Frances Separovic AO excelled in school and was awarded a Commonwealth and a teacher’s scholarship but chose to walk away and work at the Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) as a technical assistant in a microbiology lab instead. It was there that Frances first encountered nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, a technique that would be the focus of her research career.
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From there she upskilled from a junior technician, obtained a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Math & Physics from Macquarie University and eventually a PhD in Physics from the University of New South Wales, all while being a single mother. Currently, Frances is Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Deputy Director of the Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne. She is a passionate advocate for women in science.

"We need to stop saying ‘change yourself’ to women and encourage them to promote what makes them an interesting scientist.​"

Have you always wanted to have a career in science?

I have always been a person who likes to work hard and has to figure out how things work. I think this is because of my background. My family moved from the former Yugoslavia to Australia when I was a child. As the first person in my family to learn English, and finish primary school, I wanted to work out how Australian society works. But I never really thought that one day I would have a career; I thought work was all about making a living.

It was not until after I had my son that I realised, the only way I was going to get ahead, was by getting an education. As a single mum, I went back to school while working full-time. I started off as a junior technician at CSIRO and, when people realised I was good at maths, they suggested I should work with the NMR machine. I changed to the physics department and finished working on my biology technician certificate. 

To get a science degree I had to study three sciences. I loved physics and maths, but I hated chemistry. I do not like being told what to do, so I decided to only study maths and physics and nothing else. Therefore, the university would not give me a science degree and gave me an arts degree instead. 

When I finished my studies, I was promoted to an experimental scientist and it felt fantastic. I thought I had lots of money and eventually was getting paid the average wage! I loved what I was doing and enjoyed studying. So, I decided to do a PhD in physics part-time, while working in the NMR laboratory. By the time I finished my PhD, my son had finished high school so I undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in the USA. I really enjoyed it. 

When I came back to Australia, I saw a job advertisement for a senior lecturer in my field. I was so excited, except there was one problem, it was in chemistry. During the interview, they asked if I could teach chemistry. Of course, I said yes as I really wanted the job.
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For someone who always avoided chemistry, it was a challenging year. I had to get up to speed on chemistry, while writing grants and doing research. I tell everyone that by surviving the first year I realised, I can do anything! It has given me the confidence to keep going. But to be honest, it is never easy. I never planned my career, it just happened. 

Professor Emeritus Frances Separovic AO with her son when he was a baby.

QUICK FIRE ROUND

What is your greatest achievement? 
I am very proud of bringing up my son. It was hard because his father gave me $15 a week for six weeks and then stopped. Despite several setbacks, I was a single mother who had a fantastic career in science.

How does imposter syndrome affect you? 
Sometimes people get paralysed by the fear that they are not good enough, but for me it is the opposite. When I feel like I am not good enough, I use that to motivate me. I am someone who has always been competitive. When someone says you cannot do it, I want to prove them wrong. I have never thought of myself as ambitious, but I enjoy competition. 

Why do you champion diversity?
It is important to champion diversity in science and great that we have started having these conversations, but they are long overdue. I think it is wonderful that we have more women in science. But when I see panels of all white women sounding the same as men, that is not diversity. We are just reproducing what already exists in academia, and so we will have similar problems in the future. We need to stop saying ‘change yourself’ to women and encourage them to promote what makes them an interesting scientist. 

What was your experience working in a male-dominated industry?

When I was younger, people treated me a certain way. They were more helpful. Maybe it was because I was young and inexperienced. When a woman starts to rise up in the ranks that is when some people feel more threatened.

I have had my supporters during my career. Back in those days, technicians were not allowed to go to the library. I used to go, and one day I was told off. My boss stood up for me and said, 'Frances goes to the library because she does the reading for me.' It is important to be supported by the people that you work with and appreciate the work that you do. 

At university, I did not have any female lecturers; they were all men. But I did not notice it until I came across a female professor. Until then, I just thought it was normal to only have male professors. When I started working at university, I realised that the important committees had very few women. But it is not the same now, things are eventually changing.

What has science enabled you to do?

Science has been such a rewarding career. I never thought I would get to see the world. I would never have dreamt of travelling. I remember the first time I went overseas with my son and the ticket price was half a year’s salary, something as a single mum I could barely afford! Working in science with opportunities for international conferences and collaborations allowed me to see the world.
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Also, it changed my perspective on work. My dad was a miner and people died working in mines. As a child, I thought work was dangerous. Whereas, my first taste of a science career showed me that not only was it not dangerous, but it was a career that paid me more than adequately to do something I love. I feel so lucky to have been paid to do my hobby. I used to say, 'when I retire, I will become a postdoc so that I can go back into the lab'. I feel so privileged to have had such a job.