• Charles Sturt University environmental researcher is soon to voyage to Antarctica as part of the 2022/23 Homeward Bound program
• Homeward Bound is a global transformational leadership initiative for women which aims to create a diverse community for women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) to solve the biggest planetary problems
• The program is an exciting opportunity to be part of a global collaboration for a sustainable and equitable world with women in STEMM

A much-anticipated voyage to Antarctica is about to become a reality for a Charles Sturt University researcher.

In just nine days’ time, environmental research scientist and ecologist Dr Elizabeth (Liz) Znidersic (pictured, inset and below), a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Charles Sturt Gulbali Research Institute for Agriculture, Water and Environment, will set sail to Antarctica as a participant of a leadership program run by Homeward Bound.

Homeward Bound is a global transformational leadership initiative which aims to create a diverse community for women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) to solve today’s biggest planetary problems.

Dr Znidersic said she was proud to be awarded a place in the 2022/23 Homeward Bound program.

“It is an exciting opportunity to be part of a global collaboration for a sustainable and equitable world with women in STEMM,” Dr Znidersic said.

“Scientific endeavour plays a critical part in resolving the difficult problems facing the sustainability of the planet, and Homeward Bound provides a unique and challenging opportunity by tackling the challenge of science communication and the visibility of women in STEMM.

“In addition to the overarching gender imbalance in leadership, women in STEMM face additional challenges specific to these fields.”

Dr Znidersic’s research investigates eco-acoustics and the application of technology to monitor and restore ecosystems and the environment.

She has worked extensively on threatened wetland species throughout Australia and overseas using cutting-edge AI technology to monitor sounds and camera-trap images of species and ecosystems.

Dr Znidersic champions knowledge from First Nations peoples and creates multi-disciplinary collaborations to better manage the environment. She is passionate about encouraging and supporting women of all ages in STEMM.

Set against the backdrop of Antarctica, the Homeward Bound Program, which originated in 2015,

incorporates content from four core development ‘streams’ on leadership, strategy, visibility and science.

The program aims to provide guidance and a place for contributing ideas in a meaningful way, making decisions and discovering solutions to the complex challenges we now face in the world.

Homeward Bound’s The Ushuaia 2023 voyage brings 68 women together from various disciplines and countries to sail to remote parts of the Southern Ocean and Antarctica to promote ideas, visions and create collaborations for sustainable solutions to current environmental problems, such as loss of biodiversity and climate change.

The program strives to build a global initiative of 10,000 STEMM women from different countries and backgrounds to work together and collaborate by the year 2036, and the Ushuaia 2023 voyage and Homeward Bound Leadership program will forge an unforgettable bond and lifelong connection between teammates.