Celebrating Women in Leadership
- Post by: Richard Kim
- 29 March 2026
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Inspiring confidence, connection and action
By Junming He
By Junming He
Date: Friday 6th March 2026
Time: 8:00 – 10:00 AM
Venue: The Terrace Room, Level 6 Sir Llew Edwards Building (Building 14), The University of Queensland QLD 4072.
The Centres of Excellence (CoE) Women in Leadership event brought together colleagues from across multiple CoEs for an engaging and energising conversation about leadership, growth and empowerment. The session created a welcoming space for open dialogue, shared experiences and practical insights, reinforcing the strength and impact of leadership.
The event was led by the Communications, Engagement and Outreach portfolio of the Centre for Innovation for Peptide and Protein Science (CIPPS), and brought together four participating CoEs, including: Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture (Plant Success), Green Electrochemical Transformation of Carbon Dioxide (GETCO2), Mathematical Analysis of Cellular Systems (MACSYS), and Quantum Biotechnology (QUBIC). From each centre, a representative was invited for a panel discussion to speak about their leadership experience. 
This included, CIPPS Deputy Director (Research) Sónia Troeira Henriques, Centre Director Christine Beveridge (Plant Success), Associate Investigator Gloria Milena Monsalve Bravo (GETCO2), Centre Investigator Richttps://cipps.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/photo-credit-Tim-Macuga-1-300×200.jpghi Nayak (MACSYS), and EMCR Pavlina Naydenova (QUBIC). The panel covered a range of perspectives and experiences from people at various career stages, providing a well-rounded view of leadership.
The breakfast reached full capacity, with 70 members from the five participating Centres registering to attend. Post-doctoral researchers made up the largest group of attendees at 30%, followed by PhD students (21%) and professional staffs (19%). The remainder comprised of Centre and Associate Investigators, Chief Operating Officers, Centre Directors, Research Associates, and others. The strong turnout reflected both broad career-stage representation and a diverse gender mix.
To measure the impact of our event, we conducted a post-event survey, achieving a response rate of 34.3%. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with respondents giving an average satisfaction rating of 4.4 out of 5 and expressing strong support for future collaborative events across CoEs. Many attendees said they felt “connected to a community of like-minded people” and “encouraged to take action towards my next career step”. Others noted they were “inspired to find a mentor for myself” and “encouraged to pursue new leadership opportunities”.
When we asked our audience what resonated most from the panel members, anonymous feedback mentioned:
“The speaker from QUBIC [Pavlina Naydenova] resonated the most with me, and I believe with many others in the audience as well. Her story felt authentic and relatable, particularly because her career path was not linear or traditionally academic. The reality of the current academic environment is far from linear; in many ways, pursuing a traditional pathway can sometimes feel almost like a lottery. What made this speaker particularly impactful was her openness about navigating different opportunities, exploring diverse roles, and taking on challenges beyond her original area of expertise.
I believe this perspective strongly reflects the experiences of many academics today, especially early- and mid-career researchers who often need to adapt, diversify their skills, and remain open to multiple career trajectories. I would strongly encourage including more speakers with similarly diverse and non-traditional career journeys in future events, as these stories are incredibly valuable, inspiring, and relevant to the current research community.”
“I liked hearing Christine [Beveridge] talk about boundaries for work life balance & prioritising your values. It was so great that a Centre Director was on the panel. And I also liked hearing the panellists talk about the value of mentoring & coaching”.
“Leadership is a teamwork exercise”.
“Sometimes, a tap on the shoulder at the right time can change someone's life”.