Strathy Stories

Dr Kathleen McInnes (’79) leads the Climate Extremes and Projections group in the Climate Science Centre in CSIRO’s Ocean and Atmosphere business unit. Her work deals with how climate change will affect severe weather and coastal extreme sea levels in Australia and the Pacific. Her work assists local government to manage and adapt to climate change. She was a lead author on the IPCC Special Report on Oceans and Cryosphere in 2019. She currently serves as a co-chair of the World Climate Research Program Grand Challenge on Regional Sea Level Changes and Coastal Impacts. Read below for the full interview with Kathleen.

Dr Lynda Chambers has a career spanning over 30 years in the science field. She has been involved in developing seasonal rainfall forecast systems for the Bureau of Meteorology, assessed the effectiveness of a cloud seeding project for one of Melbourne’s water catchments with the CSIRO and has completed her PhD in Zoology plus many more exceptional achievements. Lynda shares advice to students interested in a career in a STEM field and some of the challenges women face pursuing work in her industry. Read on to learn more about Lynda’s career.

Alumni Paris Balla’s (’15)play is part of the VCE Playlist this year. The Owl and the Albatross will be studied across the state. This is only part of Paris’ career in theatre. Paris wants to ensure representation is visible for all. Learn more about their journey so far.

From recording indigenous Australian languages in remote Northern Territory to completing an Masters of Education in France, Elena Mujkic (’08) discovered the essence of teaching and engaging students and has taken her knowledge and passion to make a difference with students with learning differences.  Read about her impressive career to date and and the impact education has had on Elena’s life.

Chief of Staff, COO and alumna, Mads Hallett (’14) shares how she follows what makes her happy and how it has led her to work with companies such as Uber and #4 LinkedIn top startup, Mr Yum.

“It is an exciting time to work in genomics and I love that our work is making a difference to patients and their families.” says alumnae and Senior Clinical Research Scientist, Caitlin Bennett (’09). Following her passion for working with people and science, Caitlin has found her niche. Read more about her journey.

Alumnae, Rebecca Phillips (’17) and Sarah Bryson (’18) are a part of the Monash University student team have been awarded $250,000 USD as one of the winners of the XPRIZE Carbon Removal Student Competition, sponsored by Elon Musk and the XPRIZE Foundation.

Prue Leggo OAM (Turner ’63) is the recipient of the 2021 Strathcona Medal. Prue has set a great example to our next generation with her long-standing work assisting job readiness initiatives for women and parliamentary career.