Associate Professor Misty Jenkins BSc (Hons), PhD, MAICD
The Science Teachers’ Association of Victoria (STAV) is proud to announce the appointment of Associate Professor Misty Jenkins BSc (Hons), PhD, MAICD, to the honorary role of STAV Patron.
Misty Jenkins is a NHMRC fellow and laboratory head in the Immunology Division at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, where she researches cellular immunology and cancer immunotherapy.
Misty studied her PhD in Immunology at The University of Melbourne, followed by postdoctoral positions at The Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, and The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne. She has a long-standing interest in how a specialized group of white blood cells, CD8+ T cells, kill cancer. Her current research program currently researches the use of T cell immunotherapy for brain cancer.
Associate Professor Jenkins was awarded the L’Oreal for Women in Science Fellowship (2013), was Tall Poppy of the year (2015), was awarded the Westpac/Australian Financial Review Top100 Women of Influence award (2016) in recognition for her significant contribution to science and gender equity.
Associate Professor Jenkins has been a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in academia over the past decade and her efforts in this area have been recognized nationally and internationally. In addition to her research career, Associate Professor Jenkins is experienced in governance and is a Board Director for Monash Health, Co-Chair of the Indigenous Health Medical Research Future Fund.
Misty’s commitment to scientific research, her passion for discovery, her dedication to matters of social justice, and her transformative advocacy work regarding equity of access to the worlds of science and science education are cause for admiration and celebration. For these reasons, Misty’s appointment as STAV Patron is of great significance to STAV and its members.
STAV has a long history of shaping and influencing policy and representing and advancing the collective voice of science teachers across Victoria since 1943. STAV is committed to providing opportunities for all Victorian students of science to become inspired by and engaged with the learning of science and STEM. On behalf of its members, STAV is committed to providing Science education for all and is actively seeking to address the barriers to participation in Science learning including disadvantaged and underrepresented cohorts. STAV acknowledges that Science education is critically important for Australia’s current and future productivity, its social cohesion and that a scientifically literate society is pivotal to building better outcomes for all Australians.
We welcome Misty to the STAV family and look forward to working with her to promote the collective voice of science teachers across the state and to advance science education for all.
Alexandra Abela
STAV President
Former STAV Patrons
STAV has a long history of appointing those of eminence as its Patron. Former STAV Patrons include: Lord Casey (1970-1976), Sir Henry Winneke (1977-1982), Sir Brian Murray (1983-1985), Professor Sir Gustav Nossal (1995-1998), Emeritus Professor Peter Fensham (1999-2001), Professor Suzanne Cory (2005-2007) and Dr Barry Jones (2013-2020).
