Friday, 15 October 11:00am – 12:00pm

This seminar will be delivered via Zoom – Please email chemistry.researchsupport@sydney.edu.au for zoom link and password.

Speaker: A/Prof. Danielle Skropeta – 2020 Margaret Sheil Leadership Award; University of Wollongong

Host: Professor Richard Payne & Professor Kate Jolliffe

Title: A Career in Chemistry: From the Alps to Antarctica and all the peaks and valleys in between

Abstract: This talk is related to the Margaret Sheil Leadership award and charts the chemistry career of medicinal chemist Danielle Skropeta from her student days at Monash University and ANU, through her early career period at institutes across Germany, Italy and Australia, through to her current role as Associate Professor and Deputy Director of Molecular Horizons at the University of Wollongong. Danielle leads an interdisciplinary research group working in the exciting area of chemical glycobiology developing new pathways to more effective treatments in cancer and bacterial infections. Throughout her career, Danielle has been involved in outreach activities sharing her science from podcasts, radio interviews and international documentaries, to science shows and even a travelling museum exhibit. This talk will also cover her collaborations with industry, community and government and how to get started building these bridges outside of University. Danielle is a passionate advocate for equity, diversity & inclusion (EDI), working to dismantle structural barriers to create a more welcoming and supportive environment for a greater diversity of scientists to succeed in the chemistry field, while also balancing family and other important responsibilities including health and wellbeing. In 2021, Danielle joined the Homeward Bound leadership program to increase the impact and influence of women in STEM globally. Danielle will share her insights into what we’ve achieved so far in EDI and what we can all do to create a more equitable, respectful and exciting future in the chemical sciences.

Biography: Associate Professor Danielle Skropeta is a medicinal chemistry research leader and Deputy Director of the Molecular Horizons Research Institute at the University of Wollongong in Australia. She is a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI), Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy UK and National STEM Ambassador for Science and Technology Australia. Danielle is particularly proud to be the recipient of the RACI’s Margaret Sheil Leadership Award (2020) for her advocacy of gender equity in the chemical sciences. Danielle’s research interests are in chemical glycobiology and she leads an interdisciplinary research group focused on drug development in cancer, wound healing and bacterial infection, working in collaboration with industry partners to translate discoveries into products that benefit society. In her free time, Danielle loves to spend time with her young family camping, hiking and exploring the countryside.