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The In2science mentors were treated to another stellar webinar this week—this time featuring the endlessly impressive Dr Kira Hughes, Research Grants Officer at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Kira began with an overview of her fascinating PhD research into thunderstorm asthma. He project involved developing highly sensitive pollen sensors, investigating how pollen and the environment interact to cause asthma, and training AI to identify different pollen species. We also have Kira to thank for pollen forecasting apps, which hay fever sufferers are very grateful for, especially at this time of year! Kira is also a talented science communicator, appearing on tv, radio, and podcasts. She creates content by blending her enduring love of video games with her passion for STEM by using Pokémon to explain complex science concepts. Impressively, she has also delivered a TedX talk, and performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival!

Kira has accomplished much in her career, and she explained how it all began with a chance encounter with a Deakin University student who encouraged her to pursue a Bachelor of Biomedical Science. From there, her path zig‑zagged in wonderfully unexpected ways. She navigated roadblocks—including COVID‑19 hitting right at the start of her Honours year—yet each challenge pushed her toward new opportunities. Hearing how a non‑traditional journey led to such remarkable success was both refreshing and reassuring for our mentors. Kira encouraged the mentors to seek out diverse opportunities as you never know what you will learn or where they will lead. She also reinforced the importance of considering all their transferable or translatable skills – ones that can be learnt anywhere, from casual retail work to volunteering roles like In2science. Kira’s presentation was insightful and inspiring, and we look forward to seeing where her curiosity takes her next.

On Tuesday September 22, In2science welcomed our 2026 mentors to our Career Speed‑Networking Event—an evening designed to spark curiosity, build confidence, and open doors to the many futures waiting in STEM. Twelve brilliant STEM professionals joined us at the RMIT University Media Portal for this exciting event. Guests from organisations including Teach For Australia, GSK, The University of Melbourne, Defence Science and Technology Group, CSL, Plants For Space, WEHI, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Museums Victoria, AKD, and Science Gallery Melbourne gathered with one shared purpose: to share their experience with university students looking for that next step after study.

The night began with a warm welcome from Director Dr Cory Smith, setting the tone for an event full of connection and discovery. Guests then joined a lively icebreaker activity, debating whether quirky STEM statements were true or false. Then came the main event: speed‑networking. For seven minutes at a time, mentors sat face‑to‑face with each professional, diving into conversations about career journeys, unexpected pivots, and the realities of life after university. The conversation flowed easily as mentors soaked up advice from people who’ve carved out their own unique STEM paths.

In2science mentor Sahiti, who is completing a PhD in food science at La Trobe University, captured the spirit of the evening perfectly: “Learning from such incredible and diverse professionals was truly inspiring. Connecting with them opened my eyes to the vast range of career pathways within STEM and helped me appreciate the many different ways I can make an impact through my work.”

From the other side of the table, Museums Victoria’s Catriona Nguyen-Robertson reflected on the joy of connecting across generations: “Being a mentor in the In2science program was really a kick-starter for me in STEM education, and I want to give back however I can and empower current mentors to be successful in their chosen paths too!”

Mentor Mackenzie, a Bachelor of Science student at The University of Melbourne, also found a powerful thread running through the night: “It was really valuable for me to hear everyone’s career journeys, as I found a common message from each of them that stuck with me throughout the evening.”

Events like this are among our favourites at In2science. They give mentors something rare and invaluable: the chance to speak directly with a diverse group of STEM professionals who are generous with their stories, honest about their challenges, and passionate about helping others find their way. We are so grateful to the professionals who gave up their time to share their stories and look forward to hosting our next networking event in the near future.

Our brand-new webinar series continued this week with an inspiring presentation from Dr Will Sullivan. Will is the Assistant Director of STEM Outreach and Engagement at the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), Department of Defence. Will is also a long-time member of the In2science family from his years as RMIT Program Coordinator. It was a pleasure to welcome him back and hear about his winding, relatable journey into STEM. Will shared how he once felt unsure about his direction after high school – something that many of us can identify with! Will discovered a love of food science and studied a Bachelor of Science (Food Technology and Nutrition) at RMIT University, followed by a PhD in Food Chemistry. He spent some time teaching scientific skills to students in China, which sounded like a very exciting experience. Will also spoke about the work he currently does at DSTG, where he is heavily involved in the STEM talent pipeline through events and graduate programs.

Will had lots of thoughtful and practical advice for our mentors. He emphasised the importance of saying yes to new experiences, but also knowing when to say no to avoid negative impacts like burnout. He spoke about the importance of a work/life balance and finding ways to relax while studying. He also encouraged our mentors to build their networking skills, as this is a great way to meet people in different fields, to learn from the experience of others, and to uncover new opportunities. Will has had a fascinating career so far and we’re grateful he shared his wisdom with our mentors.

On Thursday August 20, In2science hosted the third in our new series of fascinating webinars. Our presenter was Anastasia Bickley, who is currently in the first year of her PhD at Deakin University. Anastasia is also one of our most committed mentors, having completed four placements at Bellarine Secondary College. Anastasia enthusiastically shares her love of forensic science with her mentees, often bringing in demonstrations and telling stories of real-world applications of this discipline.

Anastasia’s goal is to update arson research and help to make it less time sensitive. She explained how the longer the time is between gathering evidence from a fire and analysing it, the less accurate that information will be. She is focused on bushfires and how campfires can lead to them, concealment of accelerants, and what leads people to not follow the laws surrounding safe fire lighting. During her field work, she was able to locate evidence of past fires, both legal and illegal, and took samples to identify the fuel used. Her methods have led to quicker and more accurate identification of accelerants used, particularly in illegal fires which could potentially cause disastrous bushfires.

Anastasia captivated the crowd with her results and a glimpse into her PhD ambitions. The In2science team can’t wait to see what discoveries she makes next!

On Thursday July 14, our mentors tuned in for the latest instalment of our webinar series, this time hearing from Frazer Thorpe, Education and Engagement Manager for the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space, based at La Trobe University. Frazer gave mentors an engaging overview of Plants for Space and the outreach work they do across schools to provide students and teachers with ways to connect to the research work being done. Mentors learnt how the team brings a futuristic, yet grounded, vision of space science into the classroom by exploring the science of growing food in space, learning what it takes to sustain human life beyond Earth and how those lessons can be applied to our own agricultural processes.

It was a fascinating look at how big questions about space can be brought back down to something very immediate and relatable: what we eat, and why it matters. We finished off the session with a great Q&A, with our mentors keen to dig deeper into Frazer’s work. Our mentors relished the opportunity to learn about another STEM outreach program, reminding us of the importance of the work here at In2science and understanding how we all link together to build student STEM aspiration and engagement.

We’re looking forward to sharing more from our speaker line-up in the months ahead, so stay tuned for what’s coming next!