Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

1
Department of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering
Leadership in ICT with a Difference
Professor Doreen Thomas Women in Information and
Communications Breakfast
2
Outline

• My journey (education, career, family.)
• My current role
• My goals and priorities
• Women in Engineering

3
My Education
BSc (Maths) University of Cape Town
BSc (Hons) University of Witwatersrand
MSc, DPhil Oxford
4
My Career at the University of Melbourne

• 1977 - Emigrated to Australia and joined the
  Maths Dept in the Science Faculty as a tutor
• 1987 Applied for one of the first Melbourne
  Re-entry Research Fellowships
• 1993 Applied for a Lectureship in the
  Engineering Mathematics Program, Engineering
  Faculty

5
Leadership Roles

• 1999 Head of the Mathematics for Engineers
  program
• 2000 - Women in Management and Leadership Program
• 2000 - Deputy Head of the Department of
  Electrical and Electronic Engineering
• 2001-2006 Head of Department

6
Department of EEE Statistics

• 1100 undergraduate students (560 EFTSU)
• 100 Masters by coursework students
• 90 PhD students
• 30 Teaching and Research staff
• 40 Research only staff
• 35 Technical and admin staff

7
My Vision of Leadership

• A facilitator of academic excellence
• Need knowledge, skills, support systems to be a
  manager and leader.
• Accept that one has to allocate time to learn to
  be a leader
• Continue to do the things you enjoy Teaching and
  Research
• Universitas21 Teaching Fellowship
• University of Indonesia invitation
• Research in Optimal Network design
• Publications, Grants, invited speaker at
  international conferences
• Steiner tree problem with applications in
  Underground Mine Design

8
Strategies to balance demands on your
professional time

• All decisions are easy
• Ask
• Compromise (deciding what really must be done
  well)
• Think what is the essence of the problem?
• Dont panic
• Trust your brain
• Be humble dont create barriers about yourself
• If you are asked to help someone DO IT!

9
Strategies to balance demands on my private time

• My private life has precedence
• Keep up with your friends
• Take leave

10
Achievements

• Made a difference
• First female Head of Electrical and Electronic
  Engineering Department in Australia
• Support of Dean and Heads of other Engineering
  Departments
• Staff are a team
• Leadership style

11
(No Transcript)
12
Women students in Engineering
13
Women in Undergraduate Study (Engineering) in
Australia
14
Women in Postgraduate Study (Engineering) in
Australia
15
(No Transcript)
16
Is the problem solved?
Women Faculty in the School of Science at MIT
1985-1994
17
Recruitment and support

• Membership of Selection Committees
• Fellowships for women
• Berkeley (Dean Richard Newton, MIT, Groningen)
• Real cultural change/inclusivity/recognition
• Opening up the workplace
• Mentoring, coaching
• Women in Engineering networks
• Faculty Advisor for IEEE student WIE affinity
  group

18
Results in the Faculty of Engineering

• 2003, University of Melbourne was granted an
  exemption to advertise for 3 fellowships for
  women in the Faculty of Engineering, 4 were
  appointed
• 2006, a further 2 women were appointed under the
  same exemption
• In 2008-13 there will be a further 6 fellowships
  for women
• A more inclusive environment for women in the
  Faculty

19
Women in Academia (UoM Engineering) by Level 2000
and 2006
20
March 2006 Figures

• Faculty of Engineering
• 14 of all academic positions were held by women
• 10 of continuing academic positions were held by
  women
• 7 of the positions at Level C and above were
  held by women
• University of Melbourne
• 45 of all academic positions were held by women
• 38 of continuing academic positions were held by
  women
• 29 of the positions at Level C and above were
  held by women

21
Department of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering
The Bridge Builder, Will Allen Dromgoole