Catherine Stampfl is a Professor of Physics at The University of Sydney. In 2023 she was awarded the Australian Research Council Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship for her research into Computational Design of Frontier Materials for New and Sustainable Technologies in the area of theoretical computational condensed matter and materials. As part of its Laureate Professorship programme, the Australian Government introduced the Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship in 2010. The award is made to highly ranked female candidates from the science and technology disciplines. The Fellowship includes additional funding for recipients to undertake an ambassadorial role to promote women in research.

As part of her Laureate Fellowship, Prof. Stampfl is committed to promoting gender equality in sciences. Over the course of her Fellowship, she will initiate strategies to promote the recruitment and advancement of women in science. One strategy is to implement the establishment of the Early Career Researcher Physics/STEM Parents Awards for women in science. These awards were created recognising that the challenge/loss in productivity for parents striving for an academic career does not stop after returning from maternity leave. The awards are to be used to assist in the recipient’s research however they wish (e.g. to attend conferences, travel for research and collaboration, etc). Altogether there will be a total of 10 (two each year), each being $2000. These awards are also open to women who have suffered a miscarriage or have had difficulties to have children that has had an impact on their ability to work.

Another is the creation of the Regional and Remote Physics/STEM Awards for year 12 students from these areas of Australia. Students from regional and remote areas are underrepresented in STEM in Australia and these awards were created to provide stimulus and encouragement to outstanding female students from these areas to be used towards their study in Physics/STEM at an Australian University. A total of twenty Awards of $3875 (four per year) have been created.