Biography:

Dr Misty Jenkins is a medical research scientist currently working as an NHMRC/RG Menzies Biomedical Fellow at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, in Melbourne. She has been a prestigious Fellow of The University of Cambridge and was recently awarded the L’Oreal for Women in Science Fellowship, and was the 2012 National Association of Research Fellows Investigator of the year. Dr Jenkins studied her PhD with Nobel prize winning scientist Peter Doherty and Steve Turner at The University of Melbourne, and has spent the past ten years researching how killer T cells (white blood cells) deliver their lethal hit to targets (cancer cells). In addition to her successful research career, Misty is a passionate and engaging public speaker about the sciences and is involved with various programs aimed at increasing young people’s enthusiasm for science and education, particularly Indigenous students. She also worked with the Aurora Project to set up the Charlie Perkins Scholarships for Indigenous students, in Cambridge, UK. She works with The Aspiration Initiative (TAI) through the Aurora Project, and serves on a number of consultative committees, which aim to enhance Indigenous engagement in science.

Presentations:

• Science communication and leadership (part 1): Learning from our journeys
• Science communication and leadership (part 2): Shaping our culture