Monash is proud to host our annual event featuring keynote speaker Dr Dianne McGrath

Join us as we celebrate International Women’s Day 2022 with an inspiring presentation by Dr Dianne McGrath on the theme “Break the bias for gender equity today and a sustainable tomorrow.”

International Women’s Day celebrates the social, cultural, economic and political achievements of women. Marked annually across the globe, it is an opportunity to reflect on these achievements and strive to accelerate progress towards gender equality.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Dr Dianne McGrath

Dianne is one of Australia’s most highly regarded experts on sustainability and sustainable food systems. She is the living embodiment of the possibility realised when equality is advanced and transformational change is affected at all levels and spheres of society. Possibility not only limited to our planet but to the universe beyond.

She was one of the 100 astronaut candidates shortlisted from 200,000 applicants worldwide for Mars One, a one-way mission to set up the first permanent human colony on Mars. The prospect of expending her knowledge and transferring sustainable practices to a precarious environment where food, water and air were to be in limited supply was irresistible.

While the Mars One philosophy was rooted in the creation of a sustainable ‘united humanity,’ forged on the basis of diversity across nation, gender, culture…  it is equally transferrable from space to any area where it is important to challenge the status quo and break down inherent bias.

Dianne has forged her own path and resisted the temptation to conform to the expectations of others. A great deal of her childhood was spent living in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory where she was equal parts, outsider as well as part of the community. Perhaps it was here, in this harsh environment that her passion for sustainability was born.

It was most certainly this lived experience that instilled in Dianne a curiosity of experiences from ‘the other side,’ as well as an awareness of the biases surrounding race, gender, diversity and identity. She went on to complete the later portion of her education in the largely homogenous environment of a girls boarding school, where she again felt different from her peers but altogether comfortable in her skin.

Today, Dianne is a university lecturer, academic researcher, biohacker, podcaster, author, artist, self-experimenter, Director and member of the LGBTQI community. She holds five university degrees, is the Director of the sustainability and business consultancy, Food for Thought Consulting Australia, REDUCE Acting Program Leader at the Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre, and Chaired the Australian Government's Retail and Foodservice Advisory Board in the development of the National Food Waste Strategy.

Event details

Get involved

To celebrate this year's International Women's Day, we’re inviting all Monash University staff to tell us in 50 words or less why they support the #BreakTheBias campaign.

The staff member with the most inspiring answer will be provided with a unique opportunity to participate in a 30-minute one-on-one session with President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Gardner AC, where they can share their passion and commitment to advancing gender equality at Monash.

This opportunity is open to staff of Monash University via the IWD Campaign entry form below, and closes at 5.00pm AEDT / 2pm MYT on Monday 7 March 2022.

IWD 2022 Campaign entry form

Our previous International Women's Day campaigns have highlighted the commitment, advocacy and contributions of our staff to achieving true gender equality.  From the many fantastic and inspirational entries, one staff member each year has been invited to a one-on-one meeting with President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Gardner AC to discuss their passion and commitment for advancing gender equity at Monash.