Dr Izzy Jayasinghe

As an associate professor in optical microscopy and cellular biophysics, Izzy Jayasinghe has always been interested in finding new ways to visualise the building blocks of life and using these technologies to better understand the physiology of our own organs. Beginning her career at the University of Auckland in 2007, she has since published over 40 academic papers and made formative discoveries about the structures, patterns and changes within the human heart.

Equality and inclusion in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is also at the heart of Izzy’s work. Not only is she passionate about democratising scientific technology to be freely accessible, she is also a staunch advocate for marginalised communities working and studying in science. It’s an issue close to her heart as someone who is takatāpui (transgender). “For a long time, I believed that it was difficult, if not impossible, to live authentically and have the career that I desired,” she says.

Although she came out to various friends and colleagues at various points in her career, Izzy says she inevitably found herself “going back into hiding” because certain work environments still felt unsafe for her to live authentically. It was only when she read about trans scientists like Dr Penny Whetton, and met other trans and queer scientists at a series of LGBTQ+ conferences in the UK, that she found the strength to live fully as her true self.

“Coming out was one of the scariest things that I had done, but life and work both got easier,” she says. “I worried less about what others thought of me. My science became bolder and more socially aware. I was no longer trying to fit into someone else’s mould.” She’s since been able to take those lessons to the halls of power – in 2022, Izzy advocated for better workplace inclusion and safety at a UK parliamentary inquiry into universities and STEM subjects.

She’s come a long way from starting out as an undergraduate at the University of Auckland, a decision which was helped by her winning a $1000 prize to study with the science department from the NIWA science fair in 2002. It ended up being a fortuitous choice, as Izzy says the University provided a “significant turning point” in her life. “I needed a place where I could focus my interest and develop the high-end skills that I needed to forge a career within it,” she says.

Izzy fondly recalls memories of grand lecture theatres and passionate lecturers and tutors, but it was her PhD supervisor, Professor Christian Soeller, who was particularly influential in her professional journey. “The training that I had with Professor Soeller and colleagues was an immensely powerful launching pad for my career,” she says. “The tools, the skills, the new ways of thinking, the work ethic and values that I now rely so heavily upon.”

Now working as head of the Department of Molecular Medicine at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Izzy is grateful to have worked at six different universities across New Zealand, Australia and the UK. “I have been fortunate enough to rub shoulders and form life-long friendships with numerous world-class scientists and inspiring people – my biggest achievement yet.”

Having established such a rich and varied career, Izzy is now focused on opening doors for the next generation of world-class scientists and ensuring that STEM remains open and accessible to all. “Success is not only about my own scientific achievements, but the achievements and wellbeing of all the colleagues that make up this department,” she says. “My goal is to support them, to enable them to dream big and to thrive.”