A software engineering lecturer at Swinburne University has been named the overall winner of the inaugural 40 Under 40: Most Influential Asian-Australian Awards.

Dr Muneera Bano topped the awards, co-hosted by the Australian National University, Asialink and PwC Australia, that were announced at the recent Asian-Australian Leadership Summit. As the winner, Dr Bano receives a scholarship from the University of Sydney to participate in the Cultural Diversity and Leadership Fellowship at the university's Business School in November. The program is a first for Australia and aims to address the gap in training high-achieving multicultural leaders.

Dr Bano's award comes in the wake of being named a Superstar of STEM in 2018, which sees her participating in a two-year program to change society's gender assumptions and increase the public visibility of women in STEM. Born in Pakistan, Dr Bano entered the software engineering profession despite many obstacles, including her mother's urging to study medical science as it was more acceptable for women.

“I preferred to study computer science, even though it was a male-dominated profession in Pakistan, as I was more passionate about computing and was determined to break the stereotypes,” Dr Bano says.

After completing a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science at the International Islamic University Islamabad, Dr Bano came to Australia in 2012. She began working as a research trainee before being offered a scholarship at the University of Technology Sydney, graduating with a PhD in software engineering in 2015.

Her research at Swinburne University involves emerging technologies and ways to engineer technology to make it work better for the people that use it. At present, Dr Bano is investigating how AI can help vulnerable young parents. She is also looking at ways to improve student learning and the classroom experience, particularly for software engineering students.

Swinburne University is part of the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) pilot program to improve the promotion and retention of women and gender minorities in (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM).