Veena Nair
Chair
Veena Nair is an award-winning STEM educator, consultant, strategic advisor, and systems-thinking specialist with over 30 years of experience working across schools, universities, industry, and government-linked initiatives in Australia and internationally. She supports organisations to design future-ready learning, workforce pathways, and innovation programs that respond to rapid technological change while addressing persistent equity gaps.
Veena brings deep expertise in emerging technologies, systems engineering, STEM strategy, and curriculum design, with a particular focus on increasing girls' participation and leadership in STEAM. Her work centres on dismantling structural, cultural, and curricular barriers that limit girls' engagement with engineering, technology, and advanced science, and on designing programs that are inclusive, authentic, and aspirational.
She has collaborated with multiple universities to develop and pilot new STEAM programs, most recently with RMIT University on the COMBs Project, contributing to interdisciplinary, problem-based approaches that connect education, research, and industry. Veena is also an Educational Consultant for Lunaria One, advising on education frameworks linked to Australia's first commercial lunar mission, with a strong emphasis on ensuring girls see themselves represented in space, engineering, and future technology careers.
Veena is the recipient of the Prime Minister's Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching (2022) and has advised on curriculum reform, systems engineering pathways, sustainability education, and industry–education partnerships at state, national, and international levels. She has served on curriculum review panels, judging bodies, and advisory committees influencing STEM participation and policy outcomes.
Her consulting portfolio includes girls-focused STEM program design, professional learning for educators, strategic planning, partnership development, and impact evaluation. Veena is known for her ability to bridge education, industry, and innovation ecosystems to deliver practical, equity-driven solutions that build long-term capability and representation in STEAM. Veena continues to teach at Viewbank College Melbourne.