Manvi Gandhi, winner of the 7NEWS Young Achiever Award 2025 and Konica Minolta Australia Career Achievement award finalist, has been recognised as a trailblazer within the field of life sciences. She has not only been lecturing at the University of Adelaide and working in the STEM industry for 6 years but has also become one of the youngest leaders of the curriculum development team at the university and is a dedicated mentor to young girls interested in STEM.
Despite her success, she is all too familiar with the feeling of not receiving the support needed to truly thrive in higher education.
Growing up in a small town in Punjab, the community not only questioned her passion for STEM, but also her decision to pursue a Masters degree in environmental science. Had it not been for her parents’ steadfast belief in her potential, she might never have come to Australia.
“The decision to come to Australia and to study here received a lot of judgement from my community. But now that they have seen the progress that I’ve made, they’re actually now encouraging their girls to go abroad,” she says.
Now, she spends much of her personal time engaged in various mentorship initiatives, all centred around ensuring that young people, particularly girls, engage in STEM. Through her work as a mentor in Making her Mark, she networks with young students to discuss their interests in environmental science. She is also currently the mentoring coordinator of the Environmental Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ), where she helps girls get into contact with industry professionals. Most recently, she has been nominated as a STEM Sister Ambassador, where she engages in panel discussions to share her personal journey.
Through these experiences, she has learned that students in high school have a limited understanding of what a career in STEM could look like.
“They don’t seem to realise the extent to which the skills in STEM are transferable, when, in fact, I’ve seen so many women in STEM go beyond engaging in the technical side of things to shape policy and to become leaders in their workplace,” she says.
Gandhi’s own work in the STEM industry is a testament to the varied work open to science graduates. Despite graduating with an environmental sciences degree, she’s had a stint as a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) officer, asset management specialist and has worked in engineering.
But she’s most passionate about her roles as a teacher and as a program manager of the life sciences course at the University of Adelaide where her responsibilities include shaping the curriculum, improving systems and addressing issues between students and staff. As an educator, she vows to not only be a leader but to truly advocate for teachers and students alike. It’s this dedication that earned her a Teaching Excellence Award in 2024, given to her by the South Australian Institute of Business and Technology.
“I don’t believe my responsibility is just to supervise. I believe that as a leader, you actually need to bring the best out of your team and to be able to connect with people. And I believe that I’m able to connect with my students because of my experiences,” she says.
This unique ability to easily build a connection with her students, has made her the “go-to” for those struggling with their course and on the cusp of dropping out.
“Students, especially international students, seem to relate to me a lot, and they know that my office is always open for a chat,” she says.
From extending office hours, to taking on mentorship roles, Manvi Gandhi remains committed to making STEM courses accessible to all. It’s a testament to the many ways in which teachers can not only support, but empower their students.
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