Professor Melissa Brown - Executive Dean, Faculty of Science - Careers

"As an Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science at UQ, I have the privilege of leading a team of more than 1100 staff, overseeing over 30 degree programs, and facilitating more than $80M of research projects each year.

In the future, the world will need more people with Science knowledge and skills to support the future world of work, and to solve global challenges such as climate change and emerging infectious diseases. It is therefore very important that we deliver the best possible Science education programs and graduate, and that our researchers are enabled to continue to have global impact."

When did you originally join UQ and what motivated you to join?

I joined UQ as a fixed-term level B Teaching and Research academic in June 2000, in the then Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (now the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences).

The early 2000s was a very exciting time in Queensland and UQ, especially in the area of Molecular Biosciences. The State Government and UQ were partnering in a lot of big programs and this was generating a lot of opportunities for staff and students working and studying in this area.

To be honest however, this was not the reason I came to UQ. My motivation was actually personal, as my husband had a job here and I wanted to be with him.

All in all, this was a great decision both personally and professionally. UQ has been, and continues to be, a fantastic place to work, and Brisbane a fabulous place to live.

What keeps you at UQ and what does the future hold for you at UQ?

Our people, our students, our excellence, our commitment to making a difference, and our potential to do so, are just a few of the reasons I want to stay at UQ. We also have wonderful facilities, beautiful campuses and great coffee!

The future will be both exciting and challenging. As we emerge from COVID-19, we will need to continue to change and this will need to be opportunity-focused. I am looking forward to leading the Faculty of Science through these choppy waters, towards a calmer and more certain future.

How has UQ supported you as a woman in the workplace/a leadership position?

As a UQ staff member, I have had the opportunity to hold a number of exciting leadership roles, and been encouraged by my various supervisors, including Heads and Department, Heads and Schools, Deans and members of the Senior Executive of the University, to succeed. My achievements have been recognized and my shortcoming have been (and continue to be!) moderated. I have had the opportunity to complete several professional development activities both at UQ and beyond, which have been journeys of self-discovery and improvement. I have also had the opportunity to contribute to UQ’s gender equity plan via the SAGE Athena SWAN pilot program, and to mentor many amazing UQ women.

As a parent, I have been supported by UQ’s outstanding on campus child care, flexible work arrangements, and that performance and approach to international engagement is considered relative to opportunity.

What makes UQ an employer of choice for women?

UQ has very generous parental leave, high quality child care, and excellent career advancement programs for women academics.

The leadership and governance associated with Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at UQ is outstanding, from the Senate committee for Equity, Diversity and the Status of Women, through to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committees in most units including all Schools in the Faculty of Science and the Faculty itself. UQ also has fantastic leadership and staff in Workplace Diversity and Inclusion division and has developed an outstanding action plan as part of the successful UQ SAGE Athena SWAN application for a Bronze Award.

What do you think is the most important step forward for emerging female leaders within UQ and academic community?

Workplace culture. Whilst this has improved enormously in many counties, including Australia, over the past 30 years, there is still some way to go to ensure that women feel valued and can reach their potential. At UQ, this will involve identifying and effectively managing unconscious bias and other behaviours that subtly discriminate against women or make them feel excluded or undervalued, and ensuring that these behaviours are called out so that they are not normalized.

We also need to ensure that our academic performance criteria are broadly interpreted and considered relative to opportunity, and that role models exist to demonstrate this.