University of South Australia (UniSA) Media Release

University of South Australia environmental psychology scientist Dr Brianna Le Busque has been named a Superstar of STEM for her work to change society’s negative perceptions of sharks and promote their conservation.

Dr Le Busque is one of 60 scientists recognised nationally today by Science & Technology Australia, celebrating the country’s most inspiring female and non-binary people working in STEM, who are smashing the stereotype of “an old man in a white lab coat”.

The UniSA behavioural scientist has undertaken multiple studies to address the public’s irrational fears of sharks, unfairly depicted as monsters in popular culture since the 1975 blockbuster horror film Jaws contributed to a rise in shark hunting and subsequent decimation of the species.

“In reality, sharks pose little threat to humans. The chances of being killed by a shark in Australia are one in 8 million – but the damaging hype generated by media and shark movies has fed these fears and seriously harmed conservation efforts,” Dr Le Busque says.

Globally, 100 million sharks are killed each year and a quarter of shark species threatened by extinction.

Dr Le Busque, who has published 17 peer-reviewed publications and presented at nine conferences, will use her Superstar of STEM profile to highlight the appeal of non-traditional science careers, including conservation and environmental science.

“The human and psychological aspects of science are fascinating. I want to show people, particularly women and gender diverse people, that science is not restricted to working in a lab or using microscopes. I talk to people, I do surveys, read newspaper articles, and watch shark films. That is my science.”

While undertaking her PhD, Dr Le Busque created a blog and Instagram account to inspire and support other PhD students and scientists, building a large female following. She continues to use Instagram as a platform to encourage women to pursue a career in science, as well as mentoring female undergraduate students.

The STEM Superstars program was launched in 2017, aiming to smash gender assumptions about who can work in science, technology, engineering, and maths. The program trains recipients in public speaking, media and communication skills, equipping them with the confidence to share the benefits of a science career.