Dr Mehrdokht (Medo) Pournader (she/her/they/them)

Medo, a Faculty of Business and Economics senior lecturer and senior academic adviser, is a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community. She actively serves on the FBE/MBSL Joint Diversity and Inclusion Committee and leads a committee working group on improving faculty support for LGBTQIA+ students and staff.

Medo started her academic journey in the world of Engineering. Her fascination with an optimisation problem in high school inspired her to first study Industrial Engineering and work in the field. Upon moving to Australia, she pivoted to Business and Management, eventually joining the Faculty of Business and Economics.

Medo was born and raised in Iran, where being gay is still punishable by death. As she puts it, “I wasn’t discriminated against, I was illegal.” She is now thankful to be able “to explore my identity, as many people back in Iran are not afforded the same opportunity.” She is excited to be part of the university community’s efforts to support its LGBTQIA+ members and looks forward to helping develop initiatives with students and staff members to increase inclusivity and LGBTQIA+ visibility at the FBE/MBSL and across the university.