Dulcis Legatum" by Artist Marie Bogoyevitch
The “Dulcis Legatum” series (Sweet Legacy) is inspired by the scientific images created Georgina Sweet (1875-1946) in her detailed descriptions of the Australian marsupial mole and of the endoparasites of Australian livestock and fauna. Sweet was an active zoologist and internationally-recognised parasitologist, significantly advancing the involvement in women in Australian science. This series has been created by the photointaglio printmaking process, in which Sweet’s black and white images have been transferred to photosensitive plates. Each plate is then printed in new colours – sepia to reinforce the historical reference of Sweet’s images, her favourite blue-green hues of turquoise and teal, and a multi-colour spectrum echoing the false colour used in modern representations of microscopy images. Marie is a Melbourne-based artist. She has followed her passions for science and art in her professional career as a biomedical scientist and, more recently, in botanical art and natural history illustration. Marie enjoys the challenge of presenting the fine detail and beauty of plants in a variety of media, extending her skills in a range of different techniques under the guidance of a number of renowned Australian and international botanical artists. See more of Marie’s work on her Instagram page @marie.bogoyevitch.art and at the Royal Botanic Gardens exhibition: https://tabi.rbgfriendsmelbourne.org/marie-bogoyevitch