Professor at Analysis and Probability Theory

Julie Rowlett

She has no regrets. Chalmers gives her plenty of time to pursue her research amidst a friendly mathematics department that strives to work together. Most importantly, however, was Chalmers’s efforts to uplift minority groups in achieving their academic objectives — and the opportunity to lead this herself.

“It seems to me that we often feel like we have to be extremely good at something to get a foot in the door. I certainly felt that way — I studied like a crazy person and got perfect grades,” she says. “It was only my achievements that made me feel worthy enough to apply for a PhD programme. Compared to the men I know who got into the same programme, however, I was pretty overqualified.”

She doesn’t want the same inequality to hinder young women from entering the STEM fields. “I decided that I would intentionally foster collaborations and write papers with women and people of colour in the field,” she shares. “I feel very strongly about ensuring young women have the support they need to excel in research.”

Julie Rowlett attended the University of Washington for her bachelor’s degree and pursued a PhD at Stanford University and a postdoctorate in Canada. Despite her many qualifications, she felt staying in the US limited her career to positions that emphasised teaching more than research — which didn’t fit with what she wanted to do.

“I didn’t want to say goodbye to research because the higher you go in STEM fields like math, the fewer women there are,” she says. “I had great achievements in research and wanted to continue down that line — and I didn’t want anything holding me back.”

A brief stint in Germany gave her the realisation that she wanted to continue her research in Europe. That’s when she heard of Chalmers.