Dr. Jillian Kenny
Award-winning entrepreneur and expert in STEM education and diversity
Profile
Dr Jillian Kenny is an engineer and educator. As a Lecturer at The University of Melbourne, she specialises in teaching, with a keen focus on innovation, entrepreneurship and outreach for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and related disciplines.
Recently, Jillian has taken on the challenge of attaining her pilot’s licence. She had never thought about becoming a pilot until she flew upside down in an ex-military fighter jet. Now, she is putting her skills to the test, and to keep things interesting, is learning in a Pacific Aerospace CT4E – an aerobatic military training aircraft that was previously used to teach Royal New Zealand Air Force pilots their stuff.
Growing up under ordinary circumstances in a tiny town in country Australia, she strives to empower young people to discover opportunities far beyond what they imagined possible for themselves. This ambition led to her co-founding the non-profit organisation Power of Engineering, aiming to inspire girls and regional students to consider engineering careers, and later, the company Maths In Real Life, providing real-world mathematics resources for high school students.
Her work providing opportunities for non-traditional entrants into STEM professions has resulted in being named as one of the inaugural Superstars of STEM by Science and Technology Australia, among Australia’s Top 100 Most Influential Women by the Australian Financial Review, and as one of Ten Emerging Women in Engineering by Engineers Australia.
Since completing a PhD exploring innovation in Australia’s vital water sector, Jillian has applied the insight and experience gained through this process to a range of sectors including education, health and water.
Jillian speaks on various topics including education, diversity, innovation and curiosity-led careers to education, corporate and government audiences.
Media
Feedback
We were recommended Dr Jillian Kenny for the graduation address at the Defence Science Technology Group’s Graduate Program in Scientific Leadership. It became clear to us why Jillian was named the inaugural ‘Superstar of STEM’ and one of the '100 Most Influential Australian Women'; Jillian didn’t just deliver a passionate speech, she captivated her audiences with her expressive energy and compelling storytelling of her journey. Jillian artfully weaved her description of the “Five Pillars of Leadership” into her storytelling. Her story inspired the audience, and her openness in sharing her vulnerable and challenging moments in her journey spoke of authenticity. The impact of Jillian’s message continues to be felt amongst those of us who were lucky to hear her speech.
Dr Jillian Kenny presented to our agency during our International Women’s Day celebrations. Jillian’s presentation was a funny, thought-provoking, inspiring and empowering examination of her own career progression and gender equality in STEM more broadly. Her call to action to promote gender equality at the end of the presentation was particularly poignant, with many of our staff members coming away from her presentation having committed to actions that will improve gender equality within their workplace and industry.
Ford Australia invited Jillian to speak at our recent International Women’s Day event. Her presentation about how she started her social enterprises in the STEAM space were inspiring and provided positive energy to a room of local high school girls and Ford employees. Alongside her personal story of success she gave the audience an informative, engaging and fresh perspective on what it means to be 'An Engineer' in the modern world. Thank you Jillian!
Dr Jillian Kenny was the keynote speaker at our University of Queensland, Faculty ‘Powering Ahead’ Professional development event attended by Engineering Alumni and industry professionals. Jillian’s presentation on 'Towards Diversity: Progressing from Empowerment to Power' was engaging, inspirational and thought provoking and the perfect way to set the scene for the afternoon. In addition to sharing her personal journey and experience, she discussed that influencing gender equality change should not lie with individuals, but on organisations and systems of power that shape our world. Jillian’s keynote generated in-depth discussion and resonated strongly with attendees who shared ample positive feedback regarding her session. Thanks very much Jillian!
illian came to Forest Hill College to speak to our students about the importance of science and engineering and how fulfilling these fields are to work in. She inspired the kids with stories of how engineers design solutions to help people, and explained clearly how creativity and problem-solving are key to successful engineering - not just being good at Maths! Jillian is a great communicator and the students connected with her - many young girls said to me that she was a great role model for them and helped them believe that engineering was something they could actually do. After Jillian spoke she stayed with our students while they worked on design solutions to encourage them, to lead them in creativity and to prompt clear thinking from them. We were amazed at her generosity of time and spirit and would highly recommend her to any organisation who wants to inspire and create. Thank you Jillian!
