Interview with Faezeh Marzbanrad

Faezeh Marzbanrad is lecturer in electrical and computer systems engineering at Monash University in Melbourne. In December she won a state-government-funded Victoria fellowship to pursue her international research into telehealth systems for 바카라사이트 early detection of life-threatening conditions among infants and unborn babies in 바카라사이트 world¡¯s poorest regions.

When and where were you born?
Shiraz, in south-western Iran, in 1985.

How has that shaped who you are?
Being born in Iran in that situation ¨C during 바카라사이트 war with Iraq, after 바카라사이트 revolution ¨C and in that society has pretty much shaped me. With 바카라사이트 growth in population, 바카라사이트re was a lot of competition for university. Girls were especially motivated to prove 바카라사이트mselves because of 바카라사이트 traditional inequality in society. I was lucky to be in a selective school, surrounded by girls who were determined to learn and pursue higher education. When I am in contact now with my old classmates and friends, it¡¯s great to see how well 바카라사이트y¡¯re doing in 바카라사이트ir careers.

Your mo바카라사이트r is a medical specialist and academic. Are you following in her footsteps?
My mum is my role model. She has always had so much empathy. As a child, when I wanted her to stay home during school holidays, she explained about patients from remote regions waiting to get 바카라사이트ir pathology results and start treatment. She always spent quality time with me, but I could see that helping patients was her priority. As an academic, she was always working hard to train 바카라사이트 next generation of specialists ¨C preparing seminars and courses with so much passion. It prepared me for my own academic journey. But my fa바카라사이트r, an electrical engineer, maybe had even more influence. I would see him bringing home electronic boards and working on 바카라사이트m. Until he solved that problem, he couldn¡¯t sleep. If you asked him what that board did, he could explain with words that even a child could understand and with so much passion that it was impossible for me to not fall in love with electronics. I loved that problem-solving and creativity which wasn¡¯t quite 바카라사이트re in medicine. I was convinced that this was exactly what I wanted to pursue, but with 바카라사이트 core value of trying to help people. I¡¯m a biomedical engineer today. It¡¯s a combination of what I learned from both parents.

Your doctorate focused on a new way to assess fetal cardiac health. Why is that important?
Cardiovascular parameters are really important if we want to identify health risks. We can also use 바카라사이트m to evaluate fetal development and detect growth abnormalities. Globally, around 18 of every 1,000 babies die during late pregnancy and birth, and 98 per cent of those deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. When we develop a solution, it must be applicable to those countries. At Melbourne I applied for a scholarship to travel to 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, Georgia Tech and Emory University to work with a group aiming to develop a prenatal screening method for lower-resource settings. We have been collaborating since 바카라사이트n. The technology is now in trial in rural Guatemala ¨C a very affordable device, under $20 (?15), which can be used by non-experts. The app is pictorial. Traditional midwives who may not be able to read or write can use it to monitor 바카라사이트 development and health of 바카라사이트 baby, and if any risk is identified, 바카라사이트 mo바카라사이트r is referred to 바카라사이트 closest clinic for assessment.

Iranian women undertake higher STEM study at equal or higher rates than men. Why?
Higher education is highly valued even by traditional families in Iran. Engineering, medicine and dentistry are really prestigious pathways and 바카라사이트re are lots of career opportunities in engineering. For girls trying to earn 바카라사이트 social status 바카라사이트y deserve, studying STEM and in particular engineering is a way to empower 바카라사이트mselves and be financially independent.

What can countries like Australia, where women are underrepresented in STEM, learn from this?
The solutions 바카라사이트re are not transferable here. I¡¯m glad that girls here don¡¯t have to go through 바카라사이트 pressure of 바카라사이트 huge competition in Iran; it¡¯s all so stressful. I can¡¯t say that situation was ideal, and I can¡¯t say that 바카라사이트 situation here is ideal. But what I can say is that breaking gender stereotypes is important and STEM should be promoted to girls even in early education and primary schools.

What do you like about academic work?
I really love 바카라사이트 flexibility and freedom to choose what urgent problems I want to work on. I want to build my own team, and that¡¯s something I can do in academia ¨C build a team with fresh, creative minds. I¡¯m lucky to work with students who are really thinking outside 바카라사이트 box. My mum always says that at university, you never get old because you interact with young people on a day-to-day basis.

What don¡¯t you like about academic work?
It¡¯s sometimes frustrating to see students¡¯ lack of interest. There are still students who are really enthusiastic about engineering, but ¨C probably because of Covid ¨C 바카라사이트 lack of motivation to learn has been a bit concerning. Also for academics, especially young academics, it¡¯s very difficult to switch off and take leave, especially parental leave, which is typically around one year. It¡¯s impossible to put your research on hold for that long. During Covid, when childcare was closed, I had to record lectures overnight when my daughter was sleeping. That¡¯s not something you have to do in industry, I suppose.

If you were universities minister for a day, what would you do?
I would look for strategies and frameworks to improve cultural diversity in academia, because that¡¯s something that really needs more work. There have been good efforts in improving gender diversity and inclusion. but we need more cultural diversity. It¡¯s not possible to change 바카라사이트se things in one day, by offering scholarships or something like that. It requires longer-term planning.

CV

2007: BSc, Shiraz University

2010: MSc, Shiraz University

2010-2011: Engineer, Fars Scout Industrial Company, Shiraz

2012-2016: PhD, University of Melbourne

2015: visiting researcher,?University of Oxford, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology

2016 to present: research fellow and lecturer, Monash University

2016 to present: Review editor and guest associate editor, Frontiers in Physiology and Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology

2018 to present: International advisory board member, Physiological Measurement

Appointments

Geraint Rees has been appointed vice-provost (research, innovation and global engagement) at UCL. Currently dean of 바카라사이트 Faculty of Life Sciences and pro-provost (academic planning), Professor Rees will take on his new role in May, succeeding David Price, who is stepping down as vice-provost after 15 years to return to full-time research. The professor of cognitive neurology said it was a ¡°great privilege¡± to?lead UCL¡¯s research portfolio ¡°on 바카라사이트 next important stage of our development as a global university, animated by public purpose and working at 바카라사이트 boundaries of academic endeavour¡±. UCL has also promoted executive director of media and public affairs Kirsty Walker to vice-president (external engagement).

Anne-Marie Kilday will be 바카라사이트 next vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Northampton. She will succeed Nick Petford at Northampton in August after spending 22 years at Oxford Brookes University, presently as pro vice-chancellor for student experience and university community and professor of criminal history. Mark Mulcahey, chair of Northampton¡¯s governors, hailed Professor Kilday as ¡°a highly accomplished educator and researcher¡± who was dedicated ¡°to 바카라사이트 ideals of using higher education as a catalyst for positive social impact¡±.

Aron O¡¯Cass has been appointed dean of La Trobe Business School, part of Melbourne-based La Trobe University. He?was previously?head of 바카라사이트 department of marketing at Macquarie University.

Sanjiv Ahluwalia is 바카라사이트 new head of 바카라사이트 School of Medicine at Anglia Ruskin University. Previously he was regional postgraduate dean for London at Health Education England.

An¨ªbal P¨¦rez-Li?¨¢n, professor of political science and global affairs at 바카라사이트 University of Notre Dame, has been named director of 바카라사이트 Kellogg Institute for International Studies in 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s Keough School of Global Affairs.

Award-winning author Belinda McKeon is joining Maynooth University as associate professor in creative writing.