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When Amanda Blythe, Sandra Kerbler, Ghislaine Platell and Melinda Fitzgerald decided to pursue a career in science at The University of Western Australia, they had no idea they would be among 78 women from around the globe selected to take part in a 21-day boat trip and adventure of a lifetime to Antarctica.

But that is exactly what’s eventuated for the two PhD students, postdoctoral researcher and Associate Professor who have been selected to participate in Homeward Bound , a unique leadership program for women in science.

The initiative is an Australian led world-class leadership and strategy program for women scientists that will build a global collaboration and empower women to redress the gender imbalance and is the start of a 10 year outreach to build a 1,000 strong global collaboration of women in science.

It is run as an expedition to Antarctica, where climate change is used as an example as to how women can make a pronounced difference in the world today, with the expedition to be filmed by an Australian documentary team.

For 31-year-old Amanda, who studies the 3D structures of molecules like proteins using crystallography in her research role at UWA’s School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, it’s a chance to collaborate with like-minded women from across the world.

The keen musician who is passionate about science research said she’s proud to be representing the University as part of such an exciting initiative and hopes it provides her with the skills to be an effective support and mentor to others.

“I want to use my leadership qualities to make a difference locally and globally,” she said. “There is no doubt that women can do extraordinary things if we are given the chance to shine.”

For PhD student Sandra, 25, the expedition is an opportunity to explore new territories and gain skills that she hopes will one day allow her to make changes and influence policy and decision making.

At the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology at UWA, Sandra is investigating how plants adjust their metabolism in response to changing environmental conditions; knowledge she hopes will contribute to the global effort to produce crop plants that would thrive in future changing climates.

“Women in leadership roles matter to me because there is still such a disparity between men and women in leadership positions in science,” she said. “The women in my family never had the opportunity to pursue higher education and obtain leadership skills, so I want to do this for them.”

Ghislaine Platell, a 25 year old PhD student with the Centre for Integrative Bee Research (CIBER) and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology studies the gut bacteria of termites to look for enzymes that can be used to produce biofuel from cellulose.

“I am still young and finding my place in the world, though I have a strong calling to do something useful for our generation. A project like Homeward Bound is an amazing opportunity for me to connect with women that share similar values yet come from diverse backgrounds,” she said.

“It’s difficult for a single person to really make an impact, but as a group, we hope to support each other to lead others to bring about positive change.”

Research Associate Professor Lindy Fitzgerald, who leads a team of nine researchers and post-graduate students, is focused on understanding and preventing the spread of damage following neurotrauma using innovative techniques to quantify biochemical and structural changes in vulnerable tissue.

She is using this knowledge to develop treatment strategies, including combinatorial pharmacotherapy and nanotechnology delivery systems and said the expedition will be a wonderful opportunity to step up to the next level.

“Women scientists experience particular challenges as they progress into leadership roles,” she said.  “I hope that the Homeward Bound experience will give me the skills and professional network required to influence policy and decision making to overcome some of these challenges and ensure women are equally represented at the highest levels of science.

Homeward Bound departs for Ushuaia on Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego archipelago, the southernmost tip of South America, nicknamed the ‘End of the World’ and the gateway to Antarctica, on 2 December 2016.

All four UWA participants need to raise $25,000 each toward the cost of their journey, and have launched a Crowd Research Page to help achieve this.

Caption: Dr Amanda Blyth, Ghislaine Platell, Associate Professor Lindy Fitzgerald and Sandra Kerbler are looking forward to their Homeward Bound adventure

Media references

David Stacey (UWA Media and Public Relations Manager)      (+61 8) 6488 3229 / (+61 4) 32 637 716