Welcome to the ACT Edition of the WISENET Journal – and what a bumper issue it is! After two years, it is our turn again to present some of the recent happenings in the ACT scientific landscape.

At the AGM in May, the National Executive was transferred from ACT to Victoria. We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new National Co-convenor, Diane Webster, and her capable team of Executive members. We also extend a welcome to National Co-convenor, Rosemary White, who is resident in Canberra and will continue the momentum we have gained here. Rosemary asks the question: “Women in Science, what next?” in this issue. A big thank-you to Anna Robinson, who carried the national flag for four years in Canberra. You can read her reflections of the national tenure in this Journal.

As we all know, traditional academic positions in research and/or teaching are few and far between, and many capable people with scientific qualifications find it hard to establish a career. For example, in Europe only 22% of PhD graduates go on to a tenure-track research career, and also in Australia the supply of postgraduates exceeds the demand from the universities. One option to continue working within a scientific context is the Australian Public Service (APS). Altogether, the APS employs more than 123 000 people, and there are many agencies and departments that need a workforce with a scientific background. In order to highlight the role of the APS as an employer of scientists, we interviewed a few women from the public sector about their thoughts and experiences.

Another emerging field in science careers is that of communication. Currently there are plenty of opportunities in Australia for this line of work as well, as highlighted by Sharon Abrahams in her interview. As a third option to further expand career horizons, three WISENET members: Simone, Melissa and Kirsten tell us about their fascinating work in forensic science.

But we must not forget about achievements in university life either! We are proud to profile three highly successful ACT women scientists: Jenny, Susanne and Nanda, whose achievements were recognized by the Australian Academy of Science this year. They truly represent the best and the brightest in science and are an inspiration to us all.

All the best for the remainder of the year.

ACT Convenors for WISENET