Dr Misty Jenkins - A mentor to our future women scientists
03 October 2016
Celebrating 10 years of the Australian L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Fellowships
Dr Misty Jenkins
Walter & Eliza Hall Institute
A mentor to our future women scientists
Misty is an immunologist working on cancer therapies, using preclinical models to develop new ways of treating disease. Recently Misty moved to the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute and was promoted to Laboratory Head. This position will give Misty a freedom and autonomy to develop her own niche science, but also a platform to promote her work in gender equity and various leadership roles in the education and Indigenous health sector. As a founding member of the Women In Science Parkville Precinct (WISPP) committee, Misty along with her colleagues hopes to identify the barriers surrounding gender equity in the scientific community and develop policies to overcome these disparities.
Misty was a post-doctoral fellow at the Peter MacCallum Research Institute when she received the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science fellowship in 2013 “It really gave me the confidence to pursue an independent research career”. Through initiatives such a WISPP and within her institute Misty hopes to instil a confidence into women scientists, much like what the L’Oréal-UNESCO fellowship gave her. “We need to be better mentoring our early to mid-career female scientists, and tapping them on the shoulder and backing them to apply for initiatives and promotion – Sometimes we need a little bit of encouragement.”
