Deakin Distinguished Professor Yin Paradies has earned his place among other notable names of the 41 people listed as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander STEM leaders by Cosmos magazine, as part of National NAIDOC Week 2024. 

Cosmos created this list of 41 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander STEM leaders in collaboration with CSIRO, the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA), and Australia’s five Learned Academies – Australian Academy of the Humanities, Australian Academy of Science, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, and Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. 

NAIDOC Week – held across the country from 7–14 July 2024 – celebrates and recognises the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

This year’s theme, chosen by the National NAIDOC Committee, is Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud. While this can take many forms, for Deakin Distinguished Professor Yin Paradies it means “always remembering and being vocal about the profound beauty and brilliance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait cultures.” 

Professor Paradies said being nominated as one of the top 41 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander STEM leaders was:

ADI Director, Deakin Distinguished Professor Fethi Mansouri, says the recognition highlights Professor Paradies’s commitment to achieving improved empowerment of Indigenous communities in Australia. 

Later this year, as part of Social Sciences Week 2024, Professor Paradies will lead an online session, ‘How did humans live before modern societies?’ which will illuminate key aspects of modern societies and compare them with pre-modern perspectives and worldviews. It is free to attend and includes general questions and discussion. 

Banner image credit: Jess Wallace/Cosmosmagazine.com