research overview
- Dr Rankin works on understanding and countering barriers to the increased representation of women and members of other under-represented groups in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) workforce. She is especially interested in how to develop the professional management skills of researchers and enable people to be effective and inclusive in leadership roles (she often presents workshops on topics such as negotiation, and time management). She supports taking a structural (institutional level) and process driven approach to diversification. Her background as an experimental particle physicist has led to a focus on how to improve the functioning of teams, especially those that cross discipline boundaries and work on 'grand challenge' problems (such as sustainability). She has recently started to become involved in workforce development to address the need for convergence ready researchers.
