Twenty years of dedication to work in brain cancer research and promoting women in science has earned former Mount Clear College student Misty Jenkins recognition in the King's Birthday honours.
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The Ballarat-born scientist has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia, an honour she said she was "shocked and humbled" to receive.
Working at the prestigious Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Ms Jenkins has been part of a team investigating the biology of white blood cells known as cytotoxic lymphocytes - and how to activate and manipulate them to tailor immune responses that will kill cancer.
"I have a long-standing interest in immunology and engineering the immune response to fight cancer," the associate professor said.
"We're applying that in the brain. I'm really proud of what we've built there over the last few years.
"I've been a scientist for a couple of decades. I trained at Melbourne University, trained with the Peter Doherty Institute and went to the UK."
Associate Professor Jenkins was the first Indigenous (Gunditjmara) woman to do post-doctoral studies at Oxford and Cambridge universities.
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She said she was passionate about attracting more Indigenous students into science, technology, maths, engineering and education in general.
"While I was there, I helped the Aurora Foundation establish the Charlie Perkins Scholarship so that Indigenous scholars could have pathways to Oxford and Cambridge in the UK," Ms Jenkins said.
"I've been a passionate fierce champion and advocate for challenging the inequity in science leadership and promoting pathways for women to enter into science and to be scientists and science leaders.
"I co-founded an organisation to facilitate that, to allow women to flourish."
Associate Professor Jenkins hoped her story can inspire women to aim to work in the STEM field.
"When I was at high school these pathways seemed so unobtainable to me ... they seemed completely out of reach," she said.
"The incredible teachers that I had really encouraged me and made me see that science could be a pathway for my career.
"It's been a rich and wonderful and colourful career so far.
"Now, having the opportunity to mentor and train the next generation of young scientists and researchers and women is very special.
"It's quite inspiring to think back about where I've come from."
Ms Jenkins said there was still a lot of work to do to beat the disease.
"In a lot of ways I really feel like I'm just getting started," she said.
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Gabrielle Hodson
'All-rounder' journalist since 1993. I've worked in print, radio, TV & online as well as radio & TV producing and radio presenting. Working on Wadawurrung land. There are 7.9 billion stories out there. I'd love to hear yours...
'All-rounder' journalist since 1993. I've worked in print, radio, TV & online as well as radio & TV producing and radio presenting. Working on Wadawurrung land. There are 7.9 billion stories out there. I'd love to hear yours...
