Michelle McNamara: Humans of BioSciences
Meet Michelle McNamara, a Melbourne Enterprise Fellow in the School of BioSciences who has 30 years of experience in the biotechnology industry. Michelle applies her knowledge and networks to teaching postgraduate students about biotechnology. Michelle is also the Chair of the School of Biosciences Culture, Diversity and Inclusion Committee; Member of Faculty of Science Diversity and Inclusion Committee; Staff Co-Representative on the Pride in Action Network Committee; and Committee Member of Queers in Science.
What areas of Biotechnology have been the focus in your career and teaching?
I deal with the non-technical side of biotechnology. My career has been mainly in the management of product development and commercial business development for biotechnology products in the pharmaceutical, medical device and agriculture areas. I have applied the skills that I have learned in industry to teaching students subjects including ‘Commercialisation of Science’, ‘Regulation of Biotechnology’, ‘Leadership in Science’, ‘Project Management in Science’ and the introductory subject ‘From Lab to Life’. I proposed and am currently developing a new online nested pair of courses – the Graduate Certificate of Biotechnology (Enterprise) and the Specialist Certificate in Biotechnology (Enterprise). These courses were approved late last year and are launching shortly (in October) at the start of the Term 4.
Below, Michelle is pictured teaching the Master of Biotech with Dr Matthew Digby and Dr Jacqui Waterkeyn.
As Chair of the School of BioSciences’ Culture, Diversity and Inclusion committee, can you tell us about why the committee was formed and what are its aims?
The committee was formed from an amalgamation of the People and Culture committee and the Diversity and Inclusion panel at the end of 2018. We work towards improving the culture of the school and have conducted a couple of surveys which have produced a school values statement and have changed the way the school communicates. Earlier this year for example, we sent out an important statement to all staff about racism and COVID-19 with a focus on the student community.
What inspired you to join this committee and promote its aims?
When I was deciding to come out as transgender at the University in 2017, I also decided that I would become active in promoting diversity and inclusion at the University. I was already active with Transgender Victoria and the Australian GLBTIQ Multicultural Council in the broader community and wanted to apply what I had learned at work. Since coming out at the University I have been active in the Pride in Action Network Committee , been a member of the Faculty of Science Diversity and Inclusion Committee and also have been a member of Queers in Science Committee. I was really delighted to be a part of the Pride in Action network committee that won a University 2020 Melbourne Excellence Award for our support of University strategic priorities. With all these extra commitments, I have to be careful to preserve my energy so that I can teach my postgraduate students about biotechnology!
Below, Michelle is pictured with University of Melbourne alumnae Senator Janet Rice and the late Dr Penny Whetton who launched the University’s Pride in Action network at Pride March in Feb 2019.
What do you do in your spare time outside of your work at the University?
Some fun things I have done as an advocate outside of the University include being featured in the observational feature documentary ‘The coming back out ball movie’ (2018), where a group of older LGBTI+ people are invited to a ball celebrating gender and sexual identity. In the movie I shared some really personal experiences particularly about my relationship to my wife. It was difficult to talk so intimately but our relationship has improved as a result of the film and the response to it.
I also appeared in the Vic Health campaign, ‘This Girl Can’ - a Vic Health program to get more women in Victoria active. The filming was fun with a very expensive cinematographic camera being placed in a plastic bag to film me underwater! The campaign showed how women from very diverse backgrounds overcame the barriers to getting involved in exercise. I expressed some hesitancy to the other women about being involved - as a transgender woman being different to the other women. The answer I got from them really helped me. They said, "don't be silly, look at us, we are African women, Asian women, indigenous women, women with a disability, obese women, women from lower socio economic status. You are just another type of woman."
I am also a contributor to ‘Transcending: Trans Buddhist Voices’ (2019), the first anthology of Trans and gender diverse buddhist writing available from Hares and Hyenas in Fitzroy. " I have also spoken in public about my Buddhist faith and its link to being transgender.
Find Out More
Michelle McNamara: Profile
Graduate Certificate of Biotechnology (Enterprise)
Specialist Certificate in Biotechnology (Enterprise)
University of Melbourne Pride in Action network
'Humans of BioSciences' is a special series to introduce the School of BioSciences' undergrad and postgrad students, our academics, professional staff and associates'