Women in Sensing Summit hears human stories behind the science
The NSSN proudly hosted its inaugural Women in Sensing Summit in Sydney on 15 May 2025. This article by NSSN Digital & AI Theme Lead Dr Ayu Saraswati is the continuation of a special series highlighting the Summit’s key moments, insights, and voices from the event, as we reflect on the significance of this milestone and the powerful contributions of women in the sensing field.
Guest speakers at the Women in Sensing Summit shared powerful insights across three panel discussions, highlighting the people behind breakthrough technologies.
The key message: the future of sensing lies in diverse teams, inclusive pathways, and the drive to solve real-world problems—together.
From lab to impact
The Research and Innovation Leaders panel – moderated by Director of Questacon and NSSN Board Chair Jo White – revealed how today's sensing research is solving tomorrow's critical challenges.
From left to right: Director of Questacon and NSSN Board Chair Jo White; Executive Director of the Data Science Institute at UTS, Distinguished Professor Fang Chen; Head of the NanoTech Laboratory at Macquarie University, Associate Professor Noushin Nasiri.
Executive Director of the Data Science Institute at UTS, Distinguished Professor Fang Chen, shared a breakthrough in predictive water treatment —an innovation set to improve the safety of drinking water for millions.
"With our research and development, now we can do [water quality analysis] in almost real time,” Dist. Prof Chen said.
“We have all the history, all the sensing data, plus the weather forecasting, and in combining all of those (we have a more accurate picture).”
Associate Professor Noushin Nasiri, Head of the NanoTech Laboratory at Macquarie University, shared how her team’s breath-based sensor can detect cow pregnancy just 18 days post-insemination—down from 45 days—saving farmers time and money.
From left to right: Members of the Women in Sensing Summit audience; Research Leader at the Defence, Science and Technology Group, Priscilla Thwaites; Director of the Supercomputing Quantum Circuits Laboratory at the University of Sydney, Dr Xanthe Croot.
Director of the Supercomputing Quantum Circuits Laboratory at the University of Sydney, Dr Xanthe Croot, described her work on hybrid quantum circuit designs which combine platforms to boost computing power in sensing.
"For a really long time, people and big industry efforts have focused on just one type of circuit," she said. "There is a whole world of circuits that you can construct."
From lab to market
The Sensing Meets Impact panel provided insights into the entrepreneurial journey.
Camille Goldstone-Henry is the Co-Founder of Xylo System, an AI platform which analyses and monitors biodiversity data.
Ms Goldstone-Henry shared her transformation from conservation scientist to tech CEO, because she was driven by frustration with existing monitoring methods.
"The way in which we are monitoring our ecosystems and understanding why species are going extinct was incredibly manual and incredibly slow,” she said.
“I waited a couple of years. I thought the government would do something and I realised the government wasn't going to do something.
“I went ‘stuff that. I'm going to fix it myself.”
Panel moderator and Group Director – Technology and Commercialisation at deep tech incubator Cicada Innovations, Hebbat Manhy, shared her extensive expertise in bringing deep tech to market.
She said it was important to secure early supporters — the “first believers” — who not only provide funding but could also lend crucial credibility.
Ms Manhy recommended women build strong networks which can “make your back stand up a little bit straight”.
Chief Operating Officer at quantum sensing startup DeteQt, Rupal Ismin, emphasised the importance of early believers and government support in translating research to market.
Ismin’s company emerged from university collaborations, supported by funding from Defence Innovation Network and the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator.
"Don't be afraid to propose a job for yourself,” she said. “I went up to the CEO and said, ‘you should hire me for two days of week. I’ll prove that you need me. If it works out, I’ll come on board full time.’ That’s not the first time I’ve secured a full time that way."
From left to right: Group Director – Technology and Commercialisation at Cicada Innovations, Hebbat Manhy; Co-Founder of Xylo System, Camille Goldstone-Henry; Portfolio Management Head at KPMG High Growth Ventures, Sophie Ritchie.
Portfolio Management Head at KPMG High Growth Ventures, Sophie Ritchie, discussed the funding gap between female and male founded team.
"For female only founded teams, businesses like Camille's receive between two to three percent of overall venture capital funding," she said.
However, she said investors ultimately back the founding team.
"For early-stage businesses, particularly pre-revenue deep tech businesses, investors are investing in the person."
Quantum careers not limited to physicists
The Quantum Leap panel was moderated by Biliana Rajevic, Strategy & Corporate Development Lead at Quantum Brilliance, a room-temperature quantum technology company and the Co-Founder of Quantum Women.
The discussion broadened perceptions of careers in the quantum technology industry.
"You don't need to know anything about quantum to talk to a customer about the problems that they have, and then take that information back to your technical team and work together to see if we have a solution for them," said Kerrie Jackson, Business Development Lead at Nomad Atomics, a company developing miniaturised quantum sensors.
Dr Claire Edmunds, Senior Scientist at quantum control software startup Q-CTRL said “translation in all senses of the word” was an essential and valued career skill.
Dr Bianca Sawyer, Program Manager at Quantum Brilliance, acknowledged the industry “sounds kind of scary because quantum's a scary word that a lot of people don't understand, but it's just another technology."
"Everyone in this room has the right skills to enter the quantum industry,” Dr Sawyer said. “You don't need to know about quantum physics to work in the quantum industry. It’s multidisciplinary, there are so many other roles."
Q-CTRL’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Michael Hush, highlighted an often-overlooked career path in quantum tech: product management.
"There are these things called product owners and product managers, and universities have never heard of them,” Dr Hush said.
“If you are a creative person, have a bit of a technical understanding, but maybe you're more interested in talking to people and figuring out what they want to make, product roles are for you."
From left to right: Strategy & Corporate Development Lead at Quantum Brilliance and Co-Founder of Quantum Women, Biliana Rajevic, and Business Development Lead at Nomad Atomics, Kerrie Jackson; Chief Scientific Officer at Q-CTRL, Dr Michael Hush; Senior Scientist at Q-CTRL, Dr Claire Edmunds and Program Manager at Quantum Brilliance, Dr Bianca Sawyer.