Unconscious Bias @ Work: How to overcome your unconscious bias and make better decisions

Speaker(s): Andrea Sosa Pintos

Description: To build an inclusive team and work environment that respects and values differences, it is essential to look at our mindset and our behaviours. Unconscious biases are the mental shortcuts our brains take to help us make decisions quickly. When we understand how those biases influence our behaviour, we can take action to create an inclusive culture – one where everyone can contribute, innovate, and provide the best scientific solutions for our communities. Session Description: Mitigating Unconscious Bias @ Work is an introduction to the concept of unconscious bias and some practical tips to manage those biases. The session is aimed at raising awareness of how unconscious biases work, and how they can negatively influence workplace and team interactions. Awareness is an important first step in mitigating unconscious bias and giving our first thoughts a second look. Recommended (optional) Pre-work: We encourage participants to take the Implicit Harvard implicit bias tests to gain greater awareness about their own biases. The test is done online and it is free. The test can inform your unconscious bias based on age, race, gender, weight, aboriginal, sexuality, countries or skin-tone.

Bio of Speaker: Andrea Sosa Pintos is a Senior Research Engineer with over 15 years of experience at CSIRO Manufacturing where she leads the Nanosensors research team. More recently, Andrea was also appointed to lead D&I for the Manufacturing Business Unit, and advise on strategies to achieve the organisation’s D&I goals. Andrea is passionate about creating change in workplaces engaged in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to make them more inclusive and productive for everyone - not only because it's the right thing to do, but also because it's good for business and innovation. Andrea combines her research and engineering background with her passion for D&I to identify issues, gaps and opportunities in STEM organisations and influence change from within. Andrea is a strong advocate for encouraging more individuals from under-represented backgrounds into STEM professions and is a mentor for the WSU's WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) program and for the Engineers Australia's mentoring program.