Melbourne scientists named as finalists in the Women of Colour in STEM awards

L-R: Ananya Padmakumar, Dr Jingqu Chen, Professor Xiaowei Wang, Dr Sahar Shahali, Dr Natasha de Alwis, Dr Priyanka Reddy, Dr Saini Samim.
L-R: Ananya Padmakumar, Dr Jingqu Chen, Professor Xiaowei Wang, Dr Sahar Shahali, Dr Natasha de Alwis, Dr Priyanka Reddy, Dr Saini Samim.

Seven scientists from the University of Melbourne are finalists in this year’s Women of Colour in STEM awards.

An initiative of the not-for-profit organisation STEM Sisters, the awards span 15 categories and are dedicated to recognising and honouring the remarkable achievements of women of colour who are pioneering innovation and driving change in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

This year’s University of Melbourne finalists are:

Scientific Research Award

This award recognises a woman of colour who has made substantial contributions to scientific knowledge, with research that has wide-reaching impacts.

  • Professor Xiaowei Wang
    Lab Head; Co-Lead, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute; Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.

Rising Star (Academic) Award

This award recognises a young academic woman of colour who has shown exceptional promise through her research and scholarly activities.

  • Dr Natasha de Alwis,
    Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.
  • Dr Jingqu Chen,
    Senior Research Fellow (Bioactive Nanoparticle Engineering), Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.

PhD Scholar Award
This award recognises a woman of colour who has achieved significant academic distinction through her doctoral research and continues to impact her field in STEM.

  • Dr Saini Samim
    Academic Specialist (Argon Geochronologist) and Associate Lecturer, Faculty of Science.
  • Ananya Padmakumar
    PhD Scholar, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.

Environmental Impact Award
This award recognises a woman of colour who has made significant contributions to environmental science, sustainability efforts, or conservation.

  • Dr Priyanka Reddy
    Lecturer in Environmental and Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science.

Data Science/AI Pioneer Award
This award recognises a woman of colour who has made significant contributions to the field of data science/AI through innovative research, development of new methodologies, or impactful data-driven solutions.

See the full list of 2026 Women of Colour in STEM award finalists.