Future leaders selected for industry mentoring

Ten Hudson Institute PhD students have been selected for the first time to participate in the high-level mentoring program, Industry Mentoring Network in STEM (IMNIS).

Top row: Rama Ravinthiran, Quinton Luong, Ingrid Dudink

Middle row: Tomalika Ullah, Cindy Hsin Yee, Mary Mansilla

Bottom row: Alice West, Sigrid Petautschnig, Abby Choo, Mehri Barabadi

Congratulations to the highly-engaged second- and third-year PhD students – Mehri Barabadi, Abby Choo, Ingrid Dudink, Quinton Luong, Mary Mansilla, Sigrid Petautschnig, Rama Ravinthiran, Hsin Yee Tee, Tomalika Ullah and Alice West.

Led by the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, IMNIS provides Australia’s future STEM leaders the opportunity to engage with industry, extend their professional network, strengthen their skills and get advice from an influential industry mentor. Student mentees will gain a better understanding of how industry works and learn about career opportunities in other professional sectors.

After being inducted into the IMNIS program, students are paired with a mentor selected from the Australia Med-Tech and Pharma industry. Over the next 12 months, the students will engage one-on-one with their industry mentors and participate in industry-related career development workshops supported by IMNIS and featuring expert panels.

Connecting research and industry

The mentoring opportunity is supported with funding from the Institute and was initiated by the Education and Training Committee members, Associate Professor Patrick Western Dr Stephanie Conos and Professor Richard Ferrero.

“This is the inaugural Hudson Institute cohort, so these students are our pioneers,” said Prof Ferrero.

“Research at Hudson Institute encompasses a wide range of activities, from exciting new discoveries in basic research to translating these findings into the clinic and industry.”

“These students will have a unique opportunity to view science outside their area of research focus by engaging with leaders in the Australia Med-Tech and Pharma industries in a one-on-one mentoring capacity. Through the mentorship, they will build industry contacts and develop career strategies, as well as develop an advanced understanding of industry-based science and technology in Australia,” said A/Prof Western.

“The program has benefits beyond the student group. It will build stronger relationships between the academic and translational science sectors. While there will be many advantages for our students and the Institute, the benefits of mentoring flow both ways. Our students will act as ambassadors who connect industry with fresh, enthusiastic and positive perspectives of discovery research,” said Dr Conos.

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