For Australia to deliver on its economic ambition we must actively increase female participation in science and innovation. As NSW Smart Sensing Network (NSSN) Deputy Board Chair, and passionate advocate for diversity in STEM, Dr Jill Freyne writes, there is a desperate need for leadership, investment, and structural change to ensure Australia’s science and tech future is inclusive, ethical, and effective.

Years ago, Dr Cathy Foley led a Women in Science series at CSIRO.

The physicist openly shared about her path through her physics career - one often walked alone as a woman in a male-dominated field and in male dominated organisations.

What struck me wasn’t just her scientific brilliance, but her resilience and generosity.

She acknowledged the support of others on her journey and vowed to pay that support forward and use her platform for change.

Now Australia’s former Chief Scientist, Dr Foley is a national voice for why diversity isn’t a ‘nice-to-have’—it’s a critical part of ensuring that our technological future is both ethical and effective.

Dr Foley cautioned that “the full potential of quantum technologies will not be realised unless it is developed in a way that recognises the diversity of the human experience.”

That risk is very real.

Women make up 50% of the population yet continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields, tech leadership and entrepreneurship. In 2023 women made up only 12.5% of full-time quantum physicists at Australian universities.

Much of the recent international diversity debate has focussed on fairness, equity and representation - all valid moral goals, however the economic and innovation benefits of diversity are harder to discount—and too often under-acknowledged.

Diversity drives innovation and profit

The numbers speak for themselves. A 2020 McKinsey report found that companies with greater gender diversity on executive teams were 25% more likely to achieve above-average profitability.

Ethnically diverse companies performed even better, with a 36% greater chance of financial outperformance.

In sectors like technology, which rely on creative problem-solving, diversity acts as a multiplier of innovation.

Diverse teams bring different perspectives to the table, challenge groupthink, and build better, more inclusive products.

Nowhere is this clearer than in sensing and wearable technologies—fields transforming how we monitor health, safety and our environment.

Here in New South Wales, we’ve seen women-led innovations that are reshaping industries.

Researchers at the University of Sydney and UNSW are looking at using sensors to decode the microbiome of the vagina—an area historically overlooked in medical research.

Scientia Professor Michelle Simmons and her research team are leading the global race to develop the world’s first error-corrected quantum computer in Australia.

Those lucky enough to attend the NSW Smart Sensing Network’s (NSSN) Women in Sensing Summit: Leaders in Sensing Frontiers this month (15 May) will hear from some of Australia’s most accomplished women in sensing technology.

Scientia Professor Michelle Simmons. Credit: UNSW

Leaders such as globally recognised Distinguished Professor Fang Chen, Executive Director at the Data Science Institute at UTS, whose career has focused on developing and deploying AI and data-driven innovations for societal benefit.

One of her notable projects used sensors and AI to monitor the structural integrity of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, a critical landmark for Australians.

NSSN Ambassador and Associate Professor Noushin Nasiri is the Head of the NanoTech Laboratory at Macquarie University.

The A/Professor has developed a personalised wearable device that alerts users with different skin types to overexposure before their skin is damaged.

There are plenty of women in NSW who have commercialised their innovations for the greater good.

Leaders such as Camille Goldstone-Henry, a conservation biologist and Kamilaroi woman who worked for years to save the world’s most endangered species like the Tasmanian devil and Sumatran tiger, before co-founding Xylo Systems – a tech platform for businesses to measure and manage their biodiversity footprint.

These aren’t niche products—they’re solutions born from a diverse understanding of human needs.

When we expand who gets to design the technology, we expand who that technology serves—and save lives in the process.

From left to right: Distinguished Professor Fang Chen; Associate Professor Noushin Nasiri; Camille Goldstone-Henry.

Leadership is key to changing the equation

Despite this progress, challenges remain. Systemic barriers like unconscious bias, gender stereotypes, and limited access to venture capital continue to hinder progress.

Without deliberate leadership, diversity initiatives can be easily dismissed or become tick-box exercises instead of catalysts for transformational change.

The Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review, led by Cicada Innovations CEO Sally-Ann Williams, laid out 11 key recommendations for creating structural and cultural change in Australia’s STEM sector.

Among them: improving accountability, embedding diversity into funding decisions, and supporting pathways for underrepresented groups.

These are actionable steps. But they require more than intention—they require commitment and courage.

Leadership matters. When senior executives actively sponsor diverse talent, when boards track progress on inclusion, and when public funding is tied to equitable practices, culture starts to shift.

Programs like Franklin Women, which is mentoring participants at the upcoming Women in Sensing Summit, show that targeted support can elevate not only individuals, but entire sectors.

It’s time to act—and reap the rewards

We know what works. We’ve seen it in early education programs that spark STEM curiosity in young girls.

In mentoring networks that retain women in tech. In investment programs that value female innovation and leadership.

In inclusive policies that support flexible work, parental leave, and psychological safety.

The NSSN’s *Women in Sensing Summit* will be held in Sydney on 15 May.

We’ve also seen the results: smarter teams, better technology, and economic uplift.

The World Economic Forum estimates that closing gender gaps in STEM could add trillions to global GDP. That’s not just a moral argument—it’s a business case.

The quantum sector offers a telling example. Dr Foley’s advocacy for diversity in quantum technology development reminds us: the ethics of inclusion today shape the equity of the tech tomorrow.

The challenges are real and yet Dr Foley remains optimistic “because of the incredible developments I’ve seen and been part of in physics and quantum – because of incredible women leading the quantum revolution.”

Diversity in tech is not a side issue—it’s central to innovation, competitiveness, and creating a world that works for everyone.

As we prepare for the NSSN’s Women in Sensing Summit this month (15 May), I urge universities, research institutes, companies and governments to do more than just attend: support participation in programs like Franklin Women, invest in inclusive hiring, and fund the science that makes space for all, and build the companies that deliver sensing innovation to the world.

Let’s not settle for a world that’s 50% designed. Let’s build one that reflects—and serves—us all.

Register for the Women in Sensing Summit.

Diversity in science and tech isn’t just fair, it’s our innovation superpower