Science & Technology Australia (STA) is delighted to announce the appointment of exceptional leaders from across the STEM sector to its Policy and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committees.
These appointments bring deep expertise and diverse perspectives to STA's strategic direction and leadership. They will help guide STA's policy advocacy, equity, and sustainability mission.
We extend our thanks to the departing committee members for their dedication, insights and valued contributions.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee
We are pleased to welcome a new member to STA's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee:
- Dr Ayomide (Mide) Ogundipe (Curtin University Faculty of Health Sciences) is a pharmacist, researcher, educator and policy adviser across pharmacy practice, digital health and STEM leadership. She lectures in Pharmacy at Curtin University and is a Senior Project Officer in the WA Health Electronic Medical Record Program. Mide is a Board Appointed Director of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and Chair of the 2026 Code of Ethics for Pharmacists Project Advisory Group.
We're also excited to announce the reappointment of Dr Ayan Dasvarma (Monash University) and Kim Dyball (CSIRO) to the committee.
They join continuing members Dr Lila Landowski (Co-chair, Australian Neuroscience Society), Dr Morley Muse (Co-chair, Women in STEMM Australia
Australian Microscopy and Microanalysis Society), Dr Anna Shillabeer (Australasian Council of Deans of ICT), Dr Lakshmi Wijeyewickrema (La Trobe University), Adrienne Gooden (Australian Society for Fish Biology), and Tim Harte (Deakin University).
We thank departing members Kate Callaghan (Astronomical Society of Australia) and Gavin Stanbrook (Australian Research Data Commons) for their contributions to advancing the work of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
Policy Committee
We are proud to welcome an outstanding cohort of STEM-sector policy experts to the STA Policy Committee:
- Dr Richard Harvey (ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space) is a passionate advocate for science and technology's role in national challenges. His career spans research, government and research leadership, including as a postdoctoral fellow and roles at the Australian Institute for Machine Learning. As Government Whip and Member for Newland in the SA Parliament, he championed science policy and is now COO of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space.
- Dr Anna Lintern (NTEU) researches waterway pollution processes and management, with a strong local and international reputation. She has received the MSSANZ Early Career Researcher Excellence Award, a Veski Victoria Fellowship, and an ARC DECRA. She has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers and co-leads the Green Infrastructure and Water Quality Lab Group at Monash University. Anna is an Editor of Hydrological Processes and Senior Editor on Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews in Water. Dr Lintern is proud of her Japanese heritage.
- Tamanna Monem (QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute) is a strategic partnerships and policy leader with almost three decades of experience across government, industry and research collaboration. She is Head of Growth and Partnerships at QIMR Berghofer and Project Director for NextGen, Australia's proposed Cell and Gene Therapy Innovation and Manufacturing Centre. Tamanna currently serves as a Director of the Robotics Australia Group and is the Founding Director of the WEII Foundation.
- Dr Deanna D'Alessandro (University of Sydney Net Zero Institute) is Director of the University of Sydney's Net Zero Institute, leading efforts to accelerate Australia's transition to low- and zero-emissions technologies, and Professor of Chemistry in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Her research on advanced materials, particularly metal-organic frameworks, spans direct air capture and clean energy, supported by fellowships including an ARC Future Fellowship and a L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Fellowship.
- Dr Lane Meredith, Friend of the Chair (Health Services Research Association of Australia and New Zealand) is an early career researcher in health economics and implementation science at Monash University's ANZIC-RC, focused on generating decision-ready evidence for policy. Lane has published 25 peer-reviewed papers and presented at 13 conferences. She serves on the Health Services Research Association's Executive Committee and founded ImplementEcon, a global network of more than 350 members, in 2024.
We're excited to announce the reappointment of Dr Thom Dixon (ARC Centre of Excellence for Synthetic Biology).
Our new experts join continuing committee members in shaping STA's strategic policy leadership: Dr Kathy Nicholson (Chair, Australian Centre for Machine Learning), Professor Melissa Brown (University of Queensland), Professor Richard de Grijs (International Astronomical Union), Dr Melissa Humphries (Australian Psychological Society), and A/Prof Kalinda Griffiths (Australasian Epidemiological Association).
We extend our thanks to departing members A/Prof Vanessa Wong (Royal Society of Victoria), Kate McGeoch (UNSW) and Dr Hannah Jarman (Deakin University) for their contributions to shaping STA's strategic policy leadership.
For a full list of current committee members, visit our Executive and Governance page.
