Skip to content
Education Training, Science

Anonymisation Unveils a New Frontier for Equity and Diversity in Australian Research Facilities

Australian Government's Women in STEM Ambassador 3 mins read

A multi-year study led by the office of Australia’s Women in STEM Ambassador investigated the impact of anonymisation (removing identifying names and other information) on applications for access to research facilities in Australia. The results provide crucial insights that have the potential to reshape the landscape of equity and diversity in the research sector.

 

Breaking the Barriers for Early-Career Researchers

The study revealed a substantial discovery: anonymising applications for scientific equipment significantly benefitted early-career researchers, offering them an increased chance of success, irrespective of gender.

 

Australia’s Women in STEM Ambassador, Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith, says, "This study goes beyond the usual assumptions about anonymisation in competitive grants and highlights the real struggles of early-career researchers in academia."

 

Key Findings: A Closer Look

  • Before anonymisation, no gender gaps in application outcomes were observed.
  • The introduction of anonymisation maintained the existing gender equity landscape.
  • Anonymisation enhanced success rates for early-career researchers, fostering diversity in the research pool.
  • The study suggests a positive impact of anonymisation on the broader retention and advancement of researchers facing barriers in STEM research.

 

Improved Early-Career Researcher Outcomes

Anonymisation statistically significantly boosted the success rates for applications led by early-career researchers at ACNS, irrespective of the applicant’s gender.

 

Dr Isabelle Kingsley, lead researcher on the study, highlights, "Our focus was on finding out how organisations could create an equitable research environment. Anonymisation proved to be a powerful tool."

 

Trailblazing the Anonymisation Journey

The trial was conducted across four cross-disciplinary research organisations managing national scientific facilities, including:

  • Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT)
  • The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation’s (ANSTO) Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering (ACNS
  • Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF) which is owned and operated by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency
  • National Computational Merit Allocation Scheme (NCMAS)

 

Each organisation implemented anonymisation differently but results across organisations were fairly consistent.

 

Additional Quotes:

Associate Professor Lisa Williams, Chief Investigator on the grants that funded this work, remarks, "Anonymising applications removes access to information that can lead to psychological biases, offering a fairer assessment for all applicants."

 

Dr Isabelle Kingsley emphasises, "Securing access to research facilities is as pivotal as winning grants. Anonymisation levels the playing field, making it less about prestige and more about merit."

 

Driving Positive Change in STEM

The study's impact extends beyond application outcomes, potentially creating a positive ripple effect in the STEM career pipeline. Removing personal information from applications can be a catalyst for removing systemic barriers to career advancement.

 

In conclusion, Professor Harvey-Smith states, "Access to research facilities is just one piece of the puzzle in STEM inequity. Anonymisation addresses a crucial aspect, fostering a more inclusive and diverse research landscape."

 

About the Study: The research was conducted by the office of the Australian Government’s Women in STEM Ambassador at UNSW Sydney, focusing on four key research infrastructure collections in Australia. The research brief and preprint can be accessed here.

 

For media inquiries, contact: Becky Laurence, 0466 942 077


Key Facts:

·      Before anonymisation, no gender gaps in application outcomes were observed.

·      The introduction of anonymisation maintained the existing gender equity landscape.

·      Anonymisation enhanced success rates for early-career researchers, fostering diversity in the research pool.

·      The study suggests a positive impact of anonymisation on the broader retention and advancement of researchers facing barriers in STEM research.


About us:

The Women in STEM Ambassador is an Australian Government initiative to address gender inequities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Led by Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith and based at the University of New South Wales, the Office of the Women in STEM Ambassador influences and mobilises Australia’s business leaders, educators and policymakers to increase the participation of women and girls in STEM. 


Contact details:

For media inquiries, contact: Becky Laurence, 0466 942 077

Media

More from this category

  • Education Training, Government Federal
  • 01/11/2024
  • 11:24
Department of the House of Representatives

The House hosts My First Speech winners

The winners of the My First Speech competition will be visiting Canberra next week to have their say. The competition asks students to imagine themselves as a newly elected Member of the House of Representatives. They are tasked with writing a 90 second speech about issues they are passionate about, just like a new Member of the House of Representatives. The judges for the 2024 competition were the Speaker of the House, the Hon Milton Dick MP, Member for Longman, Mr Terry Young MP and Member for Curtin, Ms Kate Chaney MP. This year’s winning speeches covered the issues of…

  • Education Training, General News
  • 01/11/2024
  • 07:00
UNSW Sydney

Saving lives on Aussie beaches: UNSW beach safety program for international students and foreigners to expand state-wide

MEDIA ALERT TheUNSW Beach Ocean Safe program equips international students with essential skills and knowledge for safe beach experiences. It includes practical sessions with trained surf life savers from Surf Life Saving NSW. The successful program, working in partnership with Surf Life Saving NSW, will now be available to other universities, as well as community and migrant groups who want to offer it to their members. There will be opportunities to film the Beach Ocean Safe program in action across three days from Friday to Sunday (1 – 3 November). Foreigners and locals alike flock to Australia’s beaches in droves…

  • Education Training, Medical Health Aged Care
  • 01/11/2024
  • 00:01
UNSW Sydney

Record donation awarded to UNSW Sydney will enable the Kirby Institute and partners to advance cervical cancer elimination in the Pacific

Media Release 01.00AM AEDT, Friday 1 November 2024 Record donation awarded to UNSW Sydney will enable the Kirby Institute and partners to advance cervical cancer elimination in the Pacific A $25.9 million donation from the Swire Group will support cervical cancer screening and treatment for over 130,000 women in seven Pacific countries.   UNSW Sydney has received the largest single philanthropic donation in its history to work with regional partners to tackle one of the deadliest preventable cancers in the Pacific. The $25.9 million donation from the Swire Group will enable UNSW’s Kirby Institute to work with partners in Australia…

  • Contains:

Media Outreach made fast, easy, simple.

Feature your press release on Medianet's News Hub every time you distribute with Medianet. Pay per release or save with a subscription.